Ones to Watch: Miss Ify CEO x District Affiliates

“You are who you know.” Miss Ify has always known that she wanted to be her own boss. So unlike most of her graduating class, Miss Ify decided to dive headfirst in the world of entrepreneurship after college graduation. She transformed her love for entertainment, culture, and making a difference to create District Affiliates, LLC- an event production that specializes in producing events catered to those interested in music, arts, culture, and social responsibility.

Over 5 years later, Miss Ify continues to produce one-of-a-kind events encouraging culture and humanity. A few of those events have included:

• -Hosting University of Maryland’s 2011 Homecoming with west coast rapper Dom Kennedy,
• -Producing the Underground Kingz Breast Cancer Benefit Concert at The Fillmore with notable rapper Big K.R.I.T.,
• -Kicking off the “Knew World Order Series” with hip-hop artist Curren$y, a college tour where students exchange clothes for discounted admission prices
• -DA’s most recent project includes “King ME,” an initiative urging young girls to become fearless through round table discussions with emerging entertainers.

Read on to find out how Miss Ify has continued to follow her dreams, and create a recognized brand thriving in the heart of “Chocolate City”, Washington, DC. Needless to say, she’s just getting started.

Full Name: Ify Nwabukwu

Age: 25

Location: Washington, DC

Current Title/Company: CEO x District Affiliates, LLC

Educational Background: BBA of Marketing – Howard University

• What was your first job out of college and how did you land it?
  • My first job out of college was District Affiliates. That was the first thing I did out of college, other than that, I was managing an artist while working two days a week at my dad’s office.
• When did you decide that entrepreneurship was the route for you?
  • Everyone that knows me always tell me that I cant work for anyone else *laughs*. I was born naturally in leadership roles, but while at Howard I was doing shows independently and once you’re able to make a large amount of money in one night doing something you love, you think to yourself “why work for someone else for 5 days a week making half as much?” I got addicted to doing my own thing.
• How do you stand out in a saturated market/stay relevant?
  • That’s extremely difficult and I struggle with it everyday, but it comes down to understanding who you are. I always center myself and remember why I started the business and what makes us different. That becomes visible in everything we do. Our end goal is to make service second nature, and a part of ever day life. By doing this we are able to make the world a better place.
• What was the first step you took after deciding you wanted to open DA?
  • The first step was registering the business two months after graduation. I sometimes feel that this could’ve been a later step, because I wasn’t totally aware of what it actually took to run a business. Example being the amount of funding that goes into a business and the fact that you are still being taxed regardless if your business makes money or not.

Check out KingMe Part 1:

http://youtu.be/93_PETd4PDg[iframely]http://iframe.ly/bFkV[/iframely]

• DA has had some great strategic partnerships/sponsorships with notable companies, how were you able to get some of those relationships?
  • I’ve learned that relationship building is key as well as making a great first impression. Those strategic partnerships came from networking and being open and honest. When interacting with someone I want to work with, I go into “elevator pitch mode.” What do you say when you have only 30 seconds with someone? You have to be honest and say, “Hey, I want to do this. Can you help me? Cool. Now lets do business.” If not, move on and find someone who is willing to help
• After graduating college you went directly into entrepreneurship. How did you support yourself while running your business?
  • When you are fresh out of college, depending on what you choose to do you may not have too many expenses. Initially, I was able to support myself by becoming a promoter. When I really got dry I would do temp agencies or a couple of days at my dad’s accounting firm.
• What advice would you give a recent graduate struggling to decide whether to pursue entrepreneurship or jump right into their career?
  • My advice would be to take time to save money and weigh out the options. You constantly read about it, but being an entrepreneur takes a lot of capital. There are so many unforeseen costs, and the first five years you are just losing money. You have to be prepared to lose a lot of money and be okay with it. No one is there to save you, but you. If I would’ve received advice, I definitely would’ve done some things differently but I don’t regret anything.

