Founded in 2016, TGND, which stands for “The Girls Next Door '' is the passion project turned full-time career of Dwayna Williams and her twin sister Donna Morris. Now TGND is a full-service PR agency. Together the sisters have over 10 years of experience in sales and marketing, public relations, media relations, social media management, image consulting, and strategic brand development; earning their clients features in nationally recognized and syndicated media outlets.
TGND Consulting has the goal of helping women juggling motherhood and the challenges of running a business, be seen in spaces, and stand out from the competition through strategic brand development, media relations, image consulting, and amazing public relations and marketing tactics. These ladies turn emerging brands into influencers through innovative ideas. Their approach is “get clear, get organized, get started!”
SoFu Lifestyle got a chance to ask Dwayna and Donna a couple of questions!
Dwayna, a self-described “millennial mompreneur” has extensive experience amplifying the public presence of change-makers, purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts and is constantly seeking new and innovative ways to promote buzz-worthy ideas.
SoFu Lifestyle: Any tips on being a successful Mompreneur?
Dwayna: To be a successful mompreneur, it would be best if you prioritized self-care. With all the hats women have to wear, we must put our self-care first, allowing us to show up as the mighty mompreneur that we are genuine. Self-care promotes self-improvement and enables you to reset and reflect, tremendously impacting your mindset. Perseverance is another secret ingredient to success as a mompreneur.
SoFu Lifestyle: How do you balance family and work?
Dwayna: No mompreneur is perfect; as life and family continue to grow, I'd had to make constant tweaks to ensure that balance is a part of my daily routine. When starting in business, it's easy to throw yourself into the vision and work yourself to burnout. Trust me, I've been there and done that. I began practicing grace and mapping out my ideal day, week, or month. Balance for me looks like this:
· Separating work and family time
· Prioritizing the essential things first ( things that add value to my business and home)
· Creating and building a community of women who gets mompreneurship.
· Creating a thorough to-do list for my work day.
· Learning to accept that some days balance isn't a thing (and that's ok).
Donna Morris is the Co-founder of TGND Consulting, a full-service PR agency with the goal of helping new voices in the lifestyle industry standout from the competition. She describes herself as a “mommi hustler” who finds joy in being a “creative” and building relationships. Donna’s motto is “Your brand is your image, so you have to make sure you show up in the world how you want to be perceived.”
A certified Image Consultant, Donna has always had an eye for fashion and fell in love with the world of media and communications at a young age while attending a media program for youth. Entrepreneurship has always been a dream of Donna’s and after several years of climbing the corporate ladder, she joined her sister at TGND Consulting as a full-time mompreneur.
SoFu Lifestyle: Any tips on being a successful Mompreneur?
Donna: Give yourself grace. Motherhood is no joke and entrepreneurship is not for the weak. There are days when you will be motivated and days when you aren't so inspired. Giving yourself grace and keeping your vision in mind will help get you through the more strenuous days.
SoFu Lifestyle: How do you balance family and work?
Donna: I balance family and work by creating a work schedule for myself and planning for my family. There are days when my son wants more of my attention, and on those days, I give it to him and rework my schedule to work for me instead of me working for it. I try to make weekends my time for the family whenever my schedule allows.