Meet Shamina Austin

We were lucky to catch up with Shamina Austin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shamina, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

How did I develop my confidence and self-esteem? Well, I guess I can sum that up with one word “Father”! My father was the first person to tell me that I was beautiful and to work smart not hard. I watched my father very closely as young girl as he navigated through life. Unlike my mother my father was not a college graduate, but his confidence and sense of self-worth opened many doors that others may have shied away from. He was kind and gentle although his 6’3 frame towered over most, he was my muse for style, fashion, and what it meant to be a good human being. I learned by example that education, and wisdom did not just exist in books, but also through life experiences. He was always honest and followed and applied his moral cloth over most things he did in life. His confidence and self- esteem were aligned was his beliefs and faith as well as mine. My father taught me how to be unapologetically me by showing up each and every day to work, being an entrepreneur, a father, and a husband unapologetically him.

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?

Who am I?
Well, I am a woman with many talents and after working with/for others and feeling unappreciated, uninspired, and emotionally drained I decided to use my god given talents for myself. I started my business after working for an organization that fired me because I advocated for myself regarding my salary at that current time. The entire experience caused an emotional roller coaster ride that my mental seat belt was unable to secure for me. Nonetheless with the support of my family and daily debriefing with my two sisters I came up with a plan. I decided to create Virtual Assisting By: Shamina Austin. My virtual assisting business provides back-office support for companies and organizations. The services I provide include but are limited to notary services, ordering supplies to booking flights and hotels. I also went fulltime with my current business Mina’ Shay’s Pop-up Thrift store and relaunched MSJ Decluttering & Cleaning Services and started MSJ styling. Mina ‘shay’s Pop-Up Thrift store is combination of used and new clothing, footwear, jewelry, and home decor. I currently sell my items on Poshmark and have sold over 500 items, kept a 5-star rating with 33k followers. I say this not to brag but encourage others to bet on themselves and not suffer in silence while others utilize your talents with joy.

I love fashion. Although after gaining weight my clothing selection began to decrease. I remember how uncomfortable I felt buying clothes and going out. Once, I regained my confidence I wanted to share that confidence with other women. I started going out more and being more visible online. I started receiving a lot compliments and inquiries about my attire, thus prompting me to start MSJ styling. I want women to understand the importance of buying and wearing clothes for their particular body type. I know first-hand the importance of style and comfort. MSJ styling is for busy women who want to stay stylish on a budget.

Although, I love fashion I also love a clean and well design home. I started MSJ Decluttering & Cleaning service to help busy people get back to the things they love. Some people are working 2 to 3 jobs and really don’t have the time nor energy to clean when they get home. So, I provide general cleaning services to one’s everyday spaces to keep their environment clean and organized. Self-care and mental health have been overlooked by some in our society and communities. My services acknowledge both matters while being discrete and understanding of those in need.

Entrepreneurship has been one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences in my life. I get up every day using skills and talents that come naturally through me.

I learned very quickly that even without a ton of likes, follows or shares that I had to stay consistent. Although that idea can be very discouraging remembering the “WHY” keeps me focused. I realized my business success is not running a relay race with anyone else’s business. I also learned the beauty in taking a break to refresh and replenish my creative energy. After all the planning, marketing, and events my businesses are now running themselves. Once that happens one can only ask themselves “What’s next’? I am currently taking sewing classes. I designed my first pair of jeans a few months ago and I am super excited about this new journey.

It feels amazing to do the things I love. Although, working for myself can be challenging I no longer feel like a number or just link in a chain. I am inspired and driven with every client and creative vision that I produce.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

If, I look back…….. I would have to say my three qualities, skills, and areas of knowledge would be my integrity, confidence, and communication. All of these qualities have been impactful in my journey seeing as though I started working at the age of 15 years old. I was always considered to be more mature and reliable than my peers. Nonetheless over time my time management, organizational skills, and leadership have evolved. All of these skills and qualities are needed for entrepreneurship and have helped me to succeed thus far.

My advice to anyone in the early phases of entrepreneurship is always remember your “Why”!! Your goals are a bookmark, but you can always continue to re-write the pages that follow!!

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

What do I do when I feel overwhelmed? Believe it or not there was a time when I couldn’t recognize when I was overwhelmed. I perceived being overwhelmed as “Not going hard enough”!! Therefore, I would push myself to complete tasks with little to no sleep, food, or awareness of own my health. After, passing out and finding out I was unconscious for 5 to 10 seconds or minutes self-care has been a part of my every day life. Now, I pay more attention to my body and mental health to not so much avoid being overwhelmed but to pivot and learn to acknowledge when a situation is causing me to feel overwhelmed.

I have started working out and using mediation as strategies to help navigate this feeling. I also learned the beauty of being home and just relaxing and saying “NO”!! Setting boundaries and creating or finding a space that allows you to have a peace of mind is the best advice I could give to another person.

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Image Credits

Take Over Photography (T.O.P) for cover photo

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