Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Maxwell McInnis.
Hi Sandy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Born of Caribbean parents (by way of Barbados and St Kitts Nevis) and raised in Bronx, New York I’ve always had New York City hustle and Caribbean ingenuity from a child. As an adolescent, I always had a hustle/business mentality. My mother passed away when I was eleven, and that was the impetus for becoming the woman I am today. I started my first business at the age of twelve selling lemonade, candy, and snacks to the neighborhood kids on the block. Since then, my desire for business has grown.
Fast forward, I attended Tuskegee University and then moved to Brooklyn, New York. I lived there for years, got married, and had two baby boys, one of which got married recently. During married life, I became obsessed with becoming a mother and wanting to breastfeed. I did a tremendous amount of research about breastfeeding to find out that there was a staggering deficit in the black community of breastfeeding mothers and were varying barriers preventing them from getting started. I found this so peculiar and intriguing. I made the decision to start my own non-profit organization and named it the Black Women’s Breastfeeding Alliance, Inc. (BWBA). I had no idea what I was doing and where to begin. My journey was trial and error. I figured out some things on my own and I also solicited the help of a non-profit consultant who helped me. As a new grassroots organization, I had no money, so I decided to make a request to my church to help me with this project. I developed a grant proposal asking for the money to pay the consultant so I can become an official 501c3 non-profit organization. My request was granted, but it didn’t cover all the fees and there was still a lot I needed to do.
I eventually learned how to do the entire process on my own as a result. I utilized the knowledge I acquired working at Columbia University and Lighthouse International to help me develop my organization. I even organized a walk-a-thon to raise money and garnered my first sponsors to help. I had a long road ahead of me, but I knew I could do it. Years after successfully running my organization and being the face of black women breastfeeding in New York I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition Polymyositis. It is a condition that causes muscle weakness in the proximal muscles, joint pain or stiffness, and chronic fatigue. It can be very debilitating and can inhibit mobility. As a result, I paused my work with the organization, and I took a restorative sabbatical to heal. But we all know when it rains, it pours. Shortly after being diagnosed, my marriage ended, and I was left with two babies and a big fat mortgage to contend with. But God saw me through. As the story goes, I did what I had to do. I raised my boys in church and watched both graduate college! That was a proud momma moment for sure! I also moved to Atlanta where I have family & friends and was excited about being an empty nester, traveling and having new adventures!
Along the way, people were always impressed with me starting my own non-profit and would ask me for assistance in starting theirs. I hesitantly started servicing clients. With all the expertise and knowledge that I acquired in this industry, I was ready to get started. I soon realized it was more advantageous for me to help in this capacity because I could serve more people and have an impact in helping organizations. This is how I started my own boutique company Sandy Marie Consulting, LLC coaching and helping individuals file the necessary documentation to start their non-profits. As a service provider, I file the documentation for new business owners as well. As a business owner, I’m always looking to add services that will compliment my business, so I recently added travel services to my company. My sister and I started ShellebrityEXP travel business because of our love for travel. We have been traveling internationally since were little kids traveling with our mom and family to the Caribbean. Even our names represent our love for tropical beaches…Sandy and Shelley! One of the things I am excited to do is help my clients have retreats or conferences using my travel services.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never easy raising children without the support of the other parent present in the home so that was a big struggle for me. Now add the fact that I cannot work or walk the way I used to because of a debilitating muscle condition to the equation…not easy. One lesson that I’ve learned along the way is that ‘done is better than perfect’. And what I’ve done is kept pushing to raise my children and pour love into them, expand my business and be the best person I can be.
It was also very challenging to accept my new reality of having a debilitating physical condition. Navigating this was difficult, but I managed to find what worked for me by slowing down my pace of commitment to doing things. I found that travel was also a great coping mechanism for me. Having a trip to look forward to is therapeutic for me. Travel is definitely my therapy because I can vacate what’s going in my home, life, and business for a period of time and focus on me and my needs. In retrospect, it was not that smooth, but God was with me the entire way, which made it seem easy.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business is Sandy Marie Consulting and I am a non-profit consultant and business solutions specialist. I am a service provider that files the necessary documentation to start a non-profit or business. I solve issues with filings like entity conversions, revocations, name changes to name a few, My career at Columbia University and Lighthouse International contributed to my business acumen and gave me a special edge in this industry. Part of the unique services I provide is personal service. I am accessible to my clients unlike online services that maintain a hands-off approach in this day of technology. The coaching services I provide are also invaluable to new social entrepreneurs that aren’t familiar with the process. I guide them through each phase and attend to issues that arise.
Part of the new travel services my office provides is travel specializing in the Caribbean and accessible travel. It’s a wonderful time to travel and to be a Travel Advisor.
I am very proud that I’ve managed to maintain my business for over 20 years. Some of my first clients are still referring me and using my services still to this day. I am also excited about the expansion we are experiencing in our travel business to include recruiting new Travel Advisors.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
There are so many businesses that operate without the necessary documents and credentials. As a result, they missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get funding and resources from the government. Filing the necessary documentation is vital in a business so you can obtain funding from financial institutions. During the pandemic, I serviced many businesses and filed their documents to enable them to access funding.
Contact Info:
- Website: SandyMarie.Org
- Instagram: SandyMarie_Consulting
- Facebook: Let’s Start Your Nonprofit Organization
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Red Carpet Shelley
