Diamond Elite Magazine Q1 2023

SELF-STARTER Adrienne

Adrienne is a self-starter, motivated individual who drives for results. Adrienne is an Independent Media Producer and Host of Triangle on the Air Talk Show located in the Carolinas. She is not only a published Author but wears many hats along with her talent. Adrienne has worked closely with Forensic Scientists on projects that were aired on ABC, Talk of Alabama, WBRC 6 Fox media, Fox 5, CNBC and ABC 33/40 media outlets. She has aired on several radio stations, featured in Urban CEO Magazine, and her very own Entrepreneurs on the Move Magazine. Adrienne is a partner with TPC media outlet in NC. Adrienne received her credentials as an instructor for NAMI in Wake County, NC, where she teaches classes on Mental Health and provided valuable resources to the public. Then she ventured off into the community and partnered with WBRC Fox 6 Call for Action Team as a voice helping clients get results fast. Adrienne is also a mentor for Score of Alabama, where her expertise is Coaching her clients on how to start, build, manage and market a business.

PROFESSIONALVIEW

We decided to sit down with Travis Reed, a former professional basketball player, to seek information about his journey within the career and how he has been after. The obvious icebreaker question was what made him become a basketball player?

“What made me want to become a basketball player is that it was my dream. I was a kid who grew up in South Central Los Angeles trying to make it out of the hood with gang violence, Reed explained, he went on to mention that he was raised by both of his parents and began to play sports to get out of the terrible situation of living in Los Angeles. “I played basketball in LA with a lot of former NBA players, such as Baron Davis and Paul Pierce, just to name a few. I became one of the best players in the country playing AAU All-Star basketball. I ended up winning the city and state championship for the basketball powerhouse Crenshaw High School, before transferring and becoming one of the Top 30 players in the country in high school. I was part of the number one recruiting class in the country going to UCLA,” he went on. Reed played at UCLA for two years and before transferring to Long Beach State University where he was First Tea All Big West for two years. After graduating school, Reed went to play professional basketball overseas in places such as Bogata, Columbia, Holland, Estonia, Australia, Ukraine, Germany, and Romania just to name a few.

Image Courtesy of Travis Reed

We went on to ask about what Reed believed to be his own personal accomplishment within his career?

“My greatest accomplishment as a basketball player was in 2004, when I won the regular season MVP, All-Star Game MVP, MVP of the Championship Series, and EuroBasket Player of the Year all in the country of Holland. My team, MPC Capitals won the Country Championship,” Reed shared, “that was a great year!”

The next question dabbed into any challenges he had to overcome.

“I overcame a challenge as a player after an injury. I had a stress fracture in my shin, and I missed half of the season overseas. A lot of people thought I wasn’t going to be the same player after my surgery, but I was an All-Star in the league and lead my team on to the Championship Finals, only losing in Game 7.”

Wondering how Reed stayed focused throughout the years, we asked how was his work ethic?

“My work ethic was hard because of two things. One, I was trying to get out of the environment I was raised in, and two – I had a military father who raised me, so hard work wasn’t an opinion, it was the only thing.”

Wrapping it up, we asked what Reed is currently up to?

“Currently, I am a Territory Manager for a company called Swisher International and I manage about 500 stores. I also have three Podcasts, An Athlete’s Journey, BLEAV in UCLA, and He Said She Said.” These are all available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, and IHeartRadio.

“Stay on the grind, stay humble and never stop chasing what you want to do.”

- Travis Reed

CONTENT

IINFLUENCERS NFLUENCERS

WANT TO BECOME WANT TO BECOME AN INFLUENCER? AN INFLUENCER?

Complete basic business tasks.

Articulate your influencer goals, such as building a following around your passions, working with specific brands you admire, and generating income.

Identify your niche

You may find it useful to research industries, content categories, and hashtags on different social media platforms for inspiration.

Get to know your audience

Create your influencer brand

Explore your content strategy

Conduct market research to understand your audience. Understand the presentation of your personality, values and passions, and authority on a specific topic that you can use to explore your business potential. You may find it useful to set up a content creation calendar that determines the frequency and structure of your posts.

Optimize your online presence

Setting up an email marketing system specifically for your influencer brand.

Select your channels

Select the social media platforms and marketing channels through which you’ll influence and inspire an audience.

Post unique content on a regular basis

Start posting content; consistency is key.

Engage your audience

Start conversations on social media by asking your audience questions about their interests and opinions.

Collaborate with other brands

Decide how you want to collaborate with them, including sponsored posts and affiliate marketing, as well as how you want to monetize your efforts.

MEETKRYSTAL MEETKRYSTAL KLASE' VODKA KLASE' VODKA OWNEROF OWNEROF

Our front cover model for this issue, is Krystal Williams, so we sat to find out who she was before Klase' Vodka. We found out that, Krystal Williams is a child of God, the daughter of Veronica, a mother of 3 amazing kids Davian, Ty, and Teagan, a sister, and a friend. She is a native of Saint Rose, Louisiana, which is a mere 15 minutes from New Orleans. "I am outgoing, intelligent, and talented. I love to dance, sing and cook. I love to hang with my kids and family. My background is in Business Management while also serving in the healthcare field. I have been in the Healthcare field for 12 years," she explained.

We went on to ask what made Williams get into the Vodka industry?

"The reason I started Klase’ Vodka takes me back to November 2018, when I almost lost my life. I was hospitalized for seven days with a serious health concern. While in the hospital and facing a serious medical condition, I had time to reflect on myself and my kids. During that self-reflection is when I noticed my life treading water. I literally told myself there is nothing for my kids to inherit or live on if I would have died. Days after I was released from the hospital and as I was still reflecting on self. I had the time to think about what I like to do and what would I be great at. I started my research and in January 2019 is when Klase’ Vodka was formed. What it took for me to accomplish this goal was a lot of research and sleepless nights!" She shared.

"Another reason I did create a Vodka in particular, was because I didn’t drink Vodka. Vodka seemed to cause me to gain weight while also causing major headaches. So, upon doing my research I had to challenge myself to create a Vodka that does not cause me to gain weight, that does not cause me to have a headache, and one that is good enough to drink while enjoying a night out."

TTHEPROCESS HEPROCESS

Was it a long Process?

"Of course, the process was long," Williams shared. "I am still going through the process after I did create everything that needed to be created and now making changes that needed to be made. The researching I had to encounter while still encountering is the longest process. I was not handed a Blueprint on how to create a Vodka or how to start a liquor business. I lost multiple hours of sleep while still losing hours of sleep to make sure I get this right. I wish I had a lot to explain, but I am still a work in progress. This journey is still growing. So far, this journey has been fulfilling and stressful at the same time. I enjoyed the taste tasting of the different Vodka’s before I finally said that this is the one. The journey I was on took a lot of time away from my kids, but they now understand what mother was doing," Williams expressed.

PODCAST

DoMore DoMore ofWhat ofWhat Makes Makes you you Happy. Happy.