Learn more about Abriana as she navigates life as an equestrian entrepreneur!
Connect with Black Unicorn Creative:
Episode Sponsor:
Connect with Baddies with Business:
Music By: Tukool Tiff
Connect with Baddies with Business:
Music By: TuKool Tiff
Be Bad. Be Bold. Be A Baddie!
Learn more about Abriana as she navigates life as an equestrian entrepreneur!
Connect with Black Unicorn Creative:
Episode Sponsor:
Connect with Baddies with Business:
Music By: Tukool Tiff
Connect with Baddies with Business:
Music By: TuKool Tiff
Be Bad. Be Bold. Be A Baddie!
Welcome to another episode of Baddies with Business. I'm so excited for you all to learn more and the story about our incredible guest today. So Abriana could you tell the baddies and community more about.
Abriana:Yes. Hey, Baddies, I'm super excited to be here today. Like she said, my name is Abriana. I am from chapel hill, North Carolina home of the tar heels. If you didn't know I Grew up, you know, with a, with a father that was country as all get out and a mom who was a military brat. So there is a, a dichotomy of a freedom and structure in my story. I went to NC state for animal science and the university of Florida for a master's in health sciences with a concentration in one. And my, yeah, my background is in veterinary medicine and now I don't necessarily do that. So it was quite the journey. But I love animals and you'll hear more about that in, in my story, but yeah.
Malliron:I love that. I also didn't realize that you were from chapel hill or maybe I knew you were from North Carolina, but I am pinpoint chapel hill. So I'm from Bunn, North Carolina. I'm actually closer to you now. I'm in Goldsboro. Well, yeah, we probably cause we probably can. But yeah, so yes, grew up in chapel hill had a father's country and just also navigating that space of being the child of like someone who's in the military and all that. So that's incredible. I also resonate with. This piece around being country. So having parents that are country, but also like growing up on a farm, so I'm sure we'll get to those like similarities there. So that's incredible also something in your story would that I vividly remember from growing up, going to the state fair and always remember NC state having a presence and also them being known for their veterinary program. So when you say that it's like, yes, that's something I know because that's literally what they're known for and they are. State fair. And that's the thing you always see.
Abriana:Yep. And my birthday is October 13th. So guess what I did for my birthday, literally for, I don't know, ever that was the birthday situation. The state fair. Within your journey, what sparked your love for animals? Was it. Because you were kind of forced to in the beat. I'm not saying you were forced, but do you feel like it was okay. I got to like this cat cause we have a cat or is it just like, oh, cats, I have this sweet spot and you may say, man, I don't even like cats, but that's just the first animal that popped up in my head. Well, I was going to say my mom is deathly afraid, so I actually did not have experience with cats until I got a job at a vet clinic after college. But what I will say I. My first experience with animals, I think was sheer curiosity. And my dad kind of egged that on. He always made it seem like it wasn't a big deal. And my mom was like, no, this is a very big deal. I do not want it in this house. I do not want to see it actually. No fuzzy, no scaly, no slimy. No. She only does dogs really until now forces. But even then she has her boundaries. But I have a A picture from preschool where we dressed up like little cowgirls and Cowboys and walked around on the youth little ponies. And I don't know if that was the start of it. But I do know that when, whenever it started, my parents were always open to letting me try anything. Like I tried so many things as a kid. And that was one of the things that stuck
Malliron:So the sheer curiosity and the ability to like want to explore and maybe at the point you thought you needed to explore and your mom was like, no, baby, we ain't going to do that. But yeah,
Abriana:explore outside. Don't bring it in here and tell me about it. But you know, my friends were, you know, chapel hill, so my friends. No, they didn't always look like me. And they're like, oh, we rescued this dog. Oh, well I found this hurt squirrel outside and we nurtured it. And my mama. Okay, good. That's cool for your friends. We're not doing any of those things. So what and maybe this will get into your venture. What got your mom to that place of warming up to horses? I think she saw how. I was about this. And, you know, as I was prepping for today, you know, I, I always come back to she had inscribed in my high school ring pursue your passion and it didn't matter what that was. My parents were always supportive of it. If I had a plan, if I say, I want to do this, and I have a plan to make it happen, they were like, oh, You know, it, that range from, you know, I want to go to vet school. I want to be a veterinarian. They say, okay, to my sophomore year of college, I was like, I want to buy a horse. And supported me the hallway. So that's, that's been a very Integral part of my journey that should this year support that my parents have had and encouraging me that I can, you can do whatever it is you want to do as long as you have a plan.
Malliron:Yes. So shoutout so the parental Johnson's the job. Yeah. Shout out to the Johnson's chapel hill for supporting on your journey. Okay. So I know people are probably like Malliron, you've mentioned horses, like what is this? So tell the people about your venture.
