Meet: Candie Dionne!

Introduce yourself and profession to our readers:
Hello, my name is Candie Dionne Thompson, CEO of The Travel Socialite.  I'm a proud mother of four which will always be my biggest accomplishment.  I have extensive background in real estate with over 10yrs as a luxury real estate agent.  A love for real estate and travel with a passion for helping others created The Travel Socialite.  My number one mission is to help 100 women become CEO's. while using travel as a gateway. 

What inspired you to pursue this area of interest?
I was inspired to start the #100women100ceo's platform to help women create that plan B.  We are raised to go to college, get a job, work until we are 65 and live off of our retirement and what little social security we get. Well, I didn't graduate from college, and to me my biggest fear is living paycheck to paycheck once I retire.  I want to give women options, I want to create wealth, I want to establish business owners.  As women, we love to travel so I figured mixing travel and entrepreneurship would be the perfect marriage.

What advice would you share with those interested in a similar pursuit?
I would  advise them to follow their dream.  Stay passionate about what you want.  Trust God, and put in the work. Owning a business and establishing a brand takes hard work but the reward is so worth it at the end.  Their will be Naysayers but never listen to them, ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOU!!

Discuss a professional challenge and how you overcame it:
The professional challenges I face on a daily is trying to get people to believe in themselves.  I feel like we have been so programmed to think negative, we become so hard on our selves that we don't see all that we can be if we just keep going.  We QUIT so fast.  We are willing to give up on our dreams to build someone else's. I've done this myself a million times but this time It's bigger than me.  I think that's what keeps me going my mission isn't about me.

What is next for your brand/business in 2017?
I'm so excited about #100women100ceo's platform for 2017.  We will be expanding though out the country and growing CEO's while traveling the world.  We are schedule to start the 100 Women 100 CEO's tour early 2018.  We look forward to seeing you there.

How can readers connect with you online and through social media:
Readers can connect with me through the following:
Instagram: @candiedionne.
Twitter @candiedionne
Facebook: @candiethompson
Website:  www.candiedionne.com