Today we’d like to introduce you to Nyla Bland.
Hi Nyla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Milledgeville, GA…which often feels like the middle of nowhere. Either you know exactly where it is, or you have no clue what I’m talking about. My childhood was spent split between Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. When someone asks where I’m from, I typically respond ‘the SOUTH!’.
At 12 I found my passion for web design. Back then I spent my free time coding HTML by hand which now feels like a lost art form. I was able to design sites for my school, community churches and organizations, and more. I knew from a young age, entrepreneurship was for me! I just didn’t quite know how to get there.
Fast forward to 2013, I entered the corporate world at Clear Channel Communications as an Executive Assistant. In that role, I found a passion for multimedia marketing. As I worked my way through my career, I found myself at NBC as a Marketing Consultant. In 2015, I realized that selling broadcast television ads just wasn’t my ‘thing’. At a time where streaming services were taking over the entertainment world, traditional broadcast advertising started to make less sense to me.
I moved to Atlanta and stepped out on faith and into the world of self-employment as a web and graphic designer. Through this work, I found the BlackCEO group on Facebook and was hired as a Virtual Assistant for the first time. Within the group, I facilitated a daily morning podcast, live streams, managed many facebook subgroups and watched the group explode to many thousands of followers.
During the pandemic, I saw so many people either pivot and take their businesses online or others start completely new businesses. I knew that I could do more than just web and graphic design. In 2020, I rebranded and launched my virtual assistant services.
Since then I’ve helped over 60 business owners launch courses, rebrand, and organize their systems and processes. Through my work, I’ve connected with so many coaches, consultants, and influential people.
That’s definitely one of the best perks of my job; having access to some of the world’s smartest entrepreneurs. Going into 2022, my goal is to connect with even more service providers and provide business clarity services as well as virtual assisting.
In addition to running my business full time, I also founded the nonprofit Generation-Z. The Generation-Z Program has taught youth entrepreneurial skills to kids ages 6-18 since 2015. The Kid’s Business Bootcamp is a signature event that walks kids through the business planning process. Typically, I travel and host the camps for up to 50 kids at a time with the help of local sponsors. Helping these kids light the entrepreneurial lightbulb has changed my life forever.
As a young mom and older sibling to many, I strive to be a positive influence on my family and everyone around me. While the path hasn’t always been easy, being an entrepreneur has been the most fulfilling point of my life.
Alright, 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?
One of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurship is being your own cheerleader. I find myself feeling alone even when I’m not. When the going gets tough, it’s on you to keep going. Most of the time it’s easier said than done. When things go south (and trust me, sometimes they do) it’s not always easy to pull yourself up by the bootstraps so to speak. This is something I’m working on. Staying the course.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I help business owners reclaim their time by providing marketing and business support services. While traditional assistants only help with scheduling, appointment setting, and contracts, I can do that and also assist in designing and branding your website and social media accounts.
My services range from administrative tasks such as email management and client onboarding to more complex course launches and email funnel building.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@nylabland.com
- Website: www.nylabland.com
- Instagram: @_nylabland
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/connectwithnylabland
