So I’ve been asked to speak at an elementary school and share my story and It inspired me to reflect on the type of kid I was when I was in elementary school. Moreover I was trying to figure out what the heck am I going to say to 5-10 year olds about life, success and failure. I’ve read tons of books about entrepreneurs who started a lemonade stand, ant farm or neighborhood newspaper and while I could relate to those stories I did neither of the above. What I did like to do was cut up clothes and sew them up and make new ones (think cutting up jean and making a skirt.) My parents didn’t have a lot of money when my brother and I were younger so I always tried to reinvent my clothes. I remember hiding my scraps of clothes and one day my mother found them and went crazy. The next day she bought me a tiny pink sewing machine. I was a little confused because I thought that I was in trouble but boy did I use the heck out of that thing.  At the time I wanted to be a teacher and a fashion designer but what I didn’t realize was I loved more then anything to create things, that’s right turn scraps into skirts, that little pink easy bake oven’s of sewing machines gave me the creative freedom to do whatever and create whatever I wanted.

So I never started a lemonade stand, but I sold the heck out of some girl scout cookies as a kid and my mother never focused on my short comings other then my teenage obsession with boys.  She always supported my strengths even if she couldn’t afford it she forced me to use my imagination, and make things happen. She showed me how to create the world in my bedroom without me even knowing it.  I can attribute a lot of what I do now to those very moments when my dolls were my first clients, and my bed room floor was a runway and you couldn’t tell that my scraps wen’t good enough for NY Fashion week. When you were a kid no one could tell you that you couldn’t do something if you wanted to jump off the monkey bars in recess and pretend you were a plane, you did it and your friends supported you. But along the years we loose that…we get safe (a.k.a. scared) how do we get our imaginations back?

How to start a Business on a Ramen Noodle Budget Video

Yeah I can't believe it either! Thank you everyone for your support over the years! This is beyond awesome!!!!It's funny to think...How do you go from your high school guidance counselor telling you that you would never make it to college to building a company that is being honored at the White House????? Oh Mrs. L if only I could find you and thank you for your words of encouragement. LOLSo yes we have been named to the Empact 100 List and so excited to be in such great company. Its a list of the 100 Entrepreneurs under the age of 30 in the US that have impacted the business world and also their communities. The best part is.... going to the White House to be honored how sick it that. I can't wait to post pictures!!!!!!Honorees have been invited to take part in a recogntion event on the afternoon of Thursday, November 17 at the White House with senior administration officials. The event will be broadcast live at Whitehouse.gov.Empact 100 email

Check out WomensSuccessSummit.com for more info.

While in college I worked as a senior entertainment writer for a few music websites and I was always facinated with how musicians created their following. So with the rise of Lady Gaga and Nikki Minaj tapping into social media like crazy I had to share my thoughts with you guys.

Entertainers and small business owners have a lot in common. They often find themselves tackling similar marketing dilemmas at the end of the day entertainers and CEO’s are all trying to connect with an audience weather it be a Groupon deal, sign spinners or a girl in a pink wig trying to sell out concerts. While I cringe at some of the Nikki Minaj antics you cant help notice how she has been able to shake up the music industry in 2 short years.

I crowd sourced some of my friends and fellow entrepreneurs on the top 5 marketing lessons young entrepreneurs can learn from Nikki Minaj.

Remain consistent and true to your brand

She’s loud, unique and a self glorified Barbie but it works for her. She markets herself as the Barbie of Hip-Hop/Rap. Taking a beautiful, fashionable, prissy icon and transforming her into a bratty, diva, with a monster-esque vernacular!  She could have easily switched things up with all the naysayers but she stayed consistently weird and was able to tap into a unique audience that revels to everything she does. Being true to yourself as an entrepreneur will help you tap into an audience that genuinely appreciates you, your work and your quirkiness.

Join a socially connected group

I’m not sure if she had labels beating down her door but she joined Young Money Records who was already a big contender in the industry and connected with her audience. It’s a great lesson in team building. When hiring or building a partnership look for people that are socially connected it’s one of the greatness assets you can bring to your company.

Take an old concept and reinvent it

Sure we have seen another female rapper do the pink wig thing, but it worked to grab our attention then and its doing the same thing now. When starting a business you don’t always have to invent or revolutionize an industry sometimes its as simple as introducing it to a brand new audience. Think of what Rock Band did for 80’s rock music sales.

Individualize a group movement

reate a social movement around your brand. With over 3 million followers on twitter Nikki Minaj and her marketing team have been very strategic in creating a movement with her audience and allowing them to feel connected emotionally. They are all apart of her “Barbie” cult similar to Lady GaGa’s “Little Monsters”.

Make Bold Statements

In the age of social media if no one is talking about you….well you don’t exist. She started with a bold entrance and incites a media frenzy everywhere she goes. The hair, the outfits and the lyrics are crazy but they all speak very loudly to a very particular audience. Weather you do the crazy hair or wear 2 different pairs of shoes to strike up conversations about your business like Blake Mycoskie the owner of Tom’s Shoes. It’s important to look towards other industries or even listen to music to find inspiration to break through the clutter and becoming a marketing rockstar!

Felecia Hatcher is the Chief Popsicle of Feverish Ice Cream a gourmet popsicle and gourmet ice cream catering company based in Miami. Her personal blog is at  www.ybizbuzz.com or follow her on twitter @FeleciaHatcher. Article written for Under30CEO.com

This is pretty cool!!!! As recent grads struggle to find jobs entrepreneurship is 
the key it's good to see a school not just taking money and offering a lame 
entrepreneurship course but actually arming their students with what they need to launch http://www.springwise.com/education/risdkits/