Building Beyond the 9 to 5: Inspirational Lessons from Successful Black Women

By Cassie Catrice

This book is an invitation to

Believe in something Beyond...

Making the decision to make the move from traditional 9 to 5 employment and build a business
of your own can be both exhilarating and challenging. You may be wondering if it is possible to
start from where you are, moving beyond "the job" into the work that gives you purpose – we
are here to tell you it is.
"Building Beyond the 9 to 5: Inspirational Lessons from Successful Black Women" is a collection
of inspirational and informative essays from a diverse sisterhood of Black women
entrepreneurs sharing their experiences and lessons learned on their journeys in building their
businesses and living their purpose. Featuring a foreword from Bossy! Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Shevvy Malibu and creative, heartfelt stories from 20 amazing women daring to carve out their
own path, these stories will inspire you to reconsider your own limitations and create a full life
beyond your greatest expectations.
Inside this book you'll find the keys to:

Determine your path

Detail your plan

Dictate your terms

Define your legacy

Grab your copy today, and begin building the blueprint for what lies Beyond!

While the original copy of Building Beyond the 9 to 5 book featured one chapter written by Cassie Catrice, this special edition copy includes an EXCLUSIVE BONUS chapter written by Global Talent Consultant, Speaker, and Amazon Bestselling Author, Cassie Catrice. In this newly released edition of Building Beyond the 9-5, Cassie Catrice shares workplace culture considerations and health and wellness tips for women-led business owners and corporate women leaders managing diverse teams of women, millennial, and minority professionals.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassie Catrice S.
• Release date: Aug 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798223529132

Cassie Catrice

ABOUT THE CO-AUTHOR: CASSIE CATRICE Cassie Catrice is a Global Talent Development Consultant at Cassie Catrice Consulting where she helps companies create a supportive ecosystem to maintain  talent. Cassie has extensive experience creating interdisciplinary projects that have lasting impact. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, a Certificate in Business Administration, and a Bachelors in Sociology with a concentration in Organizational Communication and Leadership. Her career spans across Corporate Human Resources, Marketing, Business & Leadership, Technology, Healthcare, Fashion & Apparrel, Project Management, Real Estate, and Consulting.

Book preview

DISCLAIMERS AND LEGAL NOTICES:

The information presented herein represents the view of the author(s) as of the date of publication. Because of the rate with which conditions change, the author(s) reserve the right to alter and update their opinions based on the new conditions.

This book is for informational purposes only. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this book, neither the publisher nor the author(s) assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional.

If advice concerning legal or related matters is needed, the services of a fully qualified professional should be sought. This book is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. You should be aware of any laws which govern business transactions or other business practices in your country and state.

Any reference to any person or business whether living or dead is purely coincidental.

Dedication

For all the women out there chasing something beyond the ordinary - this is for you.

We believe in you, and we are cheering for you.

Table of Contents

Introduction:  The Heart of the Hustle

Kioshana LaCount Burrell, Editor  13

Determine Your Path

Chapter One: Level Up Your Leadership –Becoming a Career

Competent and Confident Leader

Cassie Catrice   17

Chapter Two: That One Time God Called

Ristina Gooden   29

Chapter Three: Creating Your Unique Lane

Qiana Martin   39

Chapter Four: Daydreaming About My Destiny

Keita Pyfrom   49

Chapter Five: Doing Too Much... And Loving It

Lishala Carter  57

––––––––

Develop Your Plan

Chapter Six: Work Your WOP – Planning for Strategic Success

Sheena Morgan   65

Chapter Seven: Building the Foundation for

Entrepreneurial Success

Kioshana LaCount Burrell  73

Chapter Eight: The Art of Failing

Veronica Marz  83

Chapter Nine: The Season of Success

Marci Bryant, MBA  91

Chapter Ten: Becoming... Ms. Corporate-preneur

Porche’ Maloney  107

––––––––

Dictate Your Terms

Chapter Eleven: Finding Balance and Establishing Boundaries –

A Recipe for Success

Alysha M. Campbell   117

Chapter Twelve: Wearing Two Hats - Transparency and Authenticity as an Employed Entrepreneur

