Eboni Green is the founder of Twenty Twenty Visionary, a creative services agency with a technical edge. Green’s company creates digital content, strategies, and experiences that establish a significant, unique media presence across platforms. An expert media consultant, the proud Howard University alumna earned her MFA from Middle Tennessee State University. Read on as she explains the attributes and attitude it takes to win.
What is your favorite affirmation and how has it been a factor in your life?
“Who am I not to be great?” I heard Pastor Vincent Windrow use this line in a sermon while I was in grad school. He then added, “Your dreams are valuable. Your thoughts are valuable. You are valuable.” Those words have resonated with me since that day. They remind me that pursuing anything less than my best life is offensive to me, those who worked alongside me, and those who sacrificed for me to be able to live my life on my own terms. These words serve as a daily reminder that it’s OK for me to stand out and exude the confidence that goes along with greatness.
How has being “fearless” factored into your success?
Any person that tells you they are fearless is lying. We all have fears. Some of us simply choose not to let fear win. Fear, along with doubt, can be crippling. I often look at proposal requests that come across my desk and emails from high profile brands requesting information about my services, and I wonder if I’ll be able to accomplish the task at hand. I get scared. Then I take a deep breath and assure myself that this opportunity presented itself for a reason. I will either learn or succeed, but either way I win. Then I jump in. Success is about facing your fears head on and being determined not to let those fears steal your confidence.
Finish this sentence: Being agile and having the ability to adapt has …
Allowed me to build a successful company. One thing I learned early on was not to pigeonhole myself into only accepting contracts I was capable of executing based on my skills alone. I have an amazing team of partners that allows me to accept a wide range of contracts, from brand building and digital strategy to event audio-visual services. I think as a team, not as an individual. That way, I can be an influencer across industries.
What has been the motivating factor that’s contributed to your success?
I’ve been able to “see” my success for many years. It hasn’t yet materialized, and that’s what keeps me working. I’ve only just begun to actually feel successful. I’m on my way, but I’ve yet to reach my own definition of success. When I’m able to buy families homes in better school districts and pay for life saving surgeries, I’ll consider myself truly successful. Until then, I’ll keep working the vision.
You’re obviously passionate about what you do. Finish this sentence, Without passion …
There would be no success. I am passionate about the way brands and companies present themselves through media. That passion used to make me stay up until well after sunrise learning the skills needed to complete projects. I’m much better at time management and delegation now. However, without passion, I would have simply given up or accepted less than my best. I think every person who is truly successful is passionate about his or her “why.”
How has staying the course been a factor in your personal and professional life?
I started my company in 2010. By 2012, I was homeless. Shortly thereafter, I was getting enough contracts to keep a roof over my head, but not enough to feed myself. Luckily, I was working on a campaign for a fast-food company that distributed coupons for free food. That’s how I fed myself for about a month. Although it was an extremely difficult time, I learned some amazing lessons about business and life overall. I’m actually grateful for those hardships because they made me stronger and contributed to my ability to face my fears. I’m no longer afraid to fail or to fall. I’ve done that already and lived to tell the story.
Tell us about how building and fostering relationships has been a key factor in your success.
One of my colleagues gave me this advice a few years ago: “Do good work. Be good to people.” I truly believe that living by these words has been beneficial in my journey to success. It’s my desire to get where I’m going without having to compromise my integrity or character. My goal is to be blameless. That means I am extremely intentional in my relationships. I try to listen for needs and pain points instead of leading with services and offerings. I serve my colleagues and those I seek to do business with as a connector, fostering relationships that I may never personally benefit from. I do my very best to pay my team what they’re worth and respect them as individuals, which has allowed me to form an exceptional group of professionals capable of flawless execution. By focusing on relationships, I’ve been able to build great rapport with decision makers in several different industries. Having a good name is priceless.
