Meet Miss Sieria Payne
Have you ever heard of a mommypreneur?
Well, if not today is your lucky day! I interviewed the 5x CEO and mom of two, Miss Sieria Payne. She is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but has recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Her humble spirit and pleasantness was indeed a delight to share. During our conversation I was able to receive great feedback and inspiration that could be just what the “doctor” prescribed for many of us. So, let’s get into the interview.
Let’s Get to the Business
Briana Janay:
“So, my first question that I have is.. well, I know that you’re a CEO of many things, since you’re like five times the CEO compared to many people in business. Can you let us know what all of your businesses are?”
Miss Sieria Payne:
“Okay, yea my name is Sieria Payne, I’m a mommy of two, a boy and a girl. I am a serial entrepreneur, so currently I do own and operate several different businesses back in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and I’m currently launching two new businesses, one in Texas and in Atlanta. But, my very first business is home health care. I own a health care agency back in Wisconsin, and we’re getting ready to celebrate our five year anniversary. July 2015, is when I first opened that business. With that business I have about twenty-five employees and about forty something clients. So, we basically hire caregivers and send them out to the homes; so, that’s like my main bread and butter.”
“Uh, my other business is the Mommy Galleria that’s a women’s suit business. Um, that’s the Mommy Galleria. Then, my third business is The Mommyprenuer Company where I do coaching and consulting for women. We also do women events where we do women empowerment and mommycations. We do a lot under that business, The Mommypreneur Company. I have my real-estate business that I’ve been doing, but I’m getting ready to launch to the world, called Moms Who Flip. So, we basically buy homes, flip homes, and sell homes. Really my main goal is to sell them to women who are single moms and teach them how to buy the block and buy back their neighborhoods and build that wealth for their selves and their children. What else do I do?”
Let’s Get to the Business (continued)
“My other business is…I have another health care company back in Wisconsin. That one has only been around for about two years now. We basically kind of do the same thing, hire the caregivers and send them out. And I dibble and dabble in a lot of things that I probably didn’t mention, but those are the main ones that I work with right now.”
Briana Janay:
“That’s really wonderful, you do a lot. That’s really big, because so many people want to get into business.”
The Mommyprenur Life
Brian Janay:
“How do you balance being a mom and a business woman?”
Sieria Payne:
“Well, I know a lot of people say, there really is no such thing as balance but then it is. You just have to find your balance. You know, what works for you will work for you, and what works for other people will work for them. So, you just have to find what works for you. With me being a mom- my kids are ten years a part. So, for ten years it was just me and my son and he’s 13. I had him when I was sixteen and in high school, so I was one of those single teen moms who grew up in struggle and poverty. So, with him it was my goal to get us out of poverty.
“Sometimes that came with sacrifices, sacrificing not being there with him for important moments, like his basketball game, or not being there to maybe take him to school or pick him up, because I had to have my mother and sisters help out. That’s why I had to find a system and have people around me that really supported me to really help in balancing being a mom. But, even today, like with my daughter I was literally in the hospital bed after I had her; I had my laptop and I was still working just trying to make sure everything stayed in float and in place, and that’s just me.” I think I’ve always been ambitious and able to handle a lot of different things at one time.”
“I know how to multi-task. Some people have a skill of multi-tasking and some don’t. That’s why it’s very important to just do what works for you. Some days it gets hard. It definitely wasn’t easy and was a hard road to get to the level of success that I have reached today. But, it just all goes back to not giving up and you have to keep pushing through.”
The Mommyprenur Life (continued)
Briana Janay:
“Right, absolutely not giving up and pushing through and definitely multi-tasking is big, especially as an entrepreneur.”
“I’m a mother as well. And I have two kids, a boy and a girl. But they’re two years a part. My son is one and my daughter will be three on the seventeenth. So, I have a question for moms like me. Maybe you can answer it.”
“Do you ever go through instances where you had plans on completing a task but the kids, more so your daughter because your son is thirteen, demanded your attention? If so, how do you handle that type of situation?”