Abriana:So I have a business called black unicorn creative. Okay. Keep going, keep going. And it is a design studio at this point. I have agency goals. But I, I craft the brand and web experiences for businesses in the horse industry. And so one of the ways that I do that is, is by leading by example. I have a couple of brands that are run under that including my podcast and community called young black equestrians as well as my children's book series. And kind of experiential edutainment brand called Cowgirl Cameron. And so horse are a integral part of not only my passion and my hobby, but my business as well. And so. In, in honing that that passion through the different experiences I've had through the veterinary industry and my creative endeavors, I've black unicorn, creative is here. And so she'd liked the name. I will tell you what kind of solidified it for me was the song black unicorn by two chains. And so there is a like a monologue in the beginning. And like, yeah, look that up and you'll see. It's just like, yes, that's me.
Malliron:I remember when we first connected and I saw the name and I was like black unicorn, creative. I don't know what this Baddie does. But this Baddie going to be on the podcast. I don't even know what it was. I don't even know what it is. And this is before I like, you know, did my research and looked up everything, but I was like, just the name alone BET. You are on the podcast. So I'm definitely gonna check that out for anyone listening, pause the episode, go check that out and then come back to the, the episode then. So you can just really understand, because you had this moment of like, That's me. And so I want people to understand that like moment of you, as they're going into listen to the rest of this story. So I love that you have a specific niche. So you like, this is what I do. This is the focus area I'm curious to know. Has that always been your niche or has it evolved over time as you've discovered, like your role within this field also just like navigating. The space or just working with people. How does you get to that? Such a specific niche that you're.
Abriana:Yeah, so it kinda came out of learning myself. You know, I, I say that I, I. My background is in veterinary medicine. And so after college, I started working at a small animal hospital. You know, so I have a technical background, but I also moved up to management and started managing the pet resort. And I mean, Grew it out of the dirt. And that's where I got a lot of my business acumen and branding and community building kind of proof that I could do it. So that was when I was like, all right, well, let me just start doing this for other people. So I've worked with beauty brands. I've worked with e-com businesses. And I learned that I do my best. When I care and I also am the personality type that I, I have a very good imagination, but I don't pretend very well. And so if I don't care about the work that I'm doing, or it's not like truly impactful in the area that I care the most about, then I don't feel fulfilled. I'm still going to do a good job, but afterwards it's like, Next one, you know? But I learned to really sit down and say, okay girl, what is it that you care about? You know, what is it that if someone said, talk about this for the next 24 hours and you'll get a billion dollars, could you talk about. And that's horses and NC state that was kinda my concentration or my focus. And then through owning my own horse, I got to see a lot of the industry from a consumer standpoint, as well as having the veterinary background, having to go behind, you know, behind the scenes and businesses and support staff for different veterinarians internships. I mean, I applied to vet school with over 1200 hours of experience. So I was in there in there. So that was kind of how I said, all right, this is, this is what I care about, but I didn't know that this was a thing, like, I didn't know that I could say I only want to work with these kinds of people. I didn't know that was okay. And then I learned that it was, and that's all she wrote.
Malliron:Yes. Ooh, this is really good. So I'm just going to surface a couple of gyms that you shared. So the first one was learning yourself. So you talked about that also. I think there's parallels between what you're sharing about your journey, but also what notes we can take as black women running businesses at like leading ventures and also navigating that space and the challenges and the rollercoaster that comes with entrepreneurship. Another thing you asked is in learning yourself. If I think about this, the umbrella digging deeper is what do I care about? So you knew that you have this moment of like, if I don't care, I maybe want to roll onto the next one. Since, what is it you really care about and digging deep on that. And also, I want to just like throw out that name for those who are listening, it can evolve over time. And so it can, there may be a thread there, but it can evolve. It may have started as horses, but then you start to explore. Maybe it's not just like working with people who are hoping to get one. Maybe it's like exploring different avenues. And so just wanted to highlight that is like a theme and a thread that I saw. I was like, wow, this forces ended up evolve and change over time. As you were learning yourself and thinking about what you care.
Abriana:Right. Exactly. And it, it kind of, for me, it evolved into, this is something that I do for other people, so why not do it for myself? And that's how my podcasts, as well as my children's book kind of came to be, because if we can't do for ourselves, you know, how do we, how do we pour from it? Right. And so these kind of sidebar passions that you have you know, I work with all kinds of people in this industry, but what I care about as far as you know, like a. Kind of the, the, what did they call it in a video game? Like the side journey is making sure that that black people feel represented in this industry. And so that's why the podcast talks about the passion, culture and lifestyle of the black horse industry. And so. That kind of, you know, you talk about niche. Like I'm a squeeze, that thing that narrows it down, but that's, that was evolution for me.
