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Meet Sandra Swink

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Swink.

Sandra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My passion for business was heavily influenced by my mom. It was her ambition and love for arts-and-crafts that sparked my initial interest in entrepreneurship. As a kid, I was inspired by watching her give away her sketches and crochet crafts without expecting anything in return. She had hands of gold, a helping heart, and I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to use my talents to bless people like her. Family was her priority. She wasn’t interested in launching a full-time business, but she did awaken the spark that would turn me into the business woman that I am today.

I was very passionate about writing while growing up. I started writing poems and short stories during my middle school years. During high school, I was naturally good at analyzing data and people. It was a great skill to utilize while developing my writing. Over time my passion grew, and I began helping people write their business plans during college. My primary focus was doing the research, analyze and verify facts, and provide any tips as needed to make their business plan more professional.

I met my best friend/husband while working and attending college. He pushed me to think outside the box and was also an entrepreneur-spirited person like myself. He taught me that not only do you have to take advantage of every opportunity available, but you must create them as well. After graduating college with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, my husband and I moved to Atlanta to create our own opportunities. Shortly after moving, I was awarded one of four small business grants from Best Bank as part of their small business innovation program. I used this opportunity to upgrade my business goals and continued building my personal brand while also working a traditional nine-to-five.

I worked full time as an International Account Manager for a UK-based engineering company while building my personal brand. When the demand for my consulting and writing services outgrew the demand for my nine-to-five, I had to choose between balancing a career or working for myself. Ultimately, I left the company to pursue my passion of consulting and technical writing full-time and I never looked back.

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?
It has not been a smooth road, but it has been totally worth it. One of my biggest challenges has been managing my professional image for a corporate-salaried position versus the image for my personal brand. I kept the two separate. I worked only on my corporate duties during office times and utilized my time after work to build Sandraswink.com. It was stressful for me to share info regarding my personal brand within the office because everyone wasn’t supportive. Some co-workers had their own small-businesses and were constantly in sabotage mode while the rest were super supportive and even hired me to write the business plan for their company.

Once I made the decision that my personal brand was worth more to me than a salary position, I no longer viewed the negativity as a challenge. I instead viewed it as confirmation that I was doing something right. I concluded that if my personal life goals offended people that much, I was clearly surrounded by the wrong type of people; hence my decision to explore entrepreneurship full time.

When you bet on yourself, you win every time!

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a Small Business Consultant & Technical Writer located in Atlanta, Ga. My company, Sandra Swink MBA LLC is a Business Planning and Marketing Firm dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs and small business owners with planning and launching new businesses.

I write custom, industry-specific business plans, proposals, implementation plans, analysis reports, and a variety of business documents. My most valued achievement is making my clients’ life-long customers. I have worked in the Business Management industry for over ten years. I have worked independently for over eight years. My specialties are business plan writing, content creation, start-up strategies, operating, managing and marketing strategies, and proposal writing.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The quality that I feel is most important to my success is discipline. I am focused on making my business a success. I work hard every day towards achieving my goals, limiting distractions.

Pricing:

  • Consultations are Free (15 minutes max)
  • Standard Business Plan is $299
  • Business Plan Package is $499
  • Business Development Package is $999

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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