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THAT'S HER: Dr. Nikki Zeigler

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

BY: FRANCHESKA "FANCY" FELDER

Asironsharpensiron,greatleadersbring out the leaders in others. Dr. Nikki Zeigler is a great example of one of those who was born to lead, as she educates and empowers Christian businesswomeninallthatshedoes.With an extensive background in branding, public relations, marketing, and advertising, the Alabama native is the director of The Herprenuer Network, which assists Christian women in business by identifying their strengths and challenges as entrepreneurs and expanding their knowledge in branding, finances, and faith. The network also publishes The Herprenuer Magazine

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Dr.NikkiisalsotheExecutivePublisher of the HBCU Magazine, an online business professional magazine for HBCUattendeesandalumni,andsheis thefounderofTheLifeChristianCollege, an online school that allows life, business, and master's coaches to get their certifications. She launched this companyin2019andnowhasover250 students from all over the world. The schoolalsocertifiespublicspeakersand eventandweddingplanners.

Simply put, Dr. Nikki is a powerhouse. You may have heard her speak on Clubhouse, which is where I was first introducedtoherandimmediatelydrawn in.

Itwasanhonortositdownwithherand learn more about being a businesswoman of faith. Let’s get to knowherbetterbelow.

Fancy: Who are you in your terms, andwhatistheHerprenuerNetwork?

Dr. Nikki: In my terms, I'm Dr. Nikki Zeigler.Iamaservant,andIreallyhave takenonthespiritofservitude.Godhas truly blessed me. Of course, I'm a Christian woman in business. I'm big on thatbecauseIjustbelievethatyourfaith is where you be. That's who you are. That's your lifestyle. This is my lifestyle, and I'm learning how to adjust to it. I'm the founder of the Herprenuer Network. It'sactuallyanorganizationforChristian women in business and ministry. So for us, it's all about collaboration. It's all about celebrating. We’re all about fixing crowns;youdon'thavetotelleverybody that you fixed someone’s crown. You just have to be there to help people like Fancy and those who are doing big things to be recognized and honored. Andthat'swhatwedo.Ihaveapassion tolove,celebrate,andloveonpeople.

Fancy: What was it that inspired the HerprenuerNetwork?

Dr. Nikki: Having 100 companies- I cameupwitheveryideathatyoucanto start a business. I've always wanted to beabusinessowner.Mydadtoldmehe knewIwasanentrepreneurandinstilled entrepreneurship in me. I tried everything, girl, from selling cars to selling underwear. I sold everything you could think of, and all of it failed. One day,IjusttoldGod,“I'mtired.Iprobably willhavetobenoentrepreneur.MaybeI justneedtogobacktocorporateand work.” But then something fell on me. Like, you have so many experiences of failingthatyoucanhelppeoplenottodo what you did wrong. I prayed about it at that time because I was homeless. God gave me the vision of the herprenuer back in 2012, but just because He gives it to you then doesn’t mean you have to doitrightthen.

Sometimes it's a process to the madness. I went through a season where I was just broken, and I was just kind of tired of losing, and when God started depositing in me like it's other women out there that want to learn business, and they've made so many mistakes, or they haven't made any mistakes at all, but you use the knowledge that you have, and you build from there. He said, “As long as you put me first and get my permission, I will help you excel.” He has been doing it Himself,andmanyoftheideasHegives me aren't mine. They are His ideas. I'm justaservantthatdoesitforHim.

Fancy: Wow. I normally say I feel like the best businesses are when the owner or the entrepreneur can see a problem, identify it, and they are able to find a solution to it. Then they continue to spread that solution amongst others. That's normally a really good success starting point. However, we often hear of people who have started businesses that God just ordained. It was brought to them. It seems like you finally found yourway.Whereasyouhavebeen having all that resistance and stuff before when you walked into this situation, it just seems like it was a better situation for you because this was something that God already had plannedforyou.

Dr. Nikki: I think, Fancy, what I had to learn was to get God's permission. Like many of the businesses I created, I never asked permission, and then one thingIlearnedandwhatIamdoingnow is that I actually got scriptures to back me up. Most people start their businesses, and they don't even ask God. They're just like, “Oh, I'm going to do this.” They do it, and then they wonderwhyitfailed,orthey'reunhappy because you can make a lot of money and be broken, right? You can make a whole lot of money and be sad. I am so in love with me. I'm so in love with what I'm doing. I'm so in love with the ambassadors. God has given me some amazing,teachablewomen,andIthinkI hadtobeteachableformetofindthese kindsofwomen.