Sieria Payne:
“I would say yes, so you know the kids they really hit that point right at three… so, I’m really going through that cycle now. Because I have already established my business it’s kind of different, so maybe if I would’ve went through that when I wasn’t established I would be able to answer the question better. But, I just want to be honest. So, with me because I have a little more stability to not complete the task, at the moment or maybe that day or even the weekend and come back to it at a later day to give her that attention.”
“What I’ve realized with my son is because I have sacrificed so much time and attention with him one thing that I don’t ever want to do is put my business before my family. Although, I understand for a mom like you, it does come with sacrifice. And it just comes down to are you that mom. Are you willing to make that sacrifice now, by sacrificing some time with them; so they can have a better life by the time they reach the age of ten?”
The Come Up Mindset
Briana Janay:
“Well, you actually answered that question better than you thought would! Here’s my next question, I know that you said when you were younger you kind of struggled a bit, so at what moment did you know you were going to prepare to live a more than average life?”
Sieria Payne:
“That’s a really good question. Um, I can kind of remember back to maybe at about thirteen, maybe even fourteen. Once I got to high school I realized like okay, wait my friends and the kids at school they got nice things, they got nicer clothes, nicer shoes. They’re talking about how they just went to eat at Red Lobster or somewhere out to dinner.”
“You know, my mom has seven kids, so we never ever went out to dinner to eat at restaurants because we couldn’t afford it. So, I knew in high school like we’re in poverty compared to some of the other kids. I knew even then my mom wasn’t able to buy me the shoes I wanted. Like my K-Swisses girl, I use to have to wear them like two school years and clean them off and wear the same shoes.”
“It was a lot of stuff that we’d been through and I was like wait this ain’t normal. Instead of, faulting my parents for the challenges that we went through, I’m like okay what can I do to change it? I don’t want to hold nothing against them, because they did all they could to raise me. Even being young in high school I’m like Ima be a business owner; Ima be an entrepreneur before I even really knew what that word entrepreneur was.”
The Come Up Mindset (continued)
“I knew early that I was going to own a business or put my family in a position to change their lives and hire them. And it’s crazy that, that’s exactly how my life kind of planned out. Going backwards a little bit, it was still a struggle, you know being a teen mom, working at McDonalds, working jobs just trying to make ends meet; and it was never enough. I even worked two to three jobs to see like, okay, they said if you work another job and get more income this will get you out of poverty. It actually just drove me even more crazy, and like I said I sacrificed so much time away from my son that is was crazy; chasing money that I thought would set us up for the future.”
“I remember it was the year 2011, when I first was like let me see what I can do to try to get myself out of poverty. My very first business was an online boutique. This was before Instagram even came about, and before the whole online boutique was even a thing. I came up with the idea like, I want to do an online shoe store selling heels. So, I found some vendors in China, took my rent money, literally; and started this online boutique. It kind of went well for me the first couple of months, but then it failed because I didn’t have enough resources and mentors and people to teach me how to run an actual business. So, unfortunately, I had to shut it down. So, yea it goes back to 2011 when I first even started with entrepreneurship to answer your question.”
The Come Up Mindset (continued)
Briana Janay:
“So, it has almost been a decade. I’m glad you shared the different circumstances from your childhood. But, you also made a valid point that you weren’t going to blame your parents for the situation. You pretty much decided that you would be the change. Because that’s what a lot of us do, we blame somebody else instead being the change.”
Sierra Payne:
“Yup, that’s right.”
The Come Up Mindset (continued)
Briana Janay:
“My next question that I want to ask is, at what moment did you feel or know that you had succeeded?”
Sieria Payne:
“I still haven’t succeeded. You know a lot of women on the outside are looking in saying, ‘ohh you know, Sieria you’re successful. You know, you drive a nice car, you’ve got a business, you’ve got a nice house, you’re doing things, and you’re traveling.’ A lot of people see that on the outside, but to me I’m still chasing, like I’m still trying to work my way to success. I feel like it’s so much more that God wants me to do in the world. It’s so many more women that he wants me to help, so, I feel like I haven’t reached it, yet. What I will say is it did take a couple of years. Thanks to my health care business- that business didn’t become successful until year three.”
