Meet Trailblazer Manisha Holiday

Today we’d like to introduce you to Manisha Holiday.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career in 2015, In my early years of life, I always called myself a resource guide or phone book to my family and friends. I was the go-to person when someone needed a phone number, an address, or help locating places for whatever services they were looking for. I’m from Chicago, Illinois, I was always at the place to be at the right time growing up rather I was with my older family members or friends of my family. I love people, I love to be out and about learning new things to help me grow as a businesswoman. Having my first daughter at the age of 15 was very hard, one thing for sure, I never allowed it to stop the growth and determination I had in me to be great.

One promise I made to myself being a teenage mother was to never give up on myself or my children. I had to be a woman before my time, I learned a lot of things along the way. I made a lot of sacrifices and I couldn’t let my family and most of all my mother down which was also a single parent at the time. I moved My oldest daughter into college in August 2014, at Northern Illinois University and decided I wanted to start a new life, I gave up everything and I moved to Atlanta, Georgia on a Greyhound bus with two suitcases and my son who was eight at the time. I also had my middle child who was in Chicago with her father at the time finishing her last year of high school. I felt it was time for me to walk in my purpose and put all the horror stories of my life and past behind me. I was ready to give my children everything I wanted as a child and more. The only way for me to do that was to use my gifts and talent, things that I was good at and loved to do and turn it into my own business.

I am a woman of God so who was the only one that could answer all my questions and equip me with everything I needed to walk in my purpose, only him. I knew that from the beginning of my life, it wasn’t a surprise to me I leaned on God my entire life and will always. One day, I was working with a dear friend and business partner Bernice Saintil in her Boutique KoK Couture in Austell, Georgia we would always share ideas and discuss entrepreneurship. I had the answer to every question or everything we were trying to put together to start our businesses, well Bernice also had a very talented daughter (Asyah Tyra) she was 21 a writer, producer, and an artist that song multiple genres. In that same conversation in the Boutique, Bernice looked at me and said I’m going to make you my daughter Publicist. At the time, I was just naturally being a service and giving information and leads, however, I could to help people grow. Bernice was always around me and seen things in me that I didn’t see in myself, every time she said it to me I told her no and she told me yes you can do it. Immediately, after days of fighting with myself I begin to do my research and educate myself on exactly what a publicist was because I wanted to be ready.

The more I read and poured into myself I realized that the things I was doing to help other people grow an image for themselves, their brands, or businesses were one of the many things that a publicist had to offer their clients, so I said, hey I’m already doing this!

I begin to fast and prayed for 21 days, I continued my education and later built The Holiday Firm. How I got to where I am today was never giving up on myself and not allowing my past to dictate my future. I also network a lot, I make sure that I keep myself in the loop of what’s happening so that my firm can be first to be a part of it. I have mentors, and friends that support me and counsel me a long way to keep me focused and determined. In the Public Relations Industry, you must make sacrifices, long days and nights. No day is never the same, it’s something new every day, so you must always be ready to put in the work.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth ride, I had to really focus on myself and not care what others think of me or believe that I couldn’t do. Having a personal relationship with God and strong faith has kept me along the way, I knew from every negative experience, thoughts, or my past I could do whatever I wanted to do, and that God was my only source, the only one that could help me win. I struggle at the beginning of my career with fear if people would believe in my work, or if I was going to be able to do my best the public relation industry was new to me, the more I was educated and poured positivity into myself everything just flowed naturally for me and authentic. Advice that I will give to other young women who are starting in their journey will be to never give up on yourself, keep God first in your life, love yourself, and invest in yourself. Even when there are times when you feel like it’s getting hard, and you want to give up or your frustrations kick in and nothing is working out how you believe it should push yourself. Lastly, show up every day ready to succeed and live in your Purpose.

We’d love to hear more about The Holiday Firm.
The Holiday Firm is an award-winning strategic, integrated communications and public relations firm headquartered in Atlanta GA with offices in California and Illinois. The firm connects brands, messages, and people through data-driven insights, cross-channel communications, and a brilliant customer experience. Employing an omni-channel approach, the company uses audience insights to determine the right mix of tools and platforms to help clients reach, engage and influence customers along their path.

Founded in 2015, We are an independently-owned agency, which means we’re beholden only to our clients, ourselves and the communities in which we invest our time. We work with organizations from the premiering to the preeminent, from corporate to compassionate. Above all, we choose to work with clients who inspire us – those who want to be the best at what they do. Those are our kind of people.

We are a team of professionals who create positive conversations and dynamic programs to ensure that our clients are heard clearly, consistently – and regularly.

We are collaborators who understand that building a brand or establishing a reputation takes incredible discipline and passion…and that’s where we step in to help.

We are connectors who believe that brand and reputational equity is built by an endorsement from a range of influencers who receive information from many sources.

The Holiday Firm is Special, everyday a Holiday all our clients are special new in the industry, or not we treat everyone with integrity and the same level of respect regardless to you being a celebrity or just entering your career. We believe in giving people chances and that makes me proud as the CEO. What sets us apart from others is that we provide more than just public relations and marketing to our clients. We like to keep our clients happy and stress-free so whatever they need for their brand, business, or organization it’s all in-house such as, branding, graphic designers, web developers, photography, videography, fashion stylists, coaching, event production, media relations, and more to offer, our clients don’t have to go outside the Firm for anything we are full service.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Yes, I was raised with one parent which was my mother. I watched how hard it was at times for her to succeed with me and my siblings especially when she faced severe health conditions at an early age, everything had to stop for my mother including working and being able to provide for her family as much as she wanted to. After living thru all that, with an absent father, I always wanted to be able to take care of my mother and even give my mother things that she never had or could afford. Also, in 2005, being burned out of my home with my children and losing everything we owned including our childhood memories was devasting, but that couldn’t even stop me, I kept my faith and rebuild our lives the best I could and today you would never know unless I told you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theholidayfirm.com
• Phone:404-829-5640
• Email: mholiday@theholidayfirm.com
• Instagram:@theholidayfirm
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manisha.holiday
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHolidayFirm
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnR90ZIGxFwe4gF1HMCDipQ?view_as=subscriber

Image Credit:
Tracy Bumpers (Kingdom Konnection Media Group), Ayesha Bryson (Nightmare Projectz), Walil Archer

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.