COVER STORY: Merging Media & Community Together to Create Powerful Infotainment with Traci S. Campbell
I am beyond thrilled to introduce you to a remarkable woman who holds a special place in my heart – the incredible Traci S. Campbell.
Hailing from the vibrant city of Baltimore, Maryland, and having spent her formative years navigating between the bustling streets of Baltimore and the suburbs near Washington, DC, Traci's journey is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Growing up in a single-parent household, Traci and her mother faced financial challenges, but they tackled each obstacle with unwavering determination. From a young age, she displayed an unyielding drive for education and career success, which paved the way for an extraordinary path ahead.
After pursuing her passion for computer science at the University of Maryland, Traci embarked on a fulfilling IT consulting career, defying the odds and carving her own path to success. But her accomplishments don't end there. As destiny had it, Traci became a compassionate and devoted caregiver to her beloved mother for over a decade, showcasing the depth of her love and the strength of her character.
With a strong foundation in Information Technology, she ventured into the world of non-profit organizations, leaving an indelible mark. Today, her diverse portfolio includes a flourishing radio show, a captivating TV show, and an innovative streaming network. Traci's journey is a testament to the power of education, perseverance, and the unwavering support of loved ones.
As we delve deeper into the life of this inspiring woman, we'll uncover the extraordinary insights she has gained through her experiences. Traci S. Campbell's story is a beacon of hope and a reminder that no dream is too big and no obstacle too daunting to overcome.
How did you get started in your career and what motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
As a young person, I've always had a fascination with science and technology, and at the same time, I always had a fascination with telling stories, writing stories, and having authentic conversations with people. The former passion expressed itself by way of good grades and the ability to do well in a technology-driven high school and later obtain a technology degree from college. The latter was fully realized after I lost my mother and did some soul searching and decided that I wanted to pursue this second passion of mine. My mother never realized the dreams that she had for herself and for her own future. So, I wanted to make sure that all her sacrifices to ensure that my siblings and I were able to realize our dreams were not in vain. That strong desire to succeed and honor her sacrifices led me to entrepreneurial opportunities in radio TV and streaming.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced early on in your career and how did you overcome them?
Early in my technology career, I was faced with the challenge of being a young black woman in a white male-dominated industry. So, there was always the pressure to not only perform well but to be taken seriously beyond tactical tasks. I believe I inherited my mother's direct and no-nonsense way of communication and still be likable at the end of the day! This helped me tremendously and took my career in a direction that ultimately led to leadership and would help me much later in pursuing entrepreneurship. The same challenges presented themselves in the media arena. Another white male-dominated industry. So, at this point in my career and entrepreneurial journey, it's very important for me to be representative of not only women in general but especially women of color to have a say in making strategic decisions and not just to function in a “worker bee” capacity.
Can you share some of the key strategies that have helped you to achieve success in your business?
To be an entrepreneur is to almost inherently be a visionary as well. That's a wonderful thing, it can also be a hindrance. Visionaries don't necessarily think in terms of having repeatable processes and a strong infrastructure. But in order to be a successful entrepreneur, you absolutely have to pay attention to all of those things. It was when I fully grasped this in my entrepreneurial journey, that things began to change.
As part of that infrastructure, it is essential to have a competent and dedicated team. And by team, I'm not just talking about paid employees. I'm talking about those folks that are volunteering their time or those folks that are serving on your advisory board, etc. All these folks are a part of your team. And all teams need to be motivated. They need to feel that they have an emotional stake, at least, in the mission. And they need to feel that their voices are heard. Not only do you need a team as a successful entrepreneur, but you also have to make time to connect with your team members, individually, as much as possible.
How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work, particularly during challenging times?
As they say, “You have to remember why you're doing a thing.” It is so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day task, the administrative overhead, and the various conflicts that you may have with your team or clients. It is also very easy to forget why you're doing this thing in the first place! More than once did I feel like throwing in the towel. But the blessing is that I have people around me that have reminded me, more than once, of the mission and intent. That right there is gold! If you're not able to pull yourself up, it is extremely important to have people around you, hence your team, that will be there to help pull you up when you are overwhelmed.
And it definitely helps to have your own “personal spiritual support system” internally. The entrepreneurial journey is not easy for anyone and there are times when even your team may not be able to fill in the gap. That is when you have to call upon your internal resources and more specifically your spiritual resources to get through and to get over the obstacle at hand.
What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs who are just starting out on their journey to success?
For a young woman starting her entrepreneurial journey right now, I would strongly advise her to do the following three things first:
Know your industry inside and out. Read everything you can get your hands on about your industry. And early on, get yourself a mentor who already has had success in your industry. Doing this one step alone will save you so much time and energy and frustration and most of all money.
Speaking of money, think about how you are going to monetize this entrepreneurial pursuit early on. Most of us are excited about the idea of being our own boss and we are driven by the passion. That is great, but you don't want that passion to turn into a very expensive hobby. Many businesses fail because they never have a clear-cut plan to monetization or they wait too late to get a monetization plan in place.
Build your team. And while you're building your team, build your tribe of fans, supporters, and volunteers because they are also a part of your team at the end of the day. These are the folks that are not only going to help you run the business or support you through the tough times, but they will also act as your brand ambassadors to assist in the marketing and promotional efforts.
How do you balance your professional and personal life, and what are some of the strategies you use to maintain this balance?