“I tell people when you start a business plan to not make any money. Well, not plan not to. Depending on what type of business, it can become an overnight success, but most businesses don’t make money or see profit until like, year three.
The Come Up Mindset (continued)
“So, I will say after year three I became smart with my money. I’m like okay, well, I’m not finna go just buy a car, I drove the same raggedy car for years even after I was the owner of a business. I’m not finna go buy all these clothes and designer stuff and just waste my money like most people would. Because, when you’re not use to something you want to go and buy nice things. So, I’m like no, what I’m going to do is save and invest my money. I learned a lot about investments, really on social media; because, like I said my family- we don’t come from wealth.”
“That’s what I started doing, investing into properties; so, buying homes and flipping homes and buying IRA’s and 401K’s and just investing my money into stuff that could set me up for the future. So, to answer your question I have reached some levels, but I’m still trying to get to that point.”
Briana Janay:
“I anticipated that you would say we feel like- well, people like me who’ve followed you on Instagram for years and people who know you feel like you’re successful. But, you seem like you’re always looking for constant growth even in the process of growing.”
Sieria Payne:
“Yes!”
The Power of Networking
Briana Janay:
“Pretty Hustlaz is really big on networking, especially with women. Because, we feel like we’re better together than divided. So, I wanted to ask you when you first started off did it seem hard to network with other women, or at any point?”
Sieria Payne:
“Yes, I’m from Milwaukee, which is a small city in Wisconsin. Most people are like, do black people even live there? It’s not really a big city, which means there’s little opportunity. Up there, we didn’t have women empowerment events. I kind of like, was that start, and I don’t want to take shine from anybody. But, I was that push to encourage other women to really like, do it back at home. I would travel to Miami, Atlanta, New York, and L.A. Attending conferences made me see how beneficial it was for me. I was like wow, we really come together and network and not be scared to share information and grow even further. That alone was helping me grow my business, so I’m like let me go back home and help the girls in my city. I do see a big benefit when we come together.”
Briana Janay:
“That’s good that you became the push for women in your area. You’re not taking the shine from anybody; you’re just telling the truth.”
“Can you give us an overview of how you can assist them in creating multiple streams of income?”
The Power of Networking (continued)
Seiria Payne:
“That was my whole goal with Mommypreneur Company. I had my prayer. Like, I prayed to God and said ‘if you help me start a business and become an entrepreneur I promise you I’m going to give back and help other people. I feel like God answered my prayer, so I had to give back. In 2016, when I started the Mommypreneur company that was my goal- to be a consulting and coaching agency, and come back and share those resources.”
“Basically, women can come to me and I help them with social media networking, branding, marketing, and how to speak at events and conferences. I help with that initial start of how to get a LLC and how to trade mark things. I teach the proper things you should do when it comes to saving or investing the money that you make in your business and even how to pick out a business name. With the Mommypreneur Company I cover a lot of different things; I use my years of expertise and teach other women those things.
Briana Janay:
“You said you help women with different engagements and you mentioned speaking. I know that you speak, so I’m going to take you back down memory lane.”
“Can you remember your first speaking engagement and how you felt?”
The Power of Networking (continued)
Siera Payne:
“My very first speaking engagement was in 2018. I was very nervous and it was my event. That was the first time spoke. I use to do vision board parties, which was my very first event. I actually spoke, but I was never into public speaking, because I felt like I was too shy for that. At the time I was reaching those levels of success with my business and women in my city were coming and asking how to get started. So, they were like can you share your resources?
“When I spoke it was amazing to other women, the things that I shared and how I’m willing to give information so freely. I truly believe it’s enough of room for everybody. But, yea I was very nervous, and I tell women that if you’re not a natural speaker you’re going to be nervous, but I feel like any woman who has a business should be doing some type of speaking. It’s definitely a number one way to grow your business. You can even get in front of an audience that has never heard of you and share tips. If you give a good presentation they will buy or shop at your business.”