• What obstacles have you faced so far in your field? How did you overcome them?
  • Money, Staffing, and finding an audience. I’ve been able to overcome money by my network. Secondly, qualified staffing. I understand that initially there will be issues with staffing because we aren’t able to give people a salary, and that is the nature of starting a business. We have been able to overcome this by dong more informational sessions at different colleges and universities, and public speaking events to spread the word and get people involved. Lastly, a target audience. I try to explain to people that there is a difference between being a promoter and an event producer. Promoters do not care. They’re only in it for the money. I could easily do the same, but I have to remember who I am and the company’s mission serves a greater purpose.
• Best moment of your career so far?
  • Moving into our own office space has been my proudest moment. It’s beautiful, affordable, and it just feels good to have your own space. Something that we can call our own.
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• How did you get funded or what creative strategies did you use to execute on minimal cash flow?
  • I realize why they call it bootstrapping. You literally have to put on your boots, strap them up, hit the streets and get to work. That has been the only strategy I’ve had so far and when we get a sponsorship here and there.

• What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own business?
  • You have to know yourself before you start a business. There are times when you need to make a decision and find yourself asking “Is this going against my morals and beliefs?” When you don’t question the impact of that decision, you can find yourself in a situation that you may later regret. Know yourself, your goals, and have a sick work ethic.
  • Secondly, don’t listen to anyone. Not your mom or your best friend. Listen to your gut, because only you know what is best for you. It’s your vision.
• Describe a Day in the life of Miss Ify/Ify Nwabukwu?
  • The first thing I do when I wake is Pray. After I pray, I check my emails. I have a phone and tablet next to my bed. My emails determine how fast I have to get out of bed. Then I head to the office and outline my schedule and work on what I outlined for the week.
  • My day is filled with a lot of phone calls and impromptu meetings. The nature of what I do is being social so I may end up at an event, and my day might not end until 4am the next day. I sleep for about 3 hours and do it all over again.

• How do you stay motivated?
  • God. Seriously, that is the only way I have been able to keep going. I’ve had so many hardships that people are unaware of, but my faith as continued to keep me going. I continue to believe that if I’ve done this much so far, I can do even bigger. I also have flyers of DA’s past events on my office wall as a daily reminder.
• Where do you hope to be, both professionally and personally, in five years?
  • Professionally, stable and that the company has reached a global platform. Personally, I want to be able to just sit back and relax a little and enjoy the fruits of my labor! Enjoying life has been one of the sacrifices that I have had to make as an entrepreneur. Telling my friends, “Hey, I can’t go out to tonight, I will catch up with you in five years.”

• Who inspires you?
  • I can be politically correct and name notable public figures, but I have to be real with myself. I’m more inspired by life and interactions with everyday people. I am inspired by the conversation that I had with the homeless guy on the street, my parents, family, friends, and even the students I meet while traveling or doing presentations. There are notable figures I draw from as well like Steve Stoute, Kenny Burns, Dame Dash, Kareem Burke, Diddy, Mark Cuban, Philip Anshutz , and Birdman to name a few.
  • Men dominate my industry and sadly there aren’t many women in my field that I see as inspiring; that’s the driving force behind me being successful.
• What does black in business mean to you?
  • It means that I have to be successful and help other black entrepreneurs be successful as well. That is why I put so much focus on employing and providing money for others before worrying about myself. If I can provide a platform that opens doors for other young entrepreneurs, then I’ve done my job.

• What advice would you give your 23-year-old self?
  • I would tell my 23 year old self to dream bigger – life does go on. At 23, I made a lot of mistakes. I let my failures get the best of me and began playing it safe. All this did was stunt the growth of the company. I scared myself out of taking chances, being as bold as I once was. As always, the events that I thought were “crippling” became a thing of the past and I understood that phase wasn’t the ‘end all be all.’ If only I just kept dreaming, fearlessly moving along I could have saved some lost time on this journey …but…oh well – ‘Red or green pill, you live and you learn.’

Stay in the loop about District Affiliates, LLC: www.districtaffiliates.com