Meet Annisa Benjamin

We were lucky to catch up with Annisa Benjamin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Annisa, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

This was tough for me at first in that you don’t plan to get fired. A lot like death or the transition of a loved one, you don’t wake up one day and expect to lose them forever. And so I grieved. I grieved, because this job was apart of my identity. It was apart of my daily routine. It was apart of how I paid my bills and kept a roof over my head. It was apart of how I showed in the world and proof that I’m a responsible adult. What helped me to overcome this was remembering who I was, who Annisa was. Many times, we tie ourselves to a title but never consider the idea of being stripped of that title and begging question of who we truly are. I sat with that for weeks in my bedroom at my desk and I suddenly remembered, who my God is and all that he has instilled in me and placed on my heart. I remembered that I have a business — a fully functioning one at that and with real clients who trust me. I realized, this was God pushing me and allow me the time and space to pour into my entrepreneurial endeavors.

However, just because you get fired from a job, doesn’t mean that you have to stop paying your bills. The overhead remained and so it forced me to go all in and really lean into my power. From that very and I like to call it, “liberating” day, my business secured 3 full time brand management clients and almost immediately. I like to believe it was all divinely orchestrated.

I learned that sometimes it’s not about you but about the people and the blessings you’re tied to. Although initially, it didn’t feel good and I hid the grief well, it was an opportunity to pivot and look at a bigger picture than what was right in front of me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the proud Founder and CEO of ABMI (abbreviation for Annisa Benjamin Management Intel.) an immigrant owned, women-led full service brand management firm. This business birthed the things I value most. That being family, creativity and freedom. In 2014, after high school, I enrolled in community college as a radiology major, but it quickly became clear that radiology wasn’t at all fulfilling for me so I switched to accounting. But even that didn’t feel right in the moment. I’ll never forget sitting in my 8:00 am class, there were three rows of desks and I was seated in the middle front row. My professor began going through the lecture and I started to daydream about what my future could potentially look like going a traditional route.

ABMI is more than a business to me. It’s about helping my those around me realize that they, too, have the power to achieve their dreams. I’ve had the opportunity to experience having it all. The house, cars, whatever it is you can think of but I’ve also had the experience of having nothing but Gods words to live off of and so what’s most exciting for me to be in this space of having a operating business with real clients and cash flow and that folks see me, that trust me and that admire and appreciate that work that I am doing. This is further confirmation for me that I am in the right walk of life. It’s really such a beautiful thing to protect what people believe in and going the extra mile to bring it all to life. It’s those moments that make the journey worth while.

In February 2025, ABMI will officially be 2 years old and we’re planning to make a bigger impact in all spaces. We’ve updated and refined our service offerings, established great partnerships (which I’m so excited to share) for a first class brand experience alongside the official launch our new initiative dedicated to supporting immigrant and women-owned businesses. This program, designed to put founders first will provide essential resources for business formation, growth, and community impact.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

If I could narrow it down to one, it would be to never stop learning. I believe it was Socrates that said, wisdom comes from recognizing his own ignorance and so I carry with me, “A wise man knows that he knows nothing.”

We don’t know what we don’t know and there’s a world of information out there of you to digest. I pride myself on remaining teachable, even in areas that I’m familiar with. A lot of things really come down to perspective and your own psychology.

I would say be open to learning and be observant of others ways of thinking and their ideas. 2024 was a year that I dedicated to learning as much as possible. I learn through life, because you know life be life-ing. I learn from my family. I learn from my mistakes. I learn in the classroom, returning to school after being 10 years out of high school. I had the opportunity to take part in Women’s Entrepreneurship certificate program through The Bank of America Institute at Cornell University. I even learn from my clients. Although I’m their service provider, they teach me so much in the work that they do which further opens my eyes.

I take every moment and experience as an opportunity to learn something new or an opportunity to reflect so that I an understand situations, past and present, be a better human being to myself, to the earth and those around me.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

As a business owner, naturally I become anxious and feel overwhelmed quite often. What I do to overcome this is I take a deep breath and whisper to myself that everything is okay. I then remind myself that everything is not a 911. I try to distinguish between urgent and non-urgent matters to reduce my stress levels, maintain balance and feel some type of control.

Realizing that not every situation requires immediate action or high levels of concern, helps me to prevent burnout and avoid decision fatigue. By prioritizing what truly needs my immediate attention versus what can wait, I can allocate my energy more efficiently and make more mindful decisions.

This approach encourages me to set boundaries, stay calm under pressure, make sound decisions and build resilience, especially in high-stakes or fast-paced environments. It reminds me that handling things thoughtfully rather than reactively leads to better outcomes and a healthier mindset.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abmi.media
• Instagram: annisabenjamin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annisa-benjamin-51723a19a/