Sydney Davis   127

Chapter Thirteen: Strategy, Balance, and Staying the Course

Christon Stewart   135

Define Your Legacy

Chapter Fourteen: Crafting My Table

Katrina Caldwell   145

Chapter Fifteen: A Legacy Built on Love

Deon Hall-Garriques   157

Chapter Sixteen: Breaking Cycles, Building Legacies

Akiba Canady   169

Chapter Seventeen: Mastering Freedom

Jessica Cammack   181

Chapter Eighteen: Preparing for the Harvest

Kiki Lazz-Onyenobi  189

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Bonus Content:  Level Up Your Leadership, Simplify Your Life

Featured Author:  Cassie Catrice 197

Acknowledgements   213

Introduction:  The Heart of the Hustle

Kioshana LaCount Burrell, Editor

––––––––

Welcome to, Building Beyond the 9 to 5:  Inspirational Lessons from Successful Black Women.  We are so glad to meet you, and extend our warmest gratitude for picking up this copy of our book!

As the name would imply, Building Beyond the 9 to 5 is a collection of stories about women who have dared to dream outside of the traditional work for someone else, and have instead endeavored to forge a path of their own.  More than simply a pursuit of entrepreneurship, the stories contained in this volume are those of women who have chosen to step outside of the status quo and pursue their passions, on their own terms.  The candid advice, heartwarming stories, and gentle encouragement you will find within these pages is meant to inspire you into action, ensuring that you have additional knowledge with which to pursue your own dreams.

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black women were the fastest-growing demographic of entrepreneurs in America.  The pandemic, as well as the accompanying shut-downs and layoffs have had a dramatic effect on many small businesses and early-stage ventures.  In true Black Girl Magic fashion, however, our sisters have continued to develop and adapt, creating new avenues of opportunity out of what seemed in the beginning to be a great loss.  According to the Harvard Business Review, more than 17% of Black women were in the process of starting or running new businesses in 2021, dramatically outpacing every other subset.

While this is excellent news, the same study shows us that only 3% of Black women are currently running mature businesses with demonstrated longevity.  One factor in that number is a lack of access to resources for entrepreneurship. As we recognize that, we realize that one of the most effective resources available to us is the collective knowledge of Us. To that end, this book is a step in that direction.

The women in this book are your sisters, your moms, your aunties, and your friends.  We come from all over the world, and are in all stages in our lives. Some of us are full-time entrepreneurs, while others are still working their way out of the corporate world.  Some of us have even left altogether in order to pursue a higher calling.  We’ve taken our knowledge – including our mistakes and lessons learned – and infused them into this book, so that you will have the opportunity to glean what you need from our words, and begin writing a chapter of your own.

Black women have been long recognized as the heart of our families and our community.  We also recognize that we are the heart of the Hustle, and our efforts – our successes – uplift others around us as well.  It is our sincere hope that the advice and stories from the women contained within these pages will be exactly what you need as you embark on your entrepreneurial journey. 

Cassie Catrice

Cassie Catrice is a Global Talent Development Consultant at Cassie Catrice Consulting where she helps companies create a supportive ecosystem to maintain diverse talent.  Cassie has extensive experience creating interdisciplinary projects that have lasting impact.  She is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, a Certificate in Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology with a concentration in Organizational Communication and Leadership. 

Connect with Cassie:

Website:  www.CassieCatriceConsulting.com

Employment: [e-mail]

Bookings: [e-mail]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassie_catrice/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassieCatriceConsulting

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassiecatrice/

Chapter Eight:

Level Up Your Leadership - Become a Career Competent and Confident Leader

Cassie Catrice

––––––––

If you picked up this book and are reading this chapter, you probably did so because you are an ambitious high-achieving woman who wants it all including a vibrant career, a joy filled life, and a path where having a purpose beyond your current job feels possible. You may even already have it all by society’s standards. Yet, you still find yourself feeling misaligned, unfulfilled, wanting more in life, feeling overworked, overwhelmed, or over stressed at times. You may be in a space where life feels like a marathon where you are checking off all of the external boxes and accolades but not fully enjoying the run. You are here because you are wanting to feel more confident while achieving your ambitious goals with balance and ease. You want show up more confidently at whatever stage you are in the process regardless of how imperfect or messy life, career, the business gets. You want to feel like someone else gets you because you may be the only person in your circle who is operating with the intention of moving beyond your 9-5. I am here to say to you, I get you. I feel you. I see you. I am you.