Briana Janay:
“I teach and we have to speak in front students, staff, and parents all the time. So, I feel like I’m a good speaker, but I still get nervous. I may need some tips too.”
Sieria Payne:
“I’ve heard celebrities say they still get butterflies in their stomach, speaking in front of thousands of people. So, the more people, the more nervous you’ll be.”
Briana Janay:
“I believe that.”
“So, you have the Business Co-working Lounge that you mentioned earlier. How did you go about creating that?”
The Power of Networking (continued)
Sieria Payne:
“Again, in my city we come from one of the most segregated cities in the country. To kind of bridge that gap with brining people together of all colors, all races, and having a space up there where women can come and grow, I felt like the other co-working spaces weren’t mom friendly. Also, a place where women can come and work on their business and have the kids. A lot of co-working spaces you know they’re so, “business business, that you can’t make a noise. I feel like that is not setting women up for success, especially moms if we’re still limited on the resources we have available. So, that was my goal with that.”
Briana Janay:
“Can you let us know about the details of the Mommycation and how we can participate in it? I know that the Mommycation this year was supposed to take place in California, right?”
Sieria Payne:
“Yes, I’m so sad! Our first Mommycation that was going to happen in May for Mother’s Day Weekend, it was something that I created for moms. Because, we all need a break. People make moms feel bad for saying that they need a break, and I feel like every mom deserves to say that they need a break. So, we were going to take the week before Mother’s Day- it was going to be like a retreat, but then it was also going to be a conference mixed together.”
The Power of Networking (continued)
“Almost all the ladies who were coming were business owners, they were moms, but you didn’t have to be a mom. So, we were doing a panel session where the moms were going to speak on whatever business they have. We had someone coming to teach about credit, real-estate, trade marking; we had fashion, we literally had every industry covered. It was going to be a four day, three nights event. That Friday night we were going to have a pajama party, Saturday would’ve been the workshops and conferences, Saturday night we were going to do a boat ride, and Sunday we had brunch set up. We had a whole thing planned, that I literally planned for months. It was unfortunate, because of Covid-19 that we weren’t able to go.”
“We’re still in the stages of trying to see, do we wait until fall or do we wait until next year? We really just don’t have a date right now. But, it’s definitely something that I will do every year moving forward. Our plans were to go out of the country in 2021, and just keep it going every year.
Briana Janay:
“Well, when it does happen, it’s going to be a big deal. It seems like you’ll be able to grow, learn, and have a good time.”
Beginning and Maintaining the Business
Briana Janay:
“What would you tell a single mom, who’s considering starting a business, but feeling as if she doesn’t have the necessary tools or help?”
Sieria Payne:
“Like I said when I got started it was limited resources available. But, right now for anybody there’s so many resources. You’ve got YouTube University, Google, there are so many coaches and mentors you can follow on Instagram. Before you go invest any money use your free resources, and make sure you do your research. I feel like a lot of women or moms have started businesses and it didn’t turn out successful because they lacked a lot of research.”
“I can say even for myself, I almost lost my business, because I didn’t do enough research. And I say anybody can start a business, but everybody can’t run a business; and that’s the problem. A lot of people see that opportunity and hop on it, but they forget the part of taxes, unemployment, insurance, and workmen’s compensation.”
“It’s so much that goes into running a full business, not just like something you would do by yourself. When it comes to hiring employees and staff that’s a whole other ball game that you have to be prepared for. So, I would just say use your resources. If you don’t have any money- I tell moms to create a second savings account and automatically transfer $25, $50, or whatever you can afford to that account. Create it on a separate account, so that you almost forget about it. Do that for a year, so you can have some funding saved up for any expenses that occur. ”
“It’s going to take some money, especially when it comes to marketing and branding. Don’t limit yourself on that. You want to go above and beyond, because right now with Instagram it’s so much competition. When you come out you want to separate yourself from everybody else.”
Beginning and Maintaining the Business (continued)
Briana Janay:
“Those are all really good tips, I just mentally noted them.”
“Where do you see The Mommypreneur and your health care company in ten years?”
