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Leading with Lee™
Meet Dana Cannon-Bryson
Dana is an entrepreneur and creator of Dana Cannon-Bryson Inc. which is a multi purpose consultation and business development boutique. Her mission is to help people like her ACHIEVE THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL while providing them with the tools to take their DREAMS TO THE NEXT LEVEL! With a Baccalaureate Degree in English Technical Writing and proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Indesign, and Illustrator, this awesome mompreneur is in a unique position to HELP YOU MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL!!
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1. Dana, you are known to help small businesses and personal brands in many ways with your creativeness and expertise. Can you tell us why you chose the route to consult small businesses?
Well to be honest, I did not choose this route; It chose me in various ways. When I was about 19 years old my brother started a Law Office/Tax Company and he hired me as an admin. There, I was able to be a part of the foundation of what is now Breukelen Wealth. A place where under the leadership of my brother we support individuals and small business by providing them with a suite of business and financial services. Supplemental to that, I attended Medgar Evers College and received a Baccalaureate Degree in English Linguistics with a concentration in Professional/Technical Writing. Professional/ Technical Writing (which I believe to be an invaluable degree) is a very small program within the English department that taught us various styles of written communication that is used in the corporate environments which allowed business professionals to make informed decisions. It also teaches you how to draft technical communications used in a variety of procedural and work-related fields (such as finance, and tech). So anyway, this field combined with my early experience in an entrepreneurial environment led me to be very useful to companies, students, other entrepreneurs, politicians, and non-profits in drafting business plans, proposals, procedural documents, manuals and other useful forms of written documentation and design. It also led me to intern and work for companies such as MSNBC, CBS Sports, CBS 60 Minutes, Offices of Governor Cuomo, Thrillist Media Group, and SUNY Global Center.
Most importantly, this discipline taught me how to pitch ideas, and my talent while doing so was in packaging and designing creative concepts for investment opportunities. So in one way or another, I was always working with individuals to materialize thoughtful ideas and throughout the years I acquired other skills to enhance my talents such as experience in Photoshop, InDesign, copyediting, and web development.
2. What services does Dana Cannon-Bryson Inc. offer and how do your clients benefit from it?
Dana Cannon – Bryson, Inc. is well-known for 2 services, the formation of corporations (LLC, S-Corporation, and Non-profit) and creating thorough, eye catching proposal decks and business plans for partnerships or investment opportunities. We also offer digital and print design services which includes logo and web development, stationary suites, brochures, media kits and event material. As well as copy-editing services for biographies and books. Most recently we added a Legal Component by partnering with the best lawyers in the game to offer trademark, copyright, and other business contracts to our customers.
3. Two of your services really stuck out to me which was the Formation of Corporations and Legal Services. We don't see a lot of business coaches and/or consultation boutiques that offer what you do, which is a very important aspect of forming a business. Why did you feel the need to incorporate such
services in your business?
These services are important because it is the first step. I want to be known by small businesses and entrepreneurs to be a one stop shop. What do all entrepreneurs need to become official? A corporation, A brand concept, a birthmark (a logo), and a website. And of course, all of these things need to be protected legally. I want to equip my game-changers with something tangible by giving them everything they need to hit the ground running and enable them to get the legal protection they will require along the way.
4. Let's switch gears for a moment. how do you manage the wife-mom- boss life?
I am not sure..lol. Some days are better than others but I will not lie it is tough. I am very involved in my daughter’s life and she loves everything from bike riding to ballet and painting so I manage my time appropriately so that I can be there for her. My husband works in Sports Medicine so at certain times of the year, he is working a lot. But we have been together for 9 years, married 1 and we support each other’s dreams 1000%. We always have these talks and one thing we
both agree on is the it is our time. We are in our early 30s and have very little time to waste. For the most part, we do a lot of family bonding by traveling to other countries and locally just to disconnect. To be honest, I just make it happen. This is my life, I enjoy what I do and wouldn’t have it any other way.
5. Has there been any challenging moments that you came across to the road of success? If so, how did you
overcome it?
Yes definitely! First, when I lost my mother at 13 and again when I got pregnant. I have been doing what I have been doing for a long time (at least 5 – 7 years) and because of self-doubt, insecurities, and fear I never packaged myself. For others, yes and when I saw their success I sunk deeper in depression because there was no progress for me in my life.Then I got pregnant and for my husband’s career had to move to Athens, Georgia for some time. So now I was lost and in a new place. However, to make a long story short, in my dark place I found myself. I started studying, taking courses, and doing work for free so that I could build up my portfolio. I started a group in my town called Athens Black Professionals and built my own network of small business owners, nonprofits, and elite professionals. I volunteered at the women’s family shelter teaching parenting and financial literacy classes when my husband came home from work. Meditating, listening to inspirational people on YouTube, prayer, watching my daughter hit milestones, and doing vision boards became my everyday routine. I was basically doing everything I should have been doing in NYC there in Athens, Georgia. Why? Because I was able to drown out the noise and focus intently on myself, my vision, my future, and my family.
6. You've recently hosted a vision board party that turned out to be very successful. Can you tell us more about that? Are there any more upcoming events or courses from you we should know about?
I am obsessed with doing Vision Boards because it changed my life. I knew I had talent, I knew what I could do, I knew what I liked, but I never actually visualized it or put it together. We all want to be successful, happy, in great relationships, and live comfortable but we never really give our subconscious mind an opportunity to see the picture and that’s important. Everything on my very first vision board came true and it is kind of scary how that worked out so I wanted
more women to experience and understand why I loved this activity as well. Initially, this event was supposed to happen in Athens, Georgia but my family had to move to NJ for a larger opportunity my husband received. It was always on my bucket list to do and I finally said I will go for it and it turned out to be greater than I expected. At the event, I showcased my vision boards and I developed a strategy for them to follow in making it. My brother was my speaker because he taught
me a lot about vision boards and dreaming big. We had drinks, food, and good people in the room. The energy was amazing and it was more than I imagined.
Yes, I have 1 major event that is happening before the new year. The K2K Toy Drive which I launched last year will be taking place again and the purpose of that event is to have children with tons of toys like my daughter give their gently used toys to children that are less fortunate. Last year we were able to get Old Navy, Carters, Girl Scouts, Medgar Evers College, and tons of children to donate to the cause and we were able to visit shelters and bring the holidays to them. We collected hundreds of toys and money for these families and this year we plan on doing it bigger and better. On my list of to do is another Vision Board event, and the Game-Changers Conference for 2018. Stay-tuned!!!
7. Is it safe to say that you are unapologetically living in your purpose?
I think I am heading in the direction of my purpose. I am not sure what my greatest purpose is yet but everyday that I do what I love and come up with great ideas that I am able to execute gets me closer. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon and I am enjoying the journey.
8. Do you have any mentors or role models that you look up to?
Yes, my biggest mentor Is my big brother. Whatever he does I try to do it..haha. He went and got his masters, so I did it too. He is the first person to show me through his successes and experiences that this is possible. He is always dropping jewels whether directly or indirectly through his artworks, speaking engagements, and our conversations. He taught me that it will cost me nothing to dream and everything not too. My other mentors are Timeesha Duncan, the queen of brand strategy in the South and her Husband Damian Duncan, My Aunt Geen, and my Father. They always tell me to keep going and remained focused. In the words of my dad, it’s my time now.
9. What advice can you give to aspiring millennials that would like to enter the world of entrepreneurship?
GO FOR IT!!! You will be surprised how far you will get once you start believing in yourself.
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Instagram: @danacannonbryson
Website: www.dbryson.com
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Interview by: Lee Whetstone, Founder and Editor-in-Chief