I had to make those mistakes. God popped my hand-pop, pop, pop. Then tryagain,right?It'sjustlikeyoufallingto get back up. I think it was all about making sure I get God's permission to do what he has called me to do, and then you have a lot of people that want toduplicate.Mydealistobeoriginallike no one can be SwagHer Magazine. Fancy, you have done an amazing job creatinga brand. You have been consistent even attimeswhenyouwanttobelike,“Man, forget this thing; I'm tired.” You kept persevering, and you kept striving for greater, and now you're here. So many otherwomen-theymightnotsay,“Well, she does a good job,” but I'm going to tellyouwhattheyshouldbesaying.You are amazing with SwagHer Magazine, andit'salwayspositive,andthat'swhatI loveaboutthemagazine.Ithinkweboth have that in common. Our job is to be problem solvers, and we do it daily withoutcomplaining.

Fancy: Yes, and thank you so much for that, Dr. Nikki. I totally get what you're saying, and it brings me to my nextquestion:Whatdoyouoftensee Christian businesswomen struggle withthemostinbusiness?

Dr. Nikki: Manywomeninbusinessare so emotionally driven, Fancy, that when their family doesn't support them, or their cousin doesn't show up, or somebody doesn't support them, they give up so fast. It's like, did God give you that, or did you do it on your own?

Forme,Iseealotoflackofconfidence. I see a lot of not being consistent and committed. You have to be committed becauseifHeputsitonyourhearttodo it, He will see what you do with it. And that'swhatIfeel.

Fancy: I got to circle back just because of what you said about askingGod’spermissionbefore starting the business. I must admit that's not something that I did initially, and it makes me think, though,soifsomeonedidn'taskGod originally, do you still think they can gobackandHim? personally. I know that this month is the Herpreneur experience in Dallas. Can you tell us more about that?

Dr. Nikki: Well, see if he's your center, then I often tell people to go back and doadedication.Dedicateyourbusiness back to God. Give it back to God. Repent because you're wrong. I got to be honest; if you never ask God for permission, then you're out of order. God said, seek Him first in all things, andHe'lladdthoseuntoHim,right?We have to seek Him diligently. Seek Him and ask His permission because we're dead. Remember, as Christians, we're dead. If we're dead, how are we moving? If we didn't ask Him, how can we move? I'm so honest about this because I was the one that didn't ask Him. I didn't ask Him, and it didn't work forme.Itdidatonepoint;Iwasmaking $30,000 a month working for major pastorsworldwide.

Whatcanweexpect?

Dr.Nikki: Wewillkickthisthingoffearly Friday with Michael V. Roberts and GeorgeC.Fraser.MichaelB.Robertsis a Black billionaire. He owns several Marriotts and has a huge castle in the Bahamas.HestartedaSprintPCsstore in St. Louis and has a TV station in St. Louis. He's a pretty big deal for me because I feel like for you to obtain wealth, you have to be around it. Like, how do you say I'm going to be a millionaire when you have never met onebefore?Like,Idon'tgetthat.Godis not going to put a million dollars in your hand. You must be around people who can get you to the money or help you securethebag.

Fancy: I wasn't as close to God when I started my business. My faith has grown tremendously since then, but I'm still a work in progress. So I've neverheardthatbefore,butwhatyou saidisagoodideaformanyofusout there. I hope that's something that many of you can take away— recommitting your business to God. I think that's a great idea. I'm going to lookmoreintothatmyself,

ThenGeorgeFraserisabignetworking person.Youneedtoresearchthesetwo menbecausethey'llbedroppingalotof knowledge on Friday at 11:00 AM. On that Friday night, we will have what’s called The Night of Fashion. Anita Hawkins hosts it. Anita Hawkins is J. Bolin's head model, and she's beautiful. My God, she's breathtaking. Not only is shebreathtakingwithherclothes,butin her spirit. She and I had a very long conversation, and we just connected. I feel like I've known her forever, but she's hosting the show for us. We got boutiques, and we're still looking. We got like four other slots left. We are looking for boutiques and designers in the Dallas area or abroad who want to showcase their clothing lines on the runway. We have a professional photographer, so the designers will also be able to get professional images of theirdesigns.

ThenonSaturdaymorning,Ihaveaguy named Barry. He owns Alma Da Samana, which is a resort in the Dominican Republic. He's going to be talking about dual citizenship and the portions of how we always go out to places like Miami, and we spend all this money,butweleavetherewithnothing. Me and you and others, right? He's going to teach us how to become dual citizens. He will talk about the importance of overseas real estate, where you can go to the DR and stay there at a low rate. I go every other month.They'remyclient.Igothere,and Istayforsevendays.

