Meet: Natasha Weston!

Introduce yourself and profession to our readers:
My name is Natasha "Tottie" Weston and I am an author, motivational speaker, Visual Brandologist at The Tottie Brand and Founder of Confessions of an Ambitious Girl. I help creatives and young professionals to make their brands visually appealing through social media and in the digital space. I also focus on the "how tos" of entrepreneurship. The other part of my career is motivational speaking. 

What inspired you to pursue this area of interest?
Years ago, I would always get bombarded with questions on how I started my first business and how to make it professionally and visually appealing without breaking the bank. It started with my first book, "10 Effective Ways to Start Your Business with 0 Dollars," and now my day to day consists of showing, teaching and creating visuals for my millennial friends! 

On the other hand, motivation is something that I'm super passionate about. After becoming an author, I started getting more requests to share my story publicly. I've been hooked ever since. I get my true fulfillment from seeing others lives transform from something positive that I've said. There's just no greater feeling!

What advice would you share with those interested in a similar pursuit?
Branding in general seems to be the "it" trend, but my advice is to only dip your hands in this pot if you have the eye and creativity. I've seen way too many "brand specialist" with unappealing and uninteresting branding. 

As a motivational speaker, my advice to someone who wants to become one is to start right now where you are. Often times we think that our lives have to be perfect to open our mouths and share our stories but it doesn't. If you want to eventually get paid to speak, you'll need to build a digital resume. This means, utilize the free tools that are out here like Facebook Live, Periscope or Snapchat to creatively share your message. Leave a digital trace so that people will learn you, trust you, and then share you with the world!

Discuss a professional challenge and how you overcame it. 
One professional challenge I had was one of the most obvious, especially as a female entrepreneur. Charging what I was worth. For a long time, I couldn't grow my business properly because I was nickel and diming it for the sake of just making enough money to pay a bill or two. When I finally got fed up with being overworked and underpaid, I increased my rates and the clients who didn't see my value fled. The BEST decision ever!

What is next for your brand/business in 2017?
In 2017, my plan is to continue to push my message via video and my podcast Table Talk with Tottie. My ultimate goal is to continue to travel, speak and build a lifestyle brand to motivate millennials all over the world who've lost hope and feel counted out. 

How can readers connect with you online and through social media?
You can connect with me at TheMotivationMaven.com and on social Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat @OfficialTottie and on Facebook.com/OfficialTottie