We recently connected with Tracey Morrison and have shared our conversation below.
Tracey, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism came from the lessons that my father instill in me. As a child, he always taught my siblings and I that we can be anything in this world if we believe and set our minds to it. He prove that by taking a risk to quit his job to start his own business called TT&T Electrical Company in the early 1990s. My father named his company after the first initials of his daughter’s name whose name start with a T.
That help me to go out in this world to believe that I can be all that I can be if I put my mind to it. He would always preach to me that life and death is in the power of the tongue. I used that as a fuel to believe that I will succeed in everything I do.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a writer, as well as the founder and CEO of Exclusive Press. The Exclusive Press’ social media pages and website cover news, politics, entertainment, people making an impact in the community, unsung heroes, celeb news, opinion pieces, and much more.
The special feeling about what I do is seeing the progress I have made in what I created and how proud I am of myself for taking the steps to use what I love, which is writing and creativity, and turning it into a business.
It’s an exciting feeling to have the freedom to write stories about people, places, things, news, and entertainment and share them on my platform. I want to allow my imagination and creativity to run wild into something productive on my social media page. It doesn’t feel like work. I’m excited to see what the future holds for The Exclusive Press.
My brand is unique because not only do I write about trendy news, but I believe stories revolve around everything we see, hear, or do. My style of writing is that there’s no limit to writing stories. I utilize my strong listening skills and unique ability to translate that into my writing. I receive positive feedback on my emotionally charged articles and well-written content. My writing gift is so special that I received an email from the former Durham mayor, Elaine O’Neal (the first black mayor of Durham, NC), about how the article I wrote about her brought her to tears. As an interviewer, it’s as if I’m listening to a friend share their story with me, and I translate it onto paper, giving them a voice and adding a positive touch to the story.
In my social media content, I refer to my fanbase as “Peeps!” Growing up, my family often used the term “Peeps.” The content I share is as if I’m sharing with my fanbase, “peeps” the news on my social media page, giving them exclusive access to what’s going on around the world, celebrity news, trends, opinion-related content, etc.
In the near future, I plan to expand the Exclusive Press by creating another website and brand name that will cover all North Carolina-related news. I aim to initiate this initiative by the end of the current year. I also want to branch into doing a podcast.
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?
My determination to know that I could make something of myself came because I knew I had the skillset to be a writer and become very successful at it. Of course, life presented its challenges, such as experiencing two layoffs within a two-year period, but it was through these challenges that I began my journey as a writer, ultimately turning it into a business. I knew that I had a purpose, and I was determined to showcase my skills to the world because I owe it to myself and to the world to see this greatness I have instilled in me. I experienced numerous ups and downs in life, yet I remained resilient, a skill that aided me in my entrepreneurial journey to maintain determination in all aspects of life.
Consistently, I had to strive to share my gift with the world. Sometimes we want to make it to the top without starting from the bottom. My suggestion is that you can get to the top of the building without starting on the first floor.
You must start small and be consistent, working your way up the stairs or elevator until you reach the top. For instance, when I started my social media page, I didn’t have much following or reaction to my content. I didn’t stop at the first floor; I kept climbing the stairs of my success, striving to make it to the top. If you concentrate on the small numbers and lack of progress, it’s easy to give up. As a business owner, I celebrate the small steps as a result of my consistency. Everything requires practice. I’m a talented writer, but I remain consistent in my writing craft, getting better and better at it.
Faith is an important spiritual component in operating a business. Faith kept me grounded. With me, I knew within that I have a gift and purpose and that I’m doing something great. As a business owner, I knew that it was important to remain steadfast and not give up. You must have a spiritual mindset that transcends beyond your negative emotions, frustrations, and fatigue and resists giving in to doubt. When it comes to frustration, what helps me is to find the lesson in everything in my faith journey, including the stumbling blocks.
For instance, the process of getting the website done took longer than expected. There were times when I felt frustrated, questioning the purpose of this task, but I had to remind myself that the work I’m doing is truly remarkable. I thought that it would be easy working with a website designer, but it was difficult working with a website designer from another state without that face-to-face contact. I took a deep breath, worked through the difficulties step by step, and learned from the experience rather than giving up.
My advice to individuals in this early stage of their journey is to understand their target audience and effectively market your services and products to them.
To ensure business longevity, research and study the market. Once you do that, be consistent and determined. To withstand those challenging times, you have to have faith, remembering your business’s mission and purpose. Even if you don’t see immediate results, it’s important to persevere. When it comes to entrepreneurship, there is no such thing as a quitter. As an entrepreneur, you have to be open to advice and communicate effectively. I’m still learning as we go. When you stay consistent and determined, the result will eventually follow suit.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Being a social media content creator and having my own blog is an award-winning experience. The current state of my business, characterized by its growth and increased followers, necessitates the addition of a dream team to support its rapid growth.
News comes every day, minute, second, and hour, and it’s a challenge for one person to do it all—write and be a social media content creator. Just me doing this alone and being consistent at it demonstrates the success of the Exclusive Press, where it is headed and with its constant growing followers. And that’s just me, myself, and I making it happen by being consistent.
I am confident that assembling a dream team will propel the Exclusive Press to unprecedented heights. The biggest challenge is trying to find funding to get a team to help with the increased traffic flow of my social media pages, so I can hire writers, marketers, a reporter, and a video production team to attend events and functions so I can fully branch into my vlog stories.
It may be a challenge, but I believe the team will come if I remain steadfast and faithful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theexclusivepress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theexclusivepress/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theexclusivepress
Image Credits
All pictures of credited by Tracey Morrison except for the one with me sitting down with the crowd my legs cross (that picture was taken by Helen Nelson)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
