We had the good fortune of connecting with Seneca Connor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Seneca, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I don’t consider myself to have achieved success yet. That is something I am always reaching for. My personal definition of success has nothing at all to do with money, or status or material things. It is personal and more to do with accomplishing all I believe I have been put on this earth to achieve. And more personally with developing and growing as a person. To become more kind, more giving, more loving, more forgiving, less judgmental, less critical. For me, to be more like Jesus. I am everyday aware that I’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.

If I were speaking to a young person or someone who wanted to know the one thing they could do to guarantee success in business and any other area of their life, I would tell them to “put as much time and energy into developing your character and who your are as a person, as you put into developing your craft/dream.” If you do this, you cannot help but to succeed. Success will chase you. If you work on being a person of integrity, becoming self-aware, generous, trustworthy, honest, learning to listen, compassionate and thoughtful about others, being punctual, giving grace to others, kind, flexible, everyone will want to work with you, everyone will want to do business with you!!!

No matter my intellect, my talent, my ideas, my vision, or my expertise, I would only have been able to get so far in life without being a person of integrity. Not being a perfect person, but someone who can be counted on, someone who respects others no matter who they are. And certainly I would not be able to maintain any level of success without cultivating my character.

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?
“Luxury Affordable Handbags in Iconic Styles”. That’s exactly what The Bag Icon offers its customers. We believe that both a woman AND her bank account should look amazing! The Bag Icon offers high quality leather bags in iconic styles to the conscious customer who wants the look and feel of luxury without the high price tag, without sacrificing quality or style. We don’t believe it should cost an arm, a leg and a college fund to have a quality handbag in an iconic style. We want our customers to look amazing and keep their coins to invest, save, or pursue your dreams- become an Icon!
As a black-owned brand, we understand the assault that black history and women are under at this present moment. In a very small effort to keep the memories and names alive of those who shoulders we stand on, the names of our handbag collections are inspired by iconic women throughout history. These women broke barriers, fought for social equality and lived fiercely. Their lives and achievements serve as sources of inspiration for us all. Each product page has a link to learn more about these very important Sheroes!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA is such a vast place, with each area offering a different vibe and personality. As a Westsider, I would definitely have to take them to some of my favorite places that I’ve traversed over and over again. I’m a girl who loves a good shopping trip, so we’d definitely go to Century City Shopping Center for a some retail therapy. For a more eclectic and boutique shopping we can pop over to Abbott Kinney and then rent some bikes to bike down the strand in Venice/Santa Monica. We could bike all the way to Manhattan Beach and jump off to grab some authentic tacos!

I would definitely show my friend that LA does have culture. We’d go to the Getty Museum and then on another day the MOMA. We’d end our cultural experience with a visit to the California African American Museum. And if there are any good concerts, the Hollywood Bowl is not to be missed.

There are so many great places to eat, shop and explore in LA and we would definitely support some black-owned businesses, like The Hilltop Cafe and Eso Won Books.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Thank you for this opportunity to shout-out the people that have helped me get to where I am today! Specifically, my father- Greg, my step-mother-Mildred, my sisters- Nadia and Jade, my niece, Faith and my bestie- Shadeiyah- who have loved and supported me at every step along this journey!

My reasons, my husband, Ryan and our beautiful son, Ronan who keep me going and love me everyday!

And the person whose voice I hear in my head everyday, my beautiful and ever-missed mother, Sharon. Thank you for being an example of all I hope to be. I love you forever and ever.

Website: www.thebagicon.com

Instagram: www.thebagicon.com/thebagicon

Linkedin: Www.linkedin.com/senecaberniardconnor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebagicon

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