Meet Nyla Graham

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nyla Graham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nyla, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic can often be described as hardworking, persistent, adaptable, and confident. I am also very goal-driven. My work ethic derived from my hunger for success and my ambition to break generational curses. Everyday I envision my dream life and what I expect out of it, which motivates me to give my best self no matter what I am doing. I am a strong believer that every generation should be better than the last and I want to not only pave the way for future generations, but I also aspire to lead by example. I find myself entering many ventures and juggling many responsibilities because I am always eager to elevate. This forced me to sacrifice a lot along my journey, but I would rather work hard now so I can enjoy life and play later. Stop dreaming of success and work for it!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I juggle many titles. I am a recent Master of Business Administration graduate entering Corporate America to work in the field of Human Resources on a global scale for a Fortune 500 company. I aspire to become a Vice President of Human Resources for a Fortune 500 company by the end of my career. I have a deep passion for Human Resources because I enjoy being able to give people the opportunity to change their lives through their dream career and improving diveristy, equity, and inclusion efforts to change the stigma around what a typical employee in corporate looks like. I work hard to break the glass ceiling faced by African-American women in corporate and to be a role model for people aspiring to become a corporate leader.

Beyond my corporate journey, I have been operating my business called HotGirl Beatz where I serve as a Makeup Artist and I recently ventured into becoming a hairstylist. Megan Thee Stallion said, “Being a Hot Girl is about being unapologetically YOU, having fun, being confident, living YOUR truth, and being the life of the party.” I intricately slay my client’s faces and hair for an affordable price while offering exceptional customer service. HotGirl Beatz strives to not only make women look good but to make sure they feel good. By offering makeup application services, premium mink lashes and hairstyling, I unlock the self-confidence in women and help them recognize their beauty. I truly love my business and what I do. The most rewarding part would be the happiness and the self-esteem boost I see my clients experience after I utilize my talents to transform them.

Being a Corporate Boss and Entrepreneur is not easy and can be a lot on my plate sometimes, but I love my progress, success and the impact I make in people’s lives. There are other ventures I am looking forward to getting into soon so stay tuned.

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?
Three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful to my journey were learning a trade, studying Business Administration in college, and remaining persistent. Learning a trade has been highly beneficial to me as I have been able to turn it into profits and I always have something I can fallback on. With technology and the potential of robots taking many jobs, it is important to be able to do something where you cannot be replaced. Also, having a job or career is always nice, but you are building someone else’s empire and can be fired at anytime, especially if you reside in “at-will” state. That is why it is important you learn to perform a skill or trade so you can always sustain and provide. Studying Business Administration in college and earning my Master’s played a major role in my journey. This taught me not only keys to operating my Business, but it also allowed me to enter Corporate America. Therefore, it was a 2-in-1 for me. I learned how to not only market my business, but also how to market myself. The biggest takeaway from attending the “B-School” at Clark Atlanta University was: “The goal should be to make money in your sleep. Multiple streams of income is the key to success.” That is something I always keep in my mind in all my endeavors and it drives what I do. Lastly, persistence is key. There will be many times you are told NO, but how bad do you really want it? I know for me, if I want something, I will work for it, even if it is out of my means. Throughout my journey a lot of people told me I would not make it or I was declined opportunities. That never stopped me. Instead, I used it as motivation to do what I was told could not be done. Turn your struggles into opportunities. Remember, only the strong survives. Keep pushing and stay the course!

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
A big challenge I am currently facing is just being hard on myself. Many times, I have to remind myself to take a step back and celebrate my accomplishments and what I have done, instead of focusing on what I have yet to do. I believe I am so hard on myself because of my goal-driven attitude, my aspirations, and my focus on creating an impact. I also know there are many people who look up to me or I serve as their “if she can do it, I can”, so I am always pushing myself to do better. I am ultimately learning to give myself grace. I am embracing being real, rather than perfect and giving myself permission to not do everything. I am valuing self-care more and realizing if I do not give myself grace, then I can burn myself out. I feel as if I am embarking on a self-love journey and I love every bit of it. I highly encourage all of my peers who are so hard working and goal-focused to take time for yourself sometimes and do not feel bad about it. It is okay to treat yourself to a spa day, or take a vacation or even start prioritizing your health by working out and dieting! In order to give your best self everyday, you have to take care of yourself as well.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
@capturingthemiracle @rapture.visuals

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