Conversing with MogulMoxie® Maven ~ Darnyelle Jervey
I first encountered Darnyelle Jervey through the incredible content she shares online on Facebook and YouTube. Our connection is one I treasure and is one that provides another example of the value and power social media platforms can have in both our businesses and our personal lives!
Darnyelle is a master coach who defines ambition as a combination of courage and confidence. Her ambition led her to build and become the CEO of Incredible One Enterprises, LLC, dedicated to providing consulting and business education programs for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Darnyelle’s high level of confidence comes from knowing God’s purpose in her life, and it’s this confidence that has been fundamental to her overcoming barriers and building success. She has achieved several fabulous milestones in her life!
Keep reading and you’ll find she’s still reaching and achieving more . . .
Darnyelle ~ you have a truly inspiring educational background — tell us about it.
I am the only one of my mother’s seven children to graduate from High School. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, a Masters in Business Administration and a host of professional certifications. I am the consummate student – I read a book a week and I am always looking for something to learn to add value to my life so that I can add value to the lives of others.
Adding value takes ambition. What does ambition mean to you? What role has it played in your life?
Ambition means having the courage and confidence to unapologetically go after the things you desire. As I shared in the last question, I am the only child that my mother had who graduated from high school. For as long as I can remember, my ambition has driven me to achieve at a level of greatness. I believe that ambition is not a bad word and women can be ambitious without being mean, self-centered or any other derogatory meaning I’ve heard as I’ve ambitiously focused on getting to my next goal.
We know that ambition and focus opened the doors to your career. Tell us more about what your current business involves.
I am proud to be the CEO of Incredible One Enterprises, LLC. My company has been built of my life’s work, my desire to help entrepreneurs and small business owners experience abundance financially and spiritually in their lives because of their businesses.
We offer consulting strategy and insight around the Five Pillars of Business Optimization TM – brand messaging, marketing, sales, operations and talent. Our work is available through private consulting, group consulting and business education programs.
We work with entrepreneurs and small business owners who have been in business for at least three years who are ready to reinvent/up-level every facet of their business so that they accelerate their results and increase their profitability.
Because of our strategic approach to business optimization our clients experience between 50-600% growth in 12 months or less. I am proud to do the work that I do and touch the lives that I get to touch.
You touch lives every single day in your work! What does a typical day look like in your work life.
Typical? LOL! No two days are the same; but I start each day with my devotional time, exercise and setting clear intentions for my day. From there, depending on the day, we may focus on business development, take meetings with key influencers or partners in the community, get out to network or serve our clients.
I make time to develop new content at least once each week. I enjoy all parts of my business, I have a great team and I truly love what I do!
It’s a real blessing to love what you do, and we’d love to know what motivates you?
I’m motivated by knowing that my work is changing lives! I am so grateful to God that I get to do this work. From the time I was a child, I have been very motivated.
I’m also motivated because in the 6th grade, I learned the meaning of my name – a secret place where dreamers go to dream. Knowing the purpose for my existence keeps me motivated especially during the harder times of owning your own business.
Knowing your purpose keeps you motivated, but have you ever struggled with confidence or courage in your career? How do you overcome those struggles?
I’m told that I was always a confident child. As an adult, I’ve always had confidence in great supply. Even when I decided to leave my corporate position because I realized that God didn’t create me to sit behind someone else’s desk — I stepped out on faith.
I think that my confidence has ways come from knowing that I am not supposed to be here. My mother didn’t know she was carrying me for 6 months and as a result, she used drugs. Once she learned I was there, she of course stopped but the doctors told her it wasn’t likely that I would survive and if I did, I would experience cognitive ability challenges. Yet, there has never been anything cognitively wrong with me.
Knowing the purpose that God placed on my life has also kept my confidence high! When I experience a tinge of fear, I remind myself I’m not supposed to be here anyway and I move in the direction of my fear to get the results I’m wanting.
You actually move toward your fear — that’s inspiring! So — tell us what’s one of the toughest things you’ve had to do in business or your career and what you’ve learned from it.
Just one?! Seriously, one of the toughest things I had to do was kill the monster I had created my business to be. You see, I became an unconscious CEO and my business took on a life of its own and because I was unconscious, I didn’t love it. In fact, I looked up and I hated my business and how I had become a slave to it. So I had to face my truth and confront what I needed to change to get my happy back.
