Today we’d like to introduce you to Mia Banks.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My first time entering a radio station was at WVEE V-103 as a programming intern. I worked there every summer of my junior and senior years and literally fell in love with the culture and all the city had to offer.
After undergrad, I moved to Washington, DC to pursue my masters at Howard University in mass communication studies. It was at WHBC 830 am – our college station – that I obtained my first on-air position. Because I am a hustler and always seeking growth opportunities, I randomly decided to reach out to WPGC 95.5 because I heard Big Tigger’s afternoon show daily and that on-air energy and expertise is what I needed to continue to grow as a radio professional. Long story short, I landed an internship there and began working with the programming department there.
After graduating from Howard and persistently working and asking about paid opportunities, I was hired as a board operator for WPGC. I worked late nights, early mornings and whenever needed because that’s the name of the game. After living and working in the nation’s capitol for four years, I decided to move back home to Arkansas to be closer with my family and help my mother take care of my aging grandparents, who are now deceased.
While in Arkansas, I maneuvered around the capitol city of Little Rock working “day jobs” to pay the bills all while chasing my passion – on-air radio. In a nutshell, I’ve now been on air since 2013 as a radio personality for three major stations in Little Rock – Streetz 101.1, (a former sister station of Streetz 94.5 in Atlanta), iHeartMedia Hot 94.9 and currently holding down middays for 96.5 the Box.
Love Yours Box: I was inspired to create Love Yours with my business bestie Lydia Page because we both were at a crux of life. I was ready to dig deeper to pursue my dream of starting my own business that catered to women interested in beauty, “bossin’ up” and blossoming at this thing called life. After a couple of meetings Lydia came up with the name “Love Yours” to remind women everyone to love all that they are no matter where there are in life.
More specifically, Love Yours was created in the spirit of love and service to provide products and services that encourage women everywhere to unabashedly embrace their best selves and go after it all!
When Lydia and I met, she had just begun her entrepreneurial journey and I was stuck creatively. We both had dreams and aspirations of “living our best life;” during a brainstorming session we agreed to collaborate on a subscription box. The goal was to create a quarterly experience that women everywhere would remember to love themselves wholly, inclusive of your body, journey, mind and sister. The premise is to be sure you’re well so you can continue to go hard for those you love.
From a business perspective, a subscription box just made sense with Lydia’s e-commerce success in fashion and blossoming with her online business consulting and my experience as a media professional and makeup artist.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
NO! LOL. This is has not been a smooth road, but it has been my journey and it has made me the woman I am today. Many people do not discuss the downsides or the negative experiences because you know we are #doingitforthegram. But full transparency, while in Washington, DC I was unemployed for an entire year while working at the radio station for free. When in Little Rock, there was a stint right before my station folded that I decided to stay on to work for free because I needed the on air experience. To be honest, a lot of my radio work has been for free because it’s my passion and I truly love what I do. I love being able to help others create memories, discuss the latest in music and pop culture, and connect locally with my listeners. It’s truly a blessing, and on the hard days that is what keeps me going because I KNOW that my voice is a gift from God and radio is the channel I can use to elevate God’s purpose for me in this world.
Other struggles I’ve faced on a personal level:
Learning the importance of knowing your worth and not getting caught up in the social media comparison funnel. Working Working Working all of the time to support yourself because your passion (radio in my case) does NOT pay all of your bills. I currently have three jobs, including radio, because I have responsibilities.
In closing, I know this game is not for the weak-hearted and I owe it to those who have assisted me along the way, my family, others coming up and most importantly myself to give this thing my absolute all because nothing is promised. It’s truly a privilege to do what you love and I look forward to the day when radio is my only job.
Love Yours Box – Black women are the largest group of entrepreneurs, and I’m always inspired to be in that number but this is no easy road. Love Yours Box is truly a two-woman show. Lydia handles our marketing and social media and I handle product procurement copywriting. It’s trying but so fulfilling. It may be cliche but it’s definitely a labor of love because we truly have a heart for women. I’m not going to lie, some days I don’t feel like sending emails or researching beauty/wellness/self-care brands for feature but that’s when I have to really focus and discipline myself to do the “hard thing” now to reap the rewards later. Plus Lydia is a full-time entrepreneur and doesn’t have a 9 to 5 to fall back on, so if I’m not doing my job as a result, I’m negatively impacting my business partner’s livelihood and that’s always a no go.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Well, focusing on my company – Love Yours Box – it’s a self-care subscription box service created to inspire women everywhere to love yourself more. It’s shipped quarterly and filled with at least five full-sized products, which are worth a $100+ dollar value for only $39.99. I am most proud of starting this company alongside my business partner Lydia Page from nothing more than a conversation at Starbucks and her love for entrepreneurship and my love for beauty. We are two minority women learning as we go. We don’t have a huge financial backer, no business mentors. We are simply researching self-care trends and using knowledge from peers on and off of social media to grow our business.
Switching gears to the radio aspect, I am very proud that I have stuck it out and remained in the business since 2009. I have worked in every facet of radio and working hard daily to land a full-time gig in a Top-Ten market. Who am I kidding, I plan to be on-air in the hip hop mecca ATLANTA sooner than later — just had to put that out into the universe. That’s one of my ultimate goals. I’m getting closer as I’m the midday host from 10a-3p on 96.5 the box in Little Rock, AR and I have voice tracked shows in other markets.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment in my radio career is hosting my own midday show. I love coming up with the creative elements and being able to showcase my personality in the state that I grew up in. I love being the voice others rely on to provide credible information and authentic entertainment. It’s a good feeling when your family and friends are able to hear you. Plus I’m now competing with radio jocks I grew up listening to myself. It’s really full circle and serves as a confirmation that I am doing what I was called to do.
Love Yours Box – one of the proudest moments would be when our boxes were designed and first shipped to us because at that point it made Love Yours Box a real thing — a box. The equally proud moment would be when we received our first product shipment from a major skincare brand that is sold in major beauty retail spaces.
Pricing:
- Love Yours Box costs 39.99 per quarter and we ship 4 times a year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.loveyoursgives.com
- Phone: 5013131534
- Email: hello@loveyoursgives.com
- Instagram: loveyoursbox and itsmiabanks
- Facebook: Love Yours
- Twitter: itsmiabanks
Image Credit:
Artez Irvin
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