Malliron:I'm glad you brought up that, just like that focus area of black people in the equestrian industry. So when I think about that and just that the examples I have seen. One, I've seen black people on horses cause like, you know, country, but then two, when you go outside of the scope or if you don't have connection to the. You only see white people or you see people that don't look like you. And so I'm curious to learn more about just that journey for you as being a black woman, navigating this space, but also hoping to create a space and a platform for other people that look like us can hear them tell their stories and also just find someone that connects with. So can you just share both of those, like your journey? And then also what it's like to create those spaces as well.
Abriana:Yeah, absolutely. So when I first started riding, I was seven. I started riding with. Dad's high school friend, white woman, as, as rough as she could be. She was great. But she, she taught me and I just remember, you know, I was on the slowest pokey, his horse, and I was so upset. I had to kick so hard to get him to do anything. And then, you know, I'm in a group lesson with a little white girl who's on this very flashy. Shiny thing and they get to jump and do all of these cool things. And so honestly, you know, after a while I stopped taking lessons and so fast forward to high school, I started going to trail ride. And so that's what, that's what we are. That's where the black folks go. They are, some of them can be pretty diverse, but that is, that is the, the heart of the black cowboy definitely on the east coast and in the south. And so I started seeing black people on horses and it made me realize like, these people go to work. They have day jobs where they probably interact with people that have no idea that this is what we do on the week. They have no idea of the community that has come together to celebrate, to ride. I mean, hundreds of horses going out in the woods, music laughter food, they feed you, you know, there's no other event like that in the horse industry. And for me, stepping into these spaces, especially coming from a veterinary angle It was like, how dare you look down on that when there's so many people so unhappy in the traditional equestrian space. And so I started the podcast to kind of shine a light, like, Hey, like we're here and we're doing this and we're happy, you know? I mean, With every family there's trauma, but at the end of the day, we all choose to come back here and we have a good time and we take care of our horses. And there's, if you came here, lots of stigmas about this industry would be broken. And so I've done the work to say, Hey, you know, there's nobody talking about this. You know, the, the people on the trail ride seen don't know, or aren't comfortable with kind of getting into the, the traditional industry and the traditional industries is like, it doesn't value that, that trail rock culture. And so how can we bridge the gap? And it's honestly, through black people, by Black people are the solution to lots of things, our existence And so I started to talk about like, Hey, we're here. This is what we do. I will connect with you. But just so you know, we might not have the same experience, you know, just because we, we look alike and just because we both feel underrepresented, it doesn't mean we have the same experience. So let's talk about our diverse experiences because black people are not a monolith. And so that's kind of how we just started to continue continuing to have these conversations. You know, I'm talking to a 65 year old mounted Archer to a seven year old barrel racer. You know, we all do this in our own way, and that's what we get to showcase on that platform.
Malliron:I love this and I'm like, Ooh, I want to go to trail riding, you know, this is what I want to do. I want to come and explore it. So thinking, yeah. Thank you so much. Just for sharing, like giving it, like lifting the hood or giving us like this, taking us in the barn, taking us in the barn so we can know a little bit more about some of the things that you do, because I think that. We need to know that there are people, there are lots of us out there that are doing it, and you may not have access, but like, if there's an interest, if this, if your interest is sparked by this conversation, then there's an opportunity to engage and to think about that and to make those connections. So I am the community for you. Yeah.
Abriana:You know, that's what people look for. If they, they feel alone, they feel like I'm the only one doing this. They look for that community. And so. That's what I've worked hard to develop, you know, from someone who is actively participating to just someone who's curious, like hear from people who are doing it and what see what's possible for you. So you can know what you want to choose.
Malliron:So can you share the name of your podcast again? And also I'm going to link this and also some additional things in the description as episode, but can you just name that really quickly?
Abriana:It's young black equestrians so every year everywhere, young black of equestrians
Malliron:okay, sounds good. Awesome. In your journey and being an entrepreneur and also navigating this space, are there some baddies that you want to just show some love to in this moment? Give them their flowers for the support along your journey?