The good news is that the very fact that you’re reading this book means you believe in yourself and I believe in you too. You believe in more and are eager to find an alternative way to how you are currently approaching these things today. You are searching for ideas, tools, a strategy, and systems that work; you may even be longing for a community that would support you in the growth process. Hopefully, by the end of this chapter, I will be able to provide you with a deeper understanding and awareness around decisions and actions that you can begin implementing today to move you closer towards the life you want which includes a robust purposeful business and a joy-filled life, as well as a path to attain these things and more with confidence, balance, and ease.

To that end, I invite you to Level Up Your Leadership and Become a Career Competent & Confident Leader with me. On this self-improvement (Level Up) journey, you do not need to feel as though you have to subscribe to the belief that you’re alone or that you need to be a superwoman. On this journey of elevating and transforming yourself professionally and personally, it is completely okay (in fact, it is welcomed) to ask for help. It is also okay to not have all the answers or feel as though you need to be a superwoman. Now that we have addressed that, let your Level Up begin!

As you level up, you become a better version of yourself. You show up differently in your career, business, leadership and life. This impacts your ability to competently and confidently pursue your goals. You become what I refer to as a Career Competent & Confident Leader, which I define as an expert in a specialized domain who is equipped to deliver the work (competent). This expert is aware of their strengths and blindspots that could impact their individual progress or that of their team and takes actions to maximize opportunities and reduce risk. A key differentiator between a Career Competent Leader and other leaders is that in conjunction with possessing the expertise, a Career Competent & Confident Leader also exudes the confidence to lead themselves and empower their team to strategically carry out the vision in a progressive, sustainable, and scalable way.

Becoming a Career Competent & Confident Leader requires a new strategy and tools that will help you and your team grow, transform, and accomplish more intentional actions with more alignment and ease. Sure there will be an adjustment period initially that will require at the minimum a time investment and likely also a financial investment.  However, it will be well worth the investment to reach your highest potential in your career, business, and life. Ready? Let’s get started.

Before I share with you more about my journey, I first would like to tell you about how Cassie Catrice Consulting came to life. I stood up my boutique consulting agency from a space and desire to give back. I have always had a passion for helping people reach their goals and potential in life as early as grammar school when I ran for and became class and student body president. This trend continued through high school and college when I started a student organization and facilitated workshops for peers on self-improvement. I have always enjoyed learning and growing and had an affinity for problem solving, being a change-agent, and sharing my learnings and resources with those who were also invested in themselves and eager to learn and grow. Today, I  incorporate elements of fashion, professional branding, and health in my Talent Strategy and Career Coaching programs which you can learn more about on my website at www.cassiecatriceconsulting.com

Managing Generational Bias in the Workforce

(Or, Thriving as a Millennial Gal in a Multi-Generational Corporate World)

Having stepped into leadership earlier in life, at many points throughout my life and my career, I was faced with a decision around how I would balance my time, responsibilities, priorities, myself, my emotions, and lead and be in relationship with others. It was a responsibility that I did not always do perfectly. I made and learned from my mistakes. The biggest misconception about that I have had to work to overcome has been around what I can or cannot do because of my perceived age and the generation to which I belong.

More times than I can count, I have been met with What do you know?, Aren’t you a little young to be giving advice?, I’m going to listen to someone with more experience.... Or my favorite (not so) favorite - when they disregard what you say completely and listen to another individual who says the same thing – especially when those individuals fall outside of a younger generation.

I have found myself speaking up about ageist bias in professional situations, as well as having to account for and make adjustments for the conscious and unconscious biases of others. While it is not always ideal, this has challenged me to become a better advocate for myself, better articulate my strengths and experiences, and creatively compose a variety of ways to storytelling and illustrate my portfolio to a diverse audience.

Though I do not change everyone's mind (nor do I set out to), being aware of the role that age bias plays in the workplace can better equip you to prepare for, manage, mitigate, and influence to the extent that we are able. I hope that you take away from this the important role that your career development plan, professional brand, and self-advocacy plays in your career, as well as how critical it is for you to be able to understand and mitigate biases and how leveraging your voice and influence to do.  Regardless of your personal generation, know that in