It's just the mindset of stretching your horizon,buildingland,doingAirbnb,and making residual income. He's going to kick it off with that. Of course, Cora Jakes will be doing the Pink Fire Brunch. We got panel discussions. Oh, my God. We got workshops on credit repair, personal credit repair, crowdfunding, real Estate finances, marriage, singles, self-care, mental health, branding, PR, and social media; you name it, we got it. Because this eventisallaboutdealingwiththewhole woman. It is a woman's expo, so we're excited. That night we got the Her Awards, a continuation of the event you attendedinTupelo.

We're honoring many amazing people like Benaisha Poole- Watson, a Black woman who owns a bank, and she'll be getting a Lifetime Presidential Award sponsored by Dr. Sylvia D. Cole. Dr. Coleishonoringsixmajorplayersinthe Dallas community, and The Herprenuer Network will honor some other outstanding women from the Texas area. Then Sunday, we got the Her Cave. The Her Cave is all about all things us (women). So Dr. Connie Stewart is bringing the word. We got more panel discussions. One specific panel discussion I’m looking forward to will be a group of four ladies, and they will talk about how complete strangers changed the whole trajectory of their lives. It's people who you don't even know who bless you. So we'll be talking about that. I'm just excited to see what Godwilldothisweekend.

Fancy: It sounds like we’re going to have an awesome time. I’m really looking forward to it. I want to circle back to one question that I had for you. You already expressed that you failedalotinbusiness,butwasthere ever a particular time that made you question your faith, and what did you do?

Dr. Nikki: I had a pastor that I did PR forbecauseIwasapublicistforawhile, and he just didn't pay me. I did a lot of work. I got him on The Word Network and several local locations; he had never had that kind of PR before. Then the check just bounced. I was just like, “God if you got me doing this, why would the pastor bounce a check?” I had to understand they're human like us.Youwantmetogiveyougrace,give others some grace. At that time, back then, I was mad because I had bills to pay. When you learn better, and you bounce some checks yourself- because I'm very transparent, then you will understand.Peoplegothroughstuff.

They're humans just like you and me, andnowthatI'maco-pastorofachurch with my husband, a lot of stuff I see now, I'd be like, “Man, I'm up here judging,butI'mthatnow.”

That grace comes when you get put in that same position that you saw other peoplein.Becausewealwaysputthese pastors so high, and people don’t understandweputourpantsonjustlike you. We make mistakes just like you. I understand we're supposed to have a higher calling, and I get that. But we're still human, and sometimes God will have you fall to keep that thorn on your side to keep you praying. I think for me, thatparticulartimenowwhenIseehim, and we're friends now, I'd be so mad at him, like, “You bounced that check, and you knew I needed that money,” but I had to really repent, and ask God to forgive me because I really had a judgmentspiritonme.

Fancy: Also, I wanted to know what advice you would give to someone whoistryingtogetclosertoGod.

Dr. Nikki: Trust the process. With a lot of stuff that I went through with relationshipsandpeople,Ihadtolookat myself like, am I the problem? Do you knowwhatI'msaying?WhatcanIdoto makerelationshipsbetter?Evenlikethis last year, I learned that you must meet people where they are. I had to learn how to meet people where they are, even with me. Because for years, I walkedwithaspiritofoffenseallmylife, and I'm very transparent about it because I didn't trust people. I had a lot of major trust issues. When you have trust issues, you tend to sabotage relationships. For me, Fancy, I had to start looking at myself like, what did I do? How could I have handled that relationship differently? How can I treat peoplebetter?

How do I suggest people have a relationship close to God? Look at yourself, do a self-evaluation, and always remember WWJD. Like, “What would Jesus do? Would He say this? Will He do that? Will He act like that? Will He say that? Will He wear that? Even down to the clothes, your shoes, your heels? What is your motive for wearing what you wear? Are you wearing it to get attention? Are you posting to get attention?” Because most people, when they post, it's to get attention. You don't just post to post. No, we're posting now to do what? Get attention, right? I'm always thinking, WWJD, what would I do if I were in this situation? How can I constantly build a relationship with Him and wait to hear Hisvoice?

To learn more about Dr. Nikki or to connect with her, visit https://theherprenuernetwork.com follow

BY FRANCHESKA "FANCY" FELDER

AI’Mat Dream Brand is a hair, skin, and body brand that inspires people to show up as their best magical versions of themselves. The intentional beauty brand is curated by Tami Curry, a Baton Rouge native that resides in Houston, Texas The former property management professional started the brand when at a crossroads in her life and wondering how to live out her true purpose

I’Mat Dreams believes self-care should be an investment as opposed to an expense Within six months of its opening, the brand landed a partnership with Walmart com, and they have been moving ever since They were also the proud title sponsors of SwagHer Magazine’s Black Women Made Whole wellness event this year

Tami and I sat down on two occasions to discuss business, growth, life, and self-care Here’s a montage of our conversation below

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