We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zakiyyah Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Zakiyyah, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from my upbringing. I grew up in a family of strong independent women. We didn’t have a lot, but that never stopped us from making the most of what we did have.
This ingrained in me the ability to thrive even when the odds seem stacked against me. It taught me to adapt to any situation, to find solutions with limited resources, and most importantly, to never give up. These are skills that have served me throughout my life, and continue to shape who I am today.
Life, however, has a way of testing our resilience. I unexpectedly lost my mother due to COVID complications in 2021. It disrupted my world.
The healing process was incredibly difficult. It was during this time that I re-evaluated my priorities and what I truly wanted from life. Leveraging the resourcefulness I learned from my upbringing, I decided to invest myself and walk in my purpose by starting my own business.
Choosing to step out on faith and launch my business was about creating something meaningful, giving back to my community, and leaving a legacy that would have made my mother proud.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m passionate about empowering ambitious entrepreneurs. They often have incredible visions, but struggle to build brand awareness and manage their time effectively which leads to overwhelm, burnout, frustration, missed opportunities, and ultimately, can hinder their ability to achieve their business goals.
That’s where I come in.
As a Brand Strategist, I collaborate closely with clients to develop unique strategies that leverage their authenticity, allowing them to connect with their ideal audience on a deeper level and reclaim their time by focusing on their core strengths.
The best part of what I do is witnessing the transformation of my clients and their businesses from working together. Building and growing brands that are aligned with a purpose creates a ripple effect of lasting positive 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?
My 10+ years experience in client-facing roles across diverse industries like financial services and insurance were very impactful. I gained valuable knowledge and transferable customer service skills that has contributed to my understanding of specific business needs and the power of strategic brand development.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, I practice self care. That looks like making space to rest, leaning on community for support, and spending time with family. I also love reading a great book.
On this journey of life and entrepreneurship, it’s important that we take care of ourselves and trust that we don’t have to do it all alone.
We can achieve more together than we ever could alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: zakiyyahjconsulting.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/zakiyyahj_consulting
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zakiyyahjconsulting
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakiyyah-smith-82051b61
Image Credits
Picture 1: WVIA, Keystone Edition Business Pictured: Steven Stumbris, Ryan Smith of Chef Von & Mom, Amber Viola, Politics But Make It Fashion Picture 4: Nadirah & Jameel Laboo of Wing Champs
