My skills hadn’t capped, I hadn’t capped, my ambition didn’t cap. My business
model had capped. My business no longer had the capacity to stretch as far as
I needed it to. I got to a place as a DJ where I had done all of the clubs in DC, I
was touring with Wale, Black Cobain and his camp. I was an official DJ for Nike. I
did Nordstrom, BET, and was a resident DJ for the hottest club on the scene (The
Park & 14th, NW Washington, DC). I did everything. It was time for a massive
change if I wanted to see massive results.
During college, Tina acquired the love for the business side of the hustle. Already
designing her website, flyers, and other promotional materials she quickly realized
she was already marketing her business. She began using her relationships developed
from DJ’ing to build a client base for what would be her own tech & marketing com-
pany later that year. The Park & 14th was one of her first clients. Tina created a mobile
application that would allow management to instantly connect with guests. It permit-
ted guests to check-in, mark their parking location, and get the latest news, special
guests, promotions, and closures.
the Hustle
I realized the cap, so I did an inventory of what I was good at, and I used my skill
and relationships to get my first set of clients. The transition was as simple as
saying: What opportunities are people around me missing out on, and how can
I compile my skills together to provide them a solution and build a million dol-
lar company, at the same time. I was already into design, I loved tech, and I was
studying marketing, so I hooked up with a developer to do the coding (every-
thing I couldn’t do) while I created the front end and built the business.
NURA Magazine 57