Thursday, December 29, 2011

Feature #47: Charreah K. Jackson, Owner


Name: Charreah K. Jackson

Current Job Position Title: Owner

Company Name:  Studio Social

Contact Information: Charreah.com

Special skills: Certified Family Life Educator with the National Council on Family Relations, Relationships Coach, Award-Winning Journalist

Describe your job story:
I went to college with the goal of working in magazines. I started with my first internship at Upscale magazine after my freshman year. I continued to study the craft and gain experience on and off campus. I also discovered my interest in relationships and completed my honors thesis on Black college students and their thoughts on marriage.   I interned at Essence magazine the summer before my senior year and fell in love with the office and New York City.

Throughout the next school year I visited the office (including during my spring break) and stayed in touch with contacts, what I now call stalking with a smile.Two weeks before my graduation I was offered a position as an editorial assistant. I gladly took the job that started freelance and with a low wage. I worked my way from assistant to full-time Associate Editor of the brand’s website, where I managed relationships content. I was able to  merge my passions, as I learned and wrote about the love lives of Black women up close. I also recognized the need for more education on actually being in a relationship.

After leaving Essence, I became the social media editor at a fashion and beauty PR firm. It provided me invaluable insight into how a small business is run and increased my skills as a professional and selling myself. While working full-time, I created my business Studio Social, which provides relationships workshops, one-on-one coaching and curriculum. I used vacation days to attend training sessions and conferences, and turned every personaltrip as a chance to expand my company.

Between bridesmaid duties for my cousin’s wedding in South Carolina, I hosted a relationships workshop for students at my parent’s alma mater. My growing workshops led to coverage by Ebony and Essence magazines, and the Huffington Post. I also consulted as the Associated Editor at Heart & Soul magazine to continue to stay up-to-date in the journalism world and write about relationships. I recently returned to Essence to manage relationships content for the magazine, a dream to provide love insight for their 7.5 million readers, and still have my business on the side.

What did you want to be when you were a child/ teenager?
Being a math teacher by day and radio DJ by night transformed in high school to being a magazine editor, preferably at the now defunct Honey.

Are doing your dream job? Yes, and then some!

What do you like MOST about what you do?
Through my business, I love interacting with people and sharing relationships insight that they might not be getting anywhere else. As a writer, I enjoy the amazing opportunity to get paid to talk with people and hear their stories.

What do you like the LEAST?
My toughest challenge was getting comfortable setting my rates and sticking to them. When you love what you do, its tempting to give it away. Setting goals for the life I want to provide my future children and legacy I want to  leave has made it much easier to get paid my worth. 

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Continuing toprovide relationship resources including a book and empowering women that the only limitations are the ones we set for ourselves.

Are you happy with where you are in life?
Yes. We have to appreciate the blessings of the present, while preping for the future.

What more do you want to do with your life?
I want to continue to provide resources for women and men on healthy relationships and see more of the world.

What drives/motivates you?
I am certainly motivated by my grandmothers and all those who laid the groudwork for me to enjoy the privileges and opportunities I have today. I am also driven by my baby sister and others to come behind me, who are counting on me to pave new ground.

What is your advice to those who are seeking employment and have no hope?
Keep on pushing and embrace your power. You may not have control of your circumstance, but you have complete power over your attitude. See every setback as a set up for your next move. I am a cancer survivor and was laid off in the worst of the recession. Even through unexpected moments, I knew that there was a bigger plan in place, and every thing would work out for my good. And it has.