Today we’d like to introduce you to Shasha Mason.
Shasha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my blog 2014 towards the end of my time in college. During a social media class, I was tasked with the assignment of creating a blog. Initially, I thought the assignment was lame and I didn’t think I’d get anything out of it. I felt like that the market was already saturated with bloggers and there was no need to jump on the bandwagon. After my second blog post, I realized that I enjoyed blogging. I loved being able to express myself on my blog and it was a great creative outlet.
A few months went by and although I kept the blog live, I didn’t do anything with it. I was working full-time and finishing my degree as a full-time online student and didn’t have any time for blogging. As I crept closer towards graduation, I knew I needed to rebrand my blog as a way to showcase my portfolio and attract potential employers. In November 2015, I switched platforms and Busy Being Shasha was re-birthed. I moved to Dallas in 2011 and was always amazed at the number of fun activities and restaurants in the city. I was always surprised when I’d have conversations with Texas natives who would have never been to restaurants I’d visited or other cities I’d traveled to. I created Busy Being Shasha as a platform to motivate and inspire my readers to get out and explore. Travel will always be my first love and it doesn’t always have to be exotic or expensive to be enjoyable. There are great things you can do right in your backyard and I wanted my blog to help people to see this for themselves.
During my first year of blogging, I made an effort to get out and network. I started attending workshops and events to network and to understand the basics of blogging. There’s no blogging guidebook, or one shoe fits all approach, which means you really have to take initiative to succeed. I joined tons of online groups and continuously focused on being authentic and transparent with my readers and social media followers. Although my blog initially started as a hobby, I quickly realized that it could become a profitable business with some extra effort.
In 2015, I met Ginger Harper at a DFW Bloggers and we soon became friends. I had always been a fan of her blog and her unique ability to collaborate with brands. We instantly connected over our love of food and east coast camaraderie. After ending many workshops at the beginning of my blogging career I knew that I wanted to create a community where content creators could come together to network, learn, share strategies, and how to monetize their blogs. In 2017, Ginger and I co-founded Comp Camp and the journey has been amazing so far.
During my first year of blogging, I made it a point to attend workshops, network, and to immerse myself in the blogging world. The beauty of b
Has it been a smooth road?
This definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. There have been moments when I’ve felt like shutting my blog down, due to the time commitment that it takes. Although many people know Shasha, they don’t know Shatia. There have been moments when I want to be Shatia, go home, and spend time with my family and friends, but I have to be Shasha. As a content creator, I have a responsibility to go to events and fulfill my obligations with brands and it can definitely take a huge toll on your personal life if you aren’t balanced.
I’ve learned that I’ll never find a perfect balance and it’s taken me some time to accept that. I’d tell any woman that’s starting to be aware of that and take time away when you need it. There’s always going to be something that you can do to better build your brand, but you have to learn to say no when needed. Every email doesn’t require an immediate response, every task might not need to be completed immediately. Self-care and prioritization are extremely important. Be sure to make time for yourself when needed and don’t feel bad about doing so. I’ve experienced burn out in the past because I didn’t take a break or say no when I should’ve.
Unfortunately, like most areas blogging can be very competitive. It’s so important to always know your worth and understand your why. It’s so important to surround yourself with positive people, that you can trust, in addition to making moves in silence. A good chess player never explains what their next move is before they make it. The same should be done when it comes to blogging. Whether you realize it or not, people are always looking at you and waiting for your next move
I’d tell any woman to always remind yourself of the reason you started, especially when you’re first getting started. There have been times when I’ve felt like giving up due to the time commitment and the sacrifice it takes to build a brand.
We’d love to hear more about Busy Being Shasha.
I’d say that the thing that sets me apart is my transparency. I don’t have a perfect Instagram feed or blog, and that’s because I’m not perfect! It’s so important for me to make sure that my followers understand that I’m just like them. I’m a wife, I work full-time, I have dreams, goals, and challenges just like anyone else. I feel like my authenticity really allows my squad to relate to me.
The relationships that I’ve made from blogging have really changed my life. I’ve been able to connect with so many women that I’ve been able to learn and gain encouragement from. I love that Comp Camp has allowed me to empower other content creators and I love when they email me with success stories or the impact that attending an event had on them.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I’ve always thought that the future is female, thus, the sign in my office that’s a constant reminder. As long as we, women, continue to uplift, collaborate, and empower each other we can continue to remove barriers that are associated with an old school or good ole boys way of thinking.
We have to continue to push forward and instead of knocking on doors and waiting for opportunities we must create them ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.busybeingshasha.com
- Email: contact@busybeingshasha.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/busybeingshasha
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/busybeingshasha
- Twitter: twitter.com/busybeingshasha
Image Credit:
@sweetmemoryphotography, @capturedbytosha
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