Interviewing Entrepreneur: Biana Speed

“I was either too much of something or too little of something else.” 

 

Biana Speed is an incredible young black woman who I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year using Facebook. We have both started our journey in virtual assistance around the same time which is what allowed us to connect almost instantaneously, her vibrant personality had a lot to do with most of that though honestly. 

 

When Biana reached out to accept the interview, I was ecstatic to be able to pick her brain. Due to the short two zoom calls we’ve had, I knew that she would be able to provide insight into topics that most aspiring or overall entrepreneurs would be delighted to read. 

This interview was conducted virtually– will also be broken down into two parts. Get to know Biana, her virtual business, and her overall journey as an entrepreneur. 

Let’s start with introducing yourself: Who is Biana Speed? What kind of person are you? 

Hey, ya’ll! My name is Biana Speed. I’m a multi-passionate entrepreneur and creative and brand-building aficionado. Also the noggin behind the biz, Virtually Aligned. 

Originally from Chicago, I got my B.An in communications from the  University of Wisconsin-Madison with an emphasis on how to use language effectively and persuasively as well as how that affects human behavior, especially on social media. Naturally, I ended up with a professional background in digital marketing in the nonprofit and startup space. 

Growing up I was the fun-loving eccentric child that didn’t fit anywhere. I was either too much of something or too little of something else. This “inability to fit into a box” was carried over until early adulthood because while all of my friends knew what they wanted to do when they got to college (doctors, lawyers, journalists) I was very much unsure. Still, I knew I liked a lot of things. 

Throughout college and immediately after I told myself I would pursue things aligned with me. Things that allowed me to be my most authentic expressive self, could allow me to use my skills and experience and provide me with some sort of a living. Hence how Virtually Aligned was born.

 

Tell me about your business and overall Entrepreneurship journey: What/Who inspired that boss/CEO mentality or spirit? Are any of your family members entrepreneurs? 

 

Virtually Aligned was created to help service-based womenpreneurs (especially Black womenpreneurs and womenpreneurs of color) stay aligned in their BIG BUSINESS VISION. As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, I understand what it’s like to pursue many creative outlets therefore, I help womenpreneurs leverage marketing strategies like social media, podcasts, email marketing, and branding. The hope is by supporting them in these outlets they can think creatively about their business futures on their own.

I’ve seen a few of my family members start service-based businesses (like braiding hair or selling creative novelty items but nothing similar to what I’m offering. So absolutely I’m the trailblazer in an unmarked territory in that. The key driving force was to create something that was aligned with my purpose and that I could support my family with.

 

Where did the idea of your business come from? How did you come up with the business name?

 

I decided to start an online business at the same time working at a local creative marketing/branding/ web design agency. Before carrying on, I want to say proudly and remind others that it is perfectly fine to work a full-time job and run your own gig at the same time.  I also would like to add, that I still work with the agency as well. Anyways, due to the pandemic, we switched to remote, and at some point, throughout all of this, I realized a lot of the work that I do as a project and client coordinator could be offered to beginner business owners and be extremely beneficial as well. 

The word virtually was supposed to be a double entendre meaning “online” and “so close that it’s basically true” so my goal is to help you stay as close to your BIG VISION as possible as an online business owner. While I definitely envision having a bomb office with super cool canvas pieces from those pretty dope artists you may see on TikTok, black and white cheetah print rugs, and teal coaches with orange pillows, I thought I could support more people from an online space simply because of the growth of remote work and the virtual space over the past few years. ( but not counting out a physical space one day). 

 

What are your hidden inspiration sources? Who would you say is your greatest entrepreneur inspiration?  

I get a lot of inspiration from nature, animals, and human nature in general. The work I do asks people to deep search– discover their entrepreneurial superpower– in order to do that I have to do that for myself. I draw on things that I get hyper-fixated on and my surroundings, lessons that I learn, and people that I meet. 

I also gathered my inspiration from other speakers like Ashley Empowers. It was amazing working with someone multifaceted and faithful. She is my greatest entrepreneur inspiration. I had a gig working for her..helping out with her dating show called “Dating with Purpose” and it was the first time I’ve ever worked for someone multifaceted, passionate, and with the power of femininity.

What is your greatest entrepreneurship achievement to be proud of? What is a shortcut you use to handle stress and frustration throughout this journey? 

My greatest entrepreneurial achievement in my business so far would have to be… I actually just went live about this a while ago because sometimes I get overwhelmed looking at where I started and now. I’m not a millionaire or a thousandaire but to be able to generate

income being creative and being accepted as well as sought after because it has been the greatest achievement. One shortcut that I have when working on something is to walk away from it for a moment and come back with a rested mind. 

 

Do you believe there is a winning formula for success? What is yours?

My winning formula for being a successful entrepreneur is crazy faith + sense of purpose = shaking the room.

Crazy faith is needed because the path of entrepreneurship isn’t linear. It isn’t drawn out and you never know who you will meet or what opportunities will come up but having a strong feeling that things will work out positions you to increase your opportunities. A sense of purpose naturally instills a sense of urgency. 

 

Where there is an urgency there is a need to get something done. It’s when the idea gets personal. Shaking the room is revolutionizing a space where you may not have necessarily thought you would end up or offering a new perspective that is desired and sought after

 

Last question for this part one: What is your opinion on the following topic; 

Entrepreneurs are born or raised to be successful. 

This is a good one! I believe that entrepreneurs are born as entrepreneurs but I also think you can grow into one.

 

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With that last bit, I agree! Anyone is capable of learning how to be an entrepreneur and if you’re willing to put that time and overall effort into not just the learning but the implementation? You’re capable of being an entrepreneur too.

Thank you, Biana for sharing about you, and your business and allowing me to pick your brain for launch month. Make sure you follow Biana on IG: virtually_ aligned and Join her Virtually Aligned business page through Facebook. 

 

I would love to know what you thought about this interview. Although it is not quite done yet, feel free to give your feedback or ask your own questions below as well. 

 

We will be back with part 2 in a few weeks, thanks for reading!