Siera Payne:
In ten years, my home health care company, I definitely want to expand it into different states. I plan on adding a lot of different services, because with health care the sky is the limit. Since this is our five year anniversary, I am working on my ten year goals to really grow that business. So, in ten years I see myself having 500 hundred clients and bringing in $100,000,000 every month.”
“Then, with the Mommypreneur Company I see that business growing and flourishing. Like I said with the Mommycations, this year we were going to have twenty-five moms. Every year we’re adding on moms by the hundreds and it’s like 500 of us going on a vacation at one time. With the coaching and consulting hearing the women say, because of you I was able to start a million dollar company. Or because of the resources and tips you shared with me, I was able to grow a successful business. The Mommy Galleria is kind of attached to me in that business, so I want to see that really grow and be in stores all over the world.”
Miss Sieria Payne, to the far left. All ladies are looking bossy in their suits from the Mommy Galleria.
Beginning and Maintaining the Business (continued)
“I really have a lot plans and I’m not going to stop until I reach those levels of success. And hiring all of my friends and family and putting them in position to either have their own business or they’re working for a company that can help them build their own wealth and buy their own property and land. That’s what I’m really pushing it’s time for us to buy back our blocks. As we see what’s going on right now; there’s no way in the world we should be this far behind. We’ve got to come back and buy our neighborhoods and build our own communities.”
Briana Janay:
“I love that you’re not selfish when it comes to helping others. You’re not just worried about yourself. I respect that, but everyone isn’t like that and everyone isn’t humble.”
Sieria Payne:
“And that’s why I said we’ve got to come together. This is why what’s going on now… because we’re so selfish when it comes to things and not really looking at how we enslave ourselves just with our mindset. We can look back in slavery, but we keep enslaving our selves. We’ve got to change our mindset, put our pride to the side, just help people, and shop in our black communities. Even if, everybody ain’t going to have good customer service, so what go back and shop again. What we do today is going to determine our kids’ future and that’s what’s so sad. Like, they said with Covid, it won’t really affect us. But, in ten years when our kids are grown, and it’s time for them to do anything, that’s who it’s going to affect. So, us moms especially, what we do today determines our kids’ future.
Contacting The Mommypreneur
Briana Janay:
“My last thing that I want you to elaborate on, is what are the most efficient ways for women and moms to contact you for any services?”
Sieria Payne:
“The main source of contact is Themommypreneurcompany@gmail.com, so you can email me. Then, the second source is to send me a DM on Instagram, and it’s @the_mommyprenueur_company. We have a Facebook page, you can DM me on Facebook Messenger. The Mommy Galleria has it’s own Instagram, so you can search it and that will pop up. You can contact me about the Business Co-working Lounge if you want more information about franchising or you want to know the next cities that’s opening and closing. We’re working right now to try to work with other co-working spaces to see if they can offer discounts if they have a membership with us.”
“We have a lot of things. And then, the Mommycations, you can reach out to the Mommypreneur Comnpany as well. If, you would like to be a part of those trips moving forward. But, yeah those are my sources of contact.”
Briana Janay:
Thank you for that information. I really want to thank you again for your time, because I know you’re very busy. I don’t know if you want to add anything.”
Closing Remarks from the Mommypreneur
Sieria Payne:
“No, I think you covered everything. But, I just want to share a few words to anyone who may feel like this is not the time or should I start. I say just do it. There will never be a perfect time or right moment. You’ll never have the exact amount of money you feel like you need, because something will always come up. Start those businesses now. Entrepreneurship is not for everybody, but you don’t know until you try.
Don’t think about it just for you, think about it for your kids. Even if you plan on having kids that business you start today will set your kids up for the future. It’s all about building something that you can pass down and leaving a legacy. I encourage moms to just go for it. If you need any encouragement and inspiration follow my page or DM me. If it’s not too much I will respond and answer questions. I’m always willing to give out gems or help in any way I can.”
On behalf of Pretty Hustlaz, we thank you again for every gem that you shared, and we look forward to networking with you, continue to flourish, Miss Sieria Payne.
