They gave me my first Media Pass!!! This April I was hired as the Media Correspondent for Girl Power Hour Radio. I told myself in the beginning of the year that I would get involved with radio. More specifically, I want to be on the RADIO! I had an interview, got the job, and my first gig at the 2016 Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Summit in South Beach, Fl.!

I am a women on the go juggling being a entrepreneur and motherhood, so I am use to the elevator spill and speaking with people. But this experience was a new challenge and I was a bit nervous about it. I wanted to make sure I was prepared so I studied the BE Summit itinerary and the featured speakers. I am horrible with names so this was a must. (Don't Judge Me). There were several people that I was excited to have the opportunity to meet and pick their brains. I specifically wanted to keep my focus on Women Entrepreneurs to stay true Girl Powers Hours. I immediately felt a connection to Cameka Smith with The Boss Network, Miko Branch founder of Miss. Jessie's hair products, Lisa Price founder of Carol's Daughter, and Caroline Clarke host for Black Enterprise TV. Being an entrepreneur myself this gig was a win win for me.

Day one I made sure I reached out to as many people as possible, doing small interviews, taking pictures, and shaking hands (well hugs because I am a hugger). I was able to chat with Lisa Price and Cameka Smith. Both are women to look up to with a lot of advice to give. I was able to sit in on several seminars and I learned a lot. Several things stood out to me. The general consensus is that you need to have a strong email list and make sure you are able to contact your traffic out side of your social media accounts. Secondly, you need to be able to identify the challenge or problem that your business solves. The advice that stuck with me the most is to send your traffic/followers to something you own.

The panel in the Driving Sales using social media technology emphasized on the benefits of social media, but also the restrictions. Manny Ruiz with Hispanicize said you should never put all your content on social media. Direct your traffic back to your website (something you own) for the meat and potatoes. One of my favorite quotes from Manny was "As a small business owner it is easy to be cheesy" so make sure your content is professional and up to par. Needless to say, day one was amazing.

Day two was show time! I lined up my interviewers and we knocked that thing out of the park. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kim Lewis with Curl Mix first. She has a natural hair product do it yourself box that is supper cool. Next was lifestyle couch, Blondy Moore. She was glowing and was the "Women on the go" for the Girl Power Hour show. I also interviewed Marquis Mullings, VP of HSH Media, and producer of the African America Festival Shalonda and Sharon Page.

My first experience as a media correspondent was successful. It clarified my thoughts. I will be on the radio and this is just the beginning. Stay Tuned!

Maria Wills