Abriana:Yeah. There are two in particular Okay. I feel bad. Only choosing to, but for time sake, I am going to choose two. The first one is my best friend, Kelsey. She has been a sounding board because like you know, being a visionary, I'm sure you understand, it's like, but do you understand how all of these things connect? And she's just like, yes. You know, so she'll, she, she challenges me and although she's not in my industry, she's a special, special education teacher. She understands what entrepreneurship requires and understands the, the commitment level. And so she'll, she'll challenge me in conversation. It really encourages me to think the other one who is in my industry there's do I would say Brittany Chambers, she owns CBC. Therapeutic horseback riding academy in Sacramento, really good friend of mine. She was one of the first people that I was, that was my client. When I first kind of narrowed down my niche and was like, okay, this is what I'm going to do. And I rebuilt her website, built a system for her, for booking her lessons, her lesson program automated her process and it freed up so much time for her. She's just done so much, you know, I'm not taking credit for her work, but she's just done so much since then. And I'm just so proud of her. And then the second one's Erin brown, she runs Philadelphia, urban riding academy and it's a nonprofit and she's amazing. Also she is the concrete cowgirl. Yeah.
Malliron:Yeah. So shout out to all of these baddies who are also cowgirls. They're just, I just love it. I just love it. I'm just getting filled up. And then I see my look how my little cowgirl boots back here, put those up, put on my head. Come on down to chapel you. This, this is really good. So if you think about. Where you were a couple years ago and where you hope to be, where is that place over the next two to three years that you hope that black unicorn creative goes. And then how can the community of baddies and friends help you get there from the time that they hit play on this?
Abriana:Yeah. So in the next two to three years, like I said before, I am looking to be more agency models. So that means I'm outsourcing well, not really outsourcing, but I do want to have like a staff of additional designers because I, even in my niche, in, in the services that I provide, I, I am. Evaluating what it is that I want to do, because I firmly believe that we do not create businesses to do things we don't want to do. We might have to, but at the end of the day, we are working to, to do what we enjoy and what we're good at most. And I know that I am best at strategy and the thought process behind things. And so I'm looking to do that. And the next two to three years. And then with my children's book, Cowgirl Cameron, that is going to be, that's going to involve evolve into more of an edutainment brand. So I kind of want to do a little bit Kind of the opposite of like a Dora the Explorer doc McStuffins, and actually go into the school system first and not be, not be entertainment first, be education first. And so. With that brand there, you know, we're talking about agriculture, we're talking about the importance of the environment and our relationship to animals and to the environment. And so that's going to evolve more into an edutainment brand. So go grab some Cowgirl camera and books and support that. Cowgirl Cameron has actually been supporting herself. Cause I also believe I shouldn't have to pay for everything that I want to do in my life. So somethings should support themselves in Cowgirl cameron is self supported, like she's doing her thing and support in the growth that way. So that's that, and then with the, with the podcast, you know, Looking to continue to develop community around that meeting people in person and you know, getting into events and things like that. So if you know of anyone who is interested in horses, my way there's celebrated a hundred episodes a couple of weeks ago. So there's plenty of plenty of people that they can listen to. Who've done a range of things and then.
Malliron:These are all great goals. So we have agency. You want to grow having agency so you can bring additional folks onto your team. growing Calgary, Cameron. She's doing her own thing, but like edutainment bring that into schools and school systems. So if we have any superintendents have their teachers, that's a really great opportunity to get connected that way.
Abriana:Yeah. And I do readings, I do readings and I have a manager horse who was a character in the book, so I bring him with me. So it's, it's a whole experience. So yeah, especially if you're in North Carolina, you're local and you want to do a Cowgirl Camren and reading and kind of lesson, you know,
Malliron:Look at that, get those connections. If you're not in North Carolina, go to North Carolina is great to visit and then you can pull up and engage on that. And then the final one is the podcast. So congratulations on hitting a hundred episodes. There's also this opportunity to share more stories and connect with people who are interested. So those who are interested, can you share again, your handle on social media and also your web?
Abriana:Yeah. Yeah. So my, I know I've talked about a lot of things, so you can go to Brianna johnson.com to. Find all of them all in one place. And then young, black equestrians.com or young black equestrians on socials cowgirl, cameron.com, Calgon Cameron on socials. And then you can reach me at the Abriana J on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Malliron:Wonderful. And I'm going to include all of this in the description of this episode. And so enclosed. Hi, Abriana, something I like to do is the Baddie benediction. So I'm not asking you to do a prayer for you want to do a prayer. That's fine. But just like, what are the closing words that you have for the Baddie community as we bring this episode to a close?
Abriana:What I have to say is that your vision is, is only yours. There will be people that try to minimize it, try to say you're doing too much. You you're always up to something, you know, and we tend to, or we, as in me internalize these things and. Start to kind of shrink ourselves to say, oh, I don't want to be doing too much. I don't want to, you know, people that think I'm always busy and I'm not going anywhere. Your vision is yours only. No one else will have that vision because it's not theirs to see. And so be okay with, you know, not having all of the answers, but moving into. And making sure that you are pursuing, you know, the passion that is yours and, and not anyone else's.