After going through a few anxiety attacks and ending up in ER (literally), I was very hard headed and had to learn the hard way that sometimes rest and relaxation will add to your productivity and bottom line. I'm still not 100% great at it, but I have spent the last couple of years being a little bit better at unplugging, even if it's just to go to the gym or watch my favorite movie for the 20th time on TV or take a nap! Stress is a very real and very dangerous thing and no matter your age, it can take you out of the game entirely if you do not learn this very important lesson of unplugging in order to be more plugged into your mission later. So for me, exercise and spending more quality time with my husband, and playing with our pets are all “de-stressors” that truly help me to be more balanced than I realized. I'm a huge fan of Sandra Brown novels and they are my guilty pleasure/escape from the normal things I have to read or attend to.
How do you foster creativity and innovation within your team and what are some of the ways you encourage new ideas?
Having an open-door policy with the folks that I work with has proven to be invaluable when it comes to getting ideas and bringing more creativity to the table. I hate to use the term boss or leader unless it is absolutely necessary. Instead, I choose to use the term “teammate” and develop more of a team dynamic as part of the day today. Yes, you are ultimately the boss and the leader and there will be plenty of opportunities where you will have to exercise that.
But in order to keep the creativity flowing and to have a healthy work environment and relationship, it has really helped me to “always be a student” when it comes to interacting with those that I work with and being deliberate to listen to what they have to say. I have learned so much from my team and there are things that I probably would not have done or topics we would not have tackled, etc. if it was not for having open dialogue and embracing some of their creative suggestions.
How do you balance your various roles as an entrepreneur, author, executive producer, and found of two non-profit organizations?
Balance really works well when the things that you're doing have a synergy between them. I think a lot of people burn themselves out when they're trying to do too many disjointed things. I'm all for having multiple streams of income and the like, but the more that these things can be synergistic or have some common flow between them, the better it will be for your overall health and wellness in the long run. So, my role as an author, nonprofit founder, streaming network founder, etc., all goes together and they all can complement each other. And, it also helps me in terms of sharing what we do and helping people to understand the overall picture because all of these things are interrelated in some way, shape, or form. That creates a sense of balance for me personally and for those that are consuming the information to better understand our brand overall.
How important is networking and building relationships in your line of work, and what strategies do you use to connect with other professionals in your field?
Networking is literally a lifeline of what I do, and to be honest, I personally have never been a master of it. There is almost an art to networking sometimes and some people are just innately good at it and some people, like myself, had to learn how to do it more effectively. But whether you come by it naturally or whether you have to learn it, networking is powerful because some of the most successful collaborations and lucrative opportunities can be found through networking within your existing network or allowing yourself to be open to meeting different people and becoming a part of their network.
Because I interview a lot of people, networking opportunities almost always present themselves in some way, shape, or form. The key is being consistent enough and proactive enough to pursue the opportunity. In addition to the various interviews that I do with like-minded people in various industries, the network that I already have has also been very helpful in bringing new people to the fold. And then social media, especially LinkedIn and Instagram for us, have been effective in reaching new people that are interested in what we do.
What is the most important piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs looking to achieve six-figure earnings in their business?
So back to that idea of multiple streams of income, you can achieve multiple streams of income within your primary business. The key is looking at your overall business as “real estate.” (I'm borrowing this analogy from a good buddy of mine who gave me this awesome insight!) One of the most popular games that people have played for years and illustrates this very well is the game Monopoly. In this game, you can possess houses, apartments, or even railroad tracks. When you look at your business as something similar, you can identify various ways in which someone, the consumer, can engage with your business. You can also structure the pricing at various levels so that there is almost something for everyone. Mind you, sometimes less is not more; meaning that you don't want to underprice what you have to offer, even if it means losing some people that may not be able to afford your items. But... if you price your items in such a way that the audience you're truly going after can find something that will benefit them and that they can afford, then you stand a better chance of achieving your goal of a six-figure income.
Additionally, when the time is right, strategic partnerships can also be another way of achieving a six-figure income. You must do your due diligence and make sure that the partnership is indeed mutually beneficial determining that it is indeed in line with your core values and the core mission of your business, these partnerships can yield additional revenue streams that you otherwise may not be able to acquire.
As you reflect on your journey, what are you most proud of and why?
While my journey is far from over, I pray, it is very hard to pinpoint just one thing that I can designate as “most proud of”! I am very proud of the work of our BIBO Foundation by way of the people awards! Those Awards ceremonies in various cities really drove home why we do all that we do in terms of sacrificing our time and energy. Seeing the impact of those award ceremonies was almost breathtaking. Taking the time in the summer of 2009 to author “The C.H.A.M.P. Within” book and seeing the finished 198-page book as well as the 30-page workbook that accompanied it, was another major milestone I'm very proud to have completed. But even more importantly, I'm extremely proud of the over 700 young people and adults that that book and workbook program impacted in a very positive way. Last, but not least, BeSpire TV is absolutely something that I never thought that I would do, and now that it is here, I am extremely proud of it and the people associated with it which comprises amazing content creators, awesome collaborators, and a great support team.
What is your favorite quote?
I have always liked and gravitated towards the quote “There is no such thing as coincidence.” I am not quite sure who originally created this quote, but nonetheless, it has always resonated with me because I firmly believe that ‘cause and effect’ are always at play every second of our lives. And based on my strong faith, I also believe that when we steer too far away from our spiritual foundation, we inevitably create/cause scenarios and situations that have an effect on ourselves and on others. Thus, we have to always stay connected spiritually and always be mindful of our words and actions, remembering to not take things for granted.
"There is no such thing as coincidence"
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