🦩 Black, Beautiful, and BOLD

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, we are super excited to introduce you to our next guest. 🥁🥁🥁 please....

Celebrating her 15th anniversary this year, Maurisa Potts, founder and CEO of Spotted MP (Marketing + Public Relations), is inspiring other women of color to keep pushing to use their powerful voice and believe they can do it.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of knowing the fierce and magnetic Maurisa, here’s a glimpse into this die-hard Prince fan, crazy sports fanatic, fashionista, and our second FLAMAZING female-preneur interview we are featuring this month.

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🚀 What made you decide to start your own business? I had a female boss who had difficulty working with women. In 2008, during the Great Recession, she let me go while I was on maternity leave. One of my mentors challenged me to start something out on my own. I emailed my network to let them know I was starting to do consulting and within the week, I got my first project. Since then, I’ve focused on creating what I want my business to be and the types of clients that I want to serve and work with. ☀️ What gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning? My mantra, “work before work.” It means taking care of my health house. For me that’s working out and having a quiet and calm space first thing in the morning. This allows me to be in a good headspace and mindspace to deliver great work for my clients and be a great wife and mom to my family. 🏆 What was the most challenging time(s) in your business and how did you overcome it? I’ve been fortunate to have amazing mentors in my career. But my biggest challenge was self doubt. One of my close peers doubted me when I started my business and thought I would fail. My response, “If I was a white male, would you think the same way?” That self doubt put a fire in my belly to prove the doubters wrong. More recently during COVID, there was no playbook for how to deal with the pandemic, particularly from the communications and PR arena. Despite all the challenges, we navigated it together. We got super creative and figured things out. 👭🏾 What advice would you give to a fellow black woman entrepreneur just starting out? Don't keep your ideas secret. Find people you trust to share what you're starting, and ask for their feedback and support. People want to see you succeed; you just need to identify who those people are.

💪🏾 What would you do if you weren't scared?

Two things I’ve dreamed of are: be a sports anchor or broadcaster and learn how to swim. 🤯 What would shock most people to learn about you?

I'm into yacht rock and I can open a beer bottle with my teeth. ✨ What excites you the most about the future?

I want to see more diversity in my field (PR/Communications). It is happening, but we've got a way to go. I am one of a handful of Black-owned PR firms in DC, and I want to see more Black female-preneurs in the communications sector. 💃🏾 What is your superpower?

Other than being a Leo (IYKYK), I would say grit because it is the combination of someone who has endurance, tenacity, and focus. 🎧 📚 What book or podcast are you reading/listening to?

Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller About Maurisa Potts

Maurisa knows how to get spotted. She was recently honored by her alma mater as the 2023 Virginia Tech Influential Black Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year Award. A very prestigious and well-deserved recognition. Read more about her bio here.