Meet Porsha Thomas | Atlanta Brand Strategist | Atlanta Los Angeles Branding Photographer
This week’s ‘Self Made Magic’ hat is worn by the amazing Porsha Thomas, Founder & CEO of GOWRKGRLS an extraordinary brand development firm based in Atlanta, GA that gets small business babes BIG results. Porsha and I bonded over coffee (by coffee, I mean wine) almost 8 years ago, when we were both just kicking off our entrepreneurial dreams. We quickly became business besties and she has since made her way to the top of the brand food chain bringing along other stellar women with her. She is the ultimate fighter, knows her way around a digital marketing strategy like you wouldn’t believe and is definitely someone you should have on your brand dream team. If you haven’t been lucky enough to meet Porsha yet, allow me to introduce her.
Hey Porsha! So how do you make those dollas? I’m a digital marketing strategist and the founder of brand development firm, GOWRKGRLS™. I help businesswomen define what makes their businesses great, and convey that greatness in a way their customers can relate.
What city do you live in? Atlanta, GA
Where are you from originally? Lubbock, TX
What’s one thing the average person wouldn’t know about you? I am *terrified* of flying and of heights. However, I need the window seat and I like hanging out on rooftops and shit. I just close my eyes during takeoff (the scariest part of the flight for me because I’m like, are we going to explode right now?), have a glass(es) of wine, and then I'm good.
What made you want to become a Brand Strategist: I chose this path because when I started my first business, I did everything wrong - I chose the wrong problem to solve, chose the wrong people to help me solve it - the whole nine. I’m on a mission to make sure other self-made entrepreneurial women can avoid that and if they can’t avoid it, they at least have a community to fall back on.
Who would you love to work with one day?: Dream brands I want to partner with are Squarespace, IFundWomen, and Slack.
What did you do to prepare for this branding photo session? To prepare for this branding sesh, I made sure my afro was coconut-oiled-up, drank plenty of water the day of and the day before because I needed to make sure my skin was hydrated, and definitely bought a pink and blue bottle of wine to match my “party girl” look.
How do you build/maintain your confidence? I build/maintain confidence by looking at what I’ve already accomplished. That could be a blog post I’ve written, a checked-off to-do list, a replay of a webinar I've hosted, etc. I may be tripping during the webinar wondering if the message I’m delivering is coming across the way I want it to, but once I watch it I’m like, "oh. That wasn’t bad at all, that was actually fucking great!"
Describe your personal style: My personal style is vintage business lady mixed with a little boho. I love a good pantsuit (wide legs preferred), but I also love flowy dresses and rompers. I like single pieces because I don’t have to think too hard about matching.
What countries have you traveled to? Where would you like to travel? So far I’ve been to Montreal, Québec, and London/Kent, England. Up next: Venice, Italy, Santorini, Greece, Cape Town, South Africa, Havana, Cuba, Paris, France, Madrid, Spain, Marrakesh, Morocco, and Mexico City, Mexico. I guess I need to buy these tickets now to get that COVID pricing…
What’s your personal manifesto? We’re basically living to die, so in the words of Devin The Dude, do what the fuck you wanna do.
What’s one accomplishment that you’re super proud of? One accomplishment that I’m super proud of is moving states alone and on a complete and total whim and actually making that shit work. I wasn’t sure at first, but my manifesto. 🤷🏾♀️ And it’s been like seven years and I’m still here...and thriving too! 😂💁🏾♀️
What book are you reading right now?:I just finished Mary L. Trump’s book, Too Much And Never Enough, about how fucked up Donald Trump’s entire family is, and it was pretty great. I love dark shit. If I weren’t a marketing person, I’d probably be a therapist or like, a serial killer profiler for the FBI.
Where do you see yourself this time next year? Around this time next year, I see myself working with those brands I named earlier and having a bigger client roster at GWG. Hopefully, I’m sitting pretty in my new condo too, but if not, I’m well on my way to owning it.
What are three words your friends would use to describe you? Three words my friends would use to describe me are funny, ambitious, and “a trip” because I say exactly what I’m thinking in most cases. When I’m asked to speak/give a presentation for like, a “professional” brand, I love/hate it because I know I’m going to have to reign it in.
What’s keeping you busy these days? These days I’ve been pretty busy flipping GWG from a community that provides educational offerings to a straight-up marketing agency. We still provide educational offerings, but now business ladies can work with us directly to build marketing, brand, and sales strategies to grow their businesses.
Any advice for an up and coming self-made boss? My advice for up-and-coming self-made bosses is to make sure you have the money to do what you wanna do. You can’t quit your job until you’re making enough money. Find a way for your 9-5 life and your entrepreneurial life to co-exist. Also, keep in mind that employers aren’t going to like this. Even when they say it’s OK that you’re an entrepreneur, it probably isn’t. I’ve experienced this personally, more than once. Keep your shit separate and have some savings so when they get jealous that you’re breathing your life into your own shit, you’ve got a backup plan.
Where can we connect with you?: Slack YouTube Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn
Website: http://www.gowrkgrls.io