What I learned is that you have to always be true to yourself and you have to stay in alignment! Alignment is so important and when you are out of whack, it will show in every facet of your life. Now that I am back in alignment, I know how important it is to not let it happen again.
Now that your business is no longer out of control, what has been helpful to you in increasing and managing your cashflow?
One of the most important changes I made was raising my rates and pricing for profitability. Because I learned to charge more than it cost for my services, I have more left over after expenses, etc.
I also made sure that I managed the financials in my business appropriately and positioned myself to build a cash flow reserves. One of my most important covenants is that the business pays for the business, so each month, our receivables cover our expenses. So, as we add money to our reserves, it just builds.
About three years ago, I read Profit First by Mike Michalowicz and it built on the system that I was using to managing the financials effectively along with my bookkeeper and accountant. Now, because of the Profit First system, I not only have cash reserves, I have money appropriated to quarterly taxes, payroll, expenses, and I get a quarterly bonus from my company. I’m truly building a business that serves me. I love it so much I share it with my clients. I highly recommend Profit First.
MogulMoxie® readers can order Profit First from Amazon by clicking here.
We see that reading is important to you. Tell us what’s your favorite word and why?
Oh my that’s a tough one! I love words period. When I was ten, I made a declaration that I would use words to change the lives of others – that’s why I studied English and marketing.
If you make me choose just one, I’ll go with Incredible! I believe that we are all created in the image and likeness of God and He is Incredible. The word means unbelievable, beyond belief. Based on my childhood, I declared myself a BBB – Belief Barrier Breaker and I love showing people just how Incredible they can be!
God absolutely created us all to be Incredible! Do you ever consider yourself unusual/strange/weird, or pretty normal?
I consider myself to be quirky. But I’d also subscribe to the notion expressed by Steve Jobs in his quote “here’s to the crazy ones.” When I’m speaking I usually give a disclosure statement telling the audience that I am a little crazy and quirky. I am completely comfortable in my skin and I know that the “crazy ones” are the ones that change the world.
Yes!!! ~ the crazy ones absolutely change the world. 🙂
What have you accomplished, created or built that makes you the most proud or brings you the most joy?
Another good one! I’m most proud of my progression. From high school graduation to college to mid-level management to a graduate degree to my own company! When I wrote my first book, I cried like a baby when I saw my name on the front. I became an author. I wrote my story and others lives were changed. Now, I have my name on seven books! When I started my business, I struggled but I figured it out, and I beat the statistics and grew my business to seven figures by the end of my 6th year in business. I’m proud of my body of work and how I keep evolving and continue to add value to the lives of others.
Your body of work has brought you lots of recognition over the years. What awards/honors have you received that make you the most proud?
I’m proud of all of my awards. I’ve won Coach of the Year, Small Business Champion, 40 Under 40, and several other leadership awards.
Interviewing you has truly been uplifting and enlightening! What’s coming up that you want our readers to know about?
In March, I’m gassing up my tour bus and heading to several cities on my Grow Your Business Tour. I’ll be visiting Dallas, TX; Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Newark, DE; Chicago, IL; and Washington, DC. Your readers can learn more at http://www.TheGrowYourBizTour.com
What else would you like to share that hasn’t been asked?
I’ve enjoyed every question!!! Thank you!
How can our readers keep up with you?
They can visit my website at http://www.IncredibleOneEnterprises.com. On social media, I can be found as @DarnyelleJervey on every network.
My interview with Darnyelle Jervey offers many golden nuggets, like …
❖ Knowing our purpose in life is motivational and worth every bit of the effort it takes to uncover our purpose. Purpose gives us the confidence we need to face our fears and achieve our goals.
❖ As we progress along our career paths, we must stay true to ourselves — our values and our vision — so that we continue to love what we do. Love fuels our passion, which powers the transformation our Work can ignite in others.
❖ Darnyelle’s educational background is an example of how we all can achieve in our journeys to being educated — and we can do so with very different backgrounds, perspectives, and opportunities.
UP NEXT, Marketing & Branding Leader –Akia Garnett
I hope reading Darnyelle’s story has inspired and motivated you to build your MOXIE.
Tomorrow we feature a phenomenal MogulMoxie® Maven I first met on Twitter many years ago. 🙂 Akia is the Director of Marketing for the International Economic Development Council, and is coauthor of Seen and Sustained – Best Practices in Communication that Increase the Visibility of Small and Diverse Business. Tomorrow, I get to share a part of her journey with you.
Blessings! ~ TC Cooper
