Originally posted 29 April 2017.
Time for number three of…*insert number of phenomenal women who I would like to interview here*
I’m not even sure how I first stumbled across Dayo of @thesixof7 on Instagram. All I know is that I did and then it materialised that the lady behind the handle was living in Paris. She put out a post asking for like-minded people to hang out with in France. My sister was also living in Paris at the time, so I thought that, in lieu of Dayo being my new best friend cos she’s so freakin’ cool, I would try to get them together. I DM’d her. She responded. They met up, got on, and are still friends now. Dayo moved back to the US and I started insta-stalking her in earnest.
Her posts are always so well thought through. As you may be aware, I love a good caption, but Dayo can easily give me a run for my money. She speaks truth and her posts are ridiculously motivating – I usually just comment “YES!!!!!” Dayo is also a fan of posting incredibly funny memes, which I have alot of respect for. Further, she counts Oprah and The Obamas as half of her top 6, US-based, favourite people (she doesn’t really know any of them though… *side eyes*)
When describing why she started her blog, The Sixof7, Dayo explains that after dropping out of Law and Business school, surviving an abusive relationship, moving to a new area, being friendless and broke, she was lucky enough to land a great job under a manager who understood her potential and was willing to invest in her development. She was able to take advantage of a whole host of training in business building and marketing. However, the thing that stood out for her was that, across all of the training, she was the only black woman. As a result, she decided to share her learning and create a space that challenged black women with entrepreneurial dreams to take one day of the week to focus on their ideas and goals.
“Six days for everyone else, one day for you!”
She’s a bawse who runs two small businesses, she curates a successful blog, she travels the world, she has a selection of fantastically large and fabulous (sun)glasses and she has a sick buzz cut!
How in the hell does she do it all? Let’s find out…
Cee x
Now would you kindly tell us a bit about yourself…
My name is Dayo and I am a hilarious lady boss, currently living in Washington D.C. I say “currently” because lawd knows where I may be next year! I own an online marketing company for health professionals called LeadGen180 and a hair growth company called Fulfillity Hair. I also curate a blog called The Sixof7 for women of color who are growing their business while juggling this thing called life.
Damn, girl! So you basically have three jobs? OK, what time do you get up on a typical weekday morning?
I’m usually up at 5am.
Yikes! And what is the first thing you do?
On a good day, I write in my journal. I have a method where I write 5 things I’m grateful for from the day before, my top 3 current life goals, and then 3 things I want to accomplish that day. Then I say a little prayer to The Big Guy Upstairs and get on with my day. On a bad day, I snuggle up with Instagram and Facebook, lurking/reading articles until my 6:30am alarm goes off.
Haha! Your bad day sounds like my good day! Ok, so when does the working day begin for you?
I work out of a co-working space, so I try to leave the house at 7:30am. It’s a 30 minute walk to the space. I’m usually sitting down working by 8 or 8:30am. When I used to work from home, I would be at my desk by 8am. I get anxiety when the emails aren’t answered before 9am!
Oh dear. But, wait a hot minute…no breakfast?! *side eyes*
Yes! I have a big green smoothie with kale, a banana, protein shake, and some maca powder. Pretty basic. I like to start the day with high hopes lol.
*pushes full English breakfast out of sight* Anyway, moving on, how do you spend your morning?
I spend the morning answering emails. The emails usually dictate my day. I am usually working on a new project, troubleshooting a marketing issue, or taking calls with potential/current clients.
And do you get a chance to stop for lunch?
You mean Lunch 1 or Lunch 2? Working for myself has been horrible for my diet. I stop at around 11am for my first lunch – usually something healthy because I’m still strong. At around 2pm, I stop for my second lunch and get some takeout or eat leftovers.
Aha! Now, this is more attainable! Ok, after Lunch 2, what next?
I try and finish up all of the LeadGen180 work by 6pm. That’s when job numero dos starts! At around 6pm, I being to research, write blogs/social media content and answer emails for Fulfillity and The Sixof7. I work on any projects for these sites until about 9pmish.
Are you home for dinner?
Yes, I eat dinner when I get home at around 6/7pm. Depending on how guilty I feel from my lunch, I’ll end the evening with a green smoothie or just go all out and order takeout again!
Running three businesses is hungry work! You’re forgiven. Is there a post-dinner routine?
I usually scroll through my phone or watch a marketing training video during dinner. After eating I go right back to work.
Ok, jokes aside, enough with the work now. Do you get a chance to relax in the evenings?
Not really. I find that I get sucked into TV very easily and can lose track of time, so I only watch on the weekends. My relaxing time is the 30 or so minutes before bed.
I’m tired just reading this…or hungry. TBF, probably a bit of both. What time do you go to bed?
By around 10pm I’m already snuggled up with a podcast or a good article I’ve found on Facebook. Once all my Whats App messages are answered, I’m snoring by 10:45pm!
Babe, you deserve it. Snore away! Actually, before you go, be honest, how heavily does social media feature in your day?
I have a love hate relationship with social media. I am on Instagram and Facebook every day and regularly throughout the day. My inability to focus annoys me to no end! If I didn’t need the platforms for work I would probably not have them and just go off the grid!
And at the end of the day, she’s still smiling!
Comments