Her Story
About Ashante
I started my professional journey in 2021 working for a university, handling communications for a COVID-19 program where I was creating scripts, managing a team, and really focusing on customer service and the dissemination of information. I realized that was what I liked. At the time, I had just completed my undergraduate studies and earned my Bachelor's of Science in Psychology, and that background in psychology with my newfound passion for marketing showed me that I had an understanding of how the human mind worked and what people wanted. Marketing presented the new challenge of showing the differential in services that were being offered and how to get the word out for local businesses to promote themselves on a grander stage. A few years later, I was doing well in it. Some of my clients were seeing a million views in their ROI and conversions, click rates opening at 30%, SEO at 90%. That's when I decided to go back to school and ended up at Winthrop University pursuing my MBA in Global Marketing. Through that program, I have done many mock campaigns and created strategies for brands like Irish Springs and jewelry companies in California. I've also done collaborations with Versace, Giorgio Armani Beauty, and Topical. In September 2024, I was selected as a TikTok lifestyle influencer and introduced to their program. My most notable achievement was when I was getting my hair done with a new stylist and mentioned the field I was in. She asked if I could give her any tips, so while she was doing the service, I went through her social media, did an audit, created some small briefs for her, and generated a TikTok strategy. About an hour later, she posted, and within 24 hours, that video had a million views. It still stands at a million plus views, a thousand plus shares, and has generated a lot of new clientele for her and opened up a new avenue of educational content. One of my other clients ended up getting a 381% return on investment in a collaboration between an influencer who at the time had just reached 12,000 followers and their own business TikTok page that only had about 40 followers. They ended up seeing about $4,000 in return on total revenue from one TikTok video that cost them less than a fraction of that.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ashante
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to discipline. When you're working remotely and handling so much data, it is important to be disciplined with your work and yourself to set healthy schedules and set healthy boundaries, and a lot of that takes discipline. I know people like to say that you're motivated, but getting up at 5 in the morning just to have an hour ahead of yourself before it's time to deal with clients, that takes discipline and schedule. It's always going to be momentum over motivation. That hour break I take in the morning helps me to align and stay grounded, which is essential when you're managing multiple clients and constantly monitoring analytics and engagement.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think you have to find something that you truly enjoy that enhances your natural skills. I stumbled across a TikTok video that made me laugh - it said that all of my peers who got sent home with reports that said 'great student, but talks too much,' how are you doing in marketing now? I think that's a great example. It's important to see things all through and start over as many times as you want. Don't let yourself get trapped in a box. Like I said, I started my undergrad in psychology, and it gave me a great foundation to shift over into marketing. Never stick yourself in one lane. And it's definitely important to also take time to disconnect for yourself. Like that hour break I take in the morning, it helps you to align.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Discipline is essential, and also being vocal. Don't let opportunities pass you by because you think that you aren't qualified. Even if you go for an opportunity and you find that you aren't qualified, now you know what steps you need to take to get there. And you never know what next step may be there when you come back. It's important to speak up and advocate for yourself - don't let people mispronounce your name or overlook you. You need to let people know who you are and put yourself out there for opportunities, even if they feel intimidating at first.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Ethics is most important to me. I'm handling a lot of data and a lot of personal information. I think you have to be ethical when handling such sincere and private information - people's revenue screens, client and customer information. I think it's important to not put insights, large viewership, or things of that nature over the ethics of the information that you're handling. Stay true to causes and find things to ground yourself in local community avenues. People can't always get over the financial barrier of joining certain organizations or clubs, but it's still important to try to find ways to give back and connect yourself within your local community.
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