We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shandra Elam a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shandra, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose first through faith and secondly through just having the passion to wake up and only have the drive for just that. That’s when I knew this was my purpose. To wake up and be filled with a desire to create, design, and to motivate others “ anything is possible if you truly have faith”. 10 years ago I did not know necessarily what my purpose was going to be. Like many others I contemplated exactly what was my purpose. It took a lot of prayer, self reflection, time, and patience to understand the journey God was leading me on. Every path that God lead me on eventually directed me to my purpose. How you might ask? It helped me to become stronger both mentally and spiritually. My purpose brought peace, preservation, guidance, momentum, humbleness, and the ability to be still in reflection. This allowed me to work at my full potential and also motivate others on my journey.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am co-owner of MaXX Capacity Design Studio where my business partner is Serrita Lindsey better known as the “Press Queens” I was born and raised in Augusta, Ga better known as the home of James Brown. I have received my associate degree in marketing management of applied science and currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree in supervisory management. MaXX Capacity Design Studio specializes in the most cutting edge customization through vinyl and directive transfer film printing. We love having the absolute freedom to bring a vision to life for our consumer market. Whether it’s logos, brand apparel to bring your business to life, and special events, you name it.. we customize it. The exciting news is that we are working to premier our services to even more demographic areas outside of Georgia. We are also providing the service to purchase your own personalized dtf transfers through us as well,. We realize that customizing should not be limited to just the design, but enabling our consumer to have the option to explore with us as well, in addition, we are also expanding our services not to just vendor events, but private events as well.
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?
First before I say anything else I have to always give thanks to God. God was my guide through my journey. No matter what I went through, God has always been the primary nourishment on my journey whether it was good or bad. When I think of “ what was most impactful on my journey?” It was patience, determination, and passion. Once I developed this particular mindset I was able to use it and apply it to educating myself on business ethics, customer satisfaction, and different aspects on quality work, time, and material. All these factors will play a significant role especially in entrepreneurship. My advice to anybody that is newly on their journey is first “What is your spark? What ignites that fire inside of you? Secondly, do not look at your journey as a straight and narrow. On your journey you could possibly have to make a left or right turn. That’s perfectly ok! Do not be afraid to embrace learning new things, perfecting your craft, and exploring. That’s ok too! Let your journey be your growth, your super power you never thought you had, your testimony. Lastly patience, give yourself the opportunity to grow at your own pace. Remember it’s your journey. Own it!!
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Honestly, everyday is a challenge! It’s a challenge trusting your intuition, making sure the people you surround yourself around has your best interest at heart and vice versa, it’s a challenge to stay the course, stay focused. I always tell myself, “ I am giving the grace and mercy to start new everyday. Everyday is a new opportunity to wake up and try it again. Each day is a new day to plant your seed and nourish it. I ask myself these 3 questions when I’m trying to overcome a challenge. What motivates my growth? How am I nourishing my seed or seeds so that they blossom to their fullest potential? How am I going to encourage and uplift the next person that are faced with these challenges as well?
Contact Info:
- Website: Maxxcapacityds@gmail.com
- Instagram: Max_xcapacity
