We had the good fortune of connecting with Donna Morris and shared our conversation below.

Hi Donna, can you walk us through the thought process of starting your business?

TGND Consulting started as a passion project for my twin sister and I. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to defeat the odds and make a change within my community. I was born an entrepreneur at heart. At the time of starting The Girls Next Door, I was a recent college graduate who had just pivoted from working at one of the top retail stores, Nordstrom, to wardrobe styling part-time and working in Sales & Marketing.

The Girls Next Door started as a fashion blog that my twin sister and I decided to turn into a full-fledged PR Agency known as TGND Consulting. We knew that there was a need to bring our gifts together once we realized many people did not know how to show up once they were pitched to the media. Our goal then and now has been to help more women show up as an authority within their perspective fields, create a cohesive brand that can be pitched to the media, and be seen more digitally. Today, TGND Consulting is a PR and Brand Image company that provides PR & Brand Image services to mompreneurs and women-led lifestyle brands.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

TGND Consulting is a full-service PR agency to help 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 kick-ass public relations and marketing tactics. Simply put – we turn emerging brands into influencers through innovative ideas.

Our approach is – to get clear, get organized, and get started. The clients we work with have passion and hustle but may be feeling overwhelmed and unbalanced. They need direction in defining their goals, creating their look, and developing PR strategies that get results. We are a highly skilled team of mompreneurs specializing in media pitching, influencer marketing, brand development, and increasing brand awareness and exposure. We can help our clients succeed because we know first-hand the challenges of wearing multiple hats at home and work. We work with our clients to help them discover their identity and find confidence and peace in their day to day.

We view ourselves as an extension of our client’s brand and members of the team and we take pride in being involved not only in the PR aspect of our client’s business but understanding how the brand image and digital presence drive marketing goals, and company growth, and strengthen sales. For our clients who are ready to grow, we have the resources, contacts, and experience of a larger agency with the personalized service of a boutique firm.

Getting to where I am today in my entrepreneurial journey took a lot of self-work and personal growth. Working in the marketing and sales industry, I learned to master the art of persuasion, how to effectively communicate with others, handle ideal objections, and work smarter, not harder. Although I’ve gained many valuable skills as a corporate employee, I still lacked the structure it took to run a business. Thankfully, I had people in my corner and resources to help create more structure and discipline within my life.

In this journey, I have learned to be more intentional in why I show up for myself, my family, and my clients. If there are things in the way of my goals and my life’s vision, I have learned to work on removing the places, people, and thing’s that do not serve me in accomplishing my goals. I also remember to always lead with grace within my journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I would take my best-friends to some black-owned ATL food spots. My friends and I love to eat. There are so many black-owned restaurants in GA that provide great food and good service. I will also take my friends to places where creatives hang out, like the Gathering Spot or the Botanical Garden. I love to catch a good vibe, be amongst great energy, and other successful people who look like me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Firstly, I would like to thank God. Without building a relationship with him full of faith and trust, I would probably still be working in corporate feeling, stretched thin and unfulfilled. After years of climbing the corporate ladder, juggling being a mom, and a wife, I realized how important it was to get closer to God to live within my purpose. I believe that transitioning into full-time entrepreneurship would not happen without working on my relationship with him first. I would also like to thank my family for their encouragement. The journey of becoming an entrepreneur can be very trying mentally, physically, and emotionally. My family has been my tribe in supporting me within my motherhood journey, which allows me to show up the way I need to as an entrepreneur. I also want to shout out to the other half of TGND Consulting for holding down the business as I was transitioning from a full-time corporate employee to a full-time Mom Boss.

Read more at: https://shoutoutatlanta.com/meet-donna-morris-brand-image-architect-mompreneur/