We had the good fortune of connecting with Pauleanna Reid and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Pauleanna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I noticed with the rise of the influencer economy and celebrity-obsessed culture, a greater portion of leaders and entertainers – whom we often glorify – either shied away from acknowledging their responsibility as role models or subdued their views on relevant world issues, political contention, and historic pop culture moments due to the fear of being ‘cancelled.’ But this landscape provides such an amazing opportunity for each of us to be a part of a collective awakening currently happening across all industries and societal systems. I believe sitting out of these conversations, especially for those with the most prominent of platforms, is a disservice to us all. So I made it my mission, and the mission of my ghostwriting firm, WritersBlok, to address the insecurities of creative thinkers by decoding their ideas and aiding them in developing their voices.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At WritersBlok, our greatest asset lies in our ability to create a safe space for our clients where they can speak up with their whole hearts and ten toes down. Our clients have a keen interest in either constructing a personal narrative or standing up for hot button topics; both require support in navigating cultural and generational sensitivities. I am most proud to say we are an all-women of color agency, possessing the unique life perspectives and experiences that enable us to navigate these issues better than most others. As ghostwriting is a highly collaborative process, the road to the perfect written piece isn’t always easy. There may be times where clients don’t recognize their voice in our projects or trust the vision we help them unfold. But we’ve learned that not every client will be a good fit for a writing partnership and it’s important to not take that personally. Keeping an open dialogue and making it clear that we’re also bringing our hearts to everything we do has brought us the word of mouth marketing needed to keep our firm behind some of the most talked about pop culture moments of the last couple years, and consequently, much success.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Week-long trip in LA? It’s a pandemic so realistically, I wouldn’t do anything closed-doors. But LA has so many beautiful places outdoors where we can social distance safely, so hiking would be at the top of my list. Runyon Canyon is a perfect start. After hiking, I’d opt for cool experiences in the house the rest of the time such as virtual museum tours, Netflix watchathons, and takeout from some of my favorite places. Another thing I might do is organize a vision board party with close friends to plan how to excel during these trying times. And an at-home spa party would be a great end to the week, giving us a chance to unwind a little more before heading back home and extend that self-love and care that’s so important for each of us to lean into as we continue to navigate our new normal.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I spend an incredible amount of time studying the origin stories of world-class performers, which is why I speak so highly of Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss. I’ve been an active mentor for over five years and the biggest struggle, or challenge (I’ve noticed) facing young entrepreneurs is more about filling the holes in their own foundations and not so much about day-to-day operations of their businesses. Too often we fail to recognize how we can spend thousands on courses and coaches but with cracks in our foundation, no advice from masters will work. I believe most people chase goals they’re not mentally conditioned for. There’s a reason why the greats often say, “start small.” Because if you’re just now starting, you’re not ready for the big stuff. When we gloss over the importance of morning routines, time management, productivity tools, sleeping patterns, mental toughness and countless game-changing habits that build a strong foundation for us, we lose the potential to shift how we show up in the world. Tools of Titans is a fantastic compilation of HUNDREDS of tactics, routines, and habits of some of the most iconic individuals, and it’s become my life hack.
Website: https://www.thewritersblok.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pauleannareid/
Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/pauleannareid
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PauleannaR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PauleannaReid/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissReidTV
Other: https://pauleannareid.com/