Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Barnett.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Social media is a funny thing. It gives us the ability to connect with people in a way that previously was inconceivable. After graduation, I struggled with being back at home away from friends in Houston and trying to create a new social life in Dallas. I would often go out and explore the city by myself. Restaurants were the place that I found myself frequenting the most. The term foodie started being used for those who enjoy the food experience and I considered myself to be a foodie so I started an Instagram page and titled it @brandisfoodiediary. After a while of posting my solo adventures throughout the city, I decided I didn’t want to eat out alone anymore. I made a post with an image that said Dallas Foodies Meet Up. My intention was to just see who would want to meet up and enjoy a meal together. Little did I know, that on that day, I would meet people that would change the trajectory of my page. During that meal, I met people who were official bloggers and PR representatives. They thought I was putting together a media event which was quite funny when the bill came. From the connections I made that day, I started taking my page more seriously as an influencer and a blogger. I love that food is the one thing that can unite all regardless of your background. I also love that food is a way that you can share your love and culture with others. Food is the platform behind a deeper mission to connect people to each other.
Today, I intentionally seek out opportunities to work with brands that my audience can connect with and benefit from. Through Brandi’s Foodie Diary, I connect the community with hidden gems around the DFW area as well as connecting brands with each other so they can form partnerships. I love when people send me messages about a place they love and discovered through my platform. I also love seeing the amazing collaborations that come from the brands that I connect with each other. Recently, I have taken my platform to the next level by forming an organization called The COCOA Initiative. I really have a heart for the underdog and want to see them succeed and that’s just what I will be targeting through The COCOA Initiative which stands for Collectively Our Cash Opens Avenues. My short term goal is to bring awareness and revenue to small businesses owned by women as well as by minorities. My long term goal is to help students, through scholarships and mentoring, who are interested in opening their own businesses. I also want to provide resources to established small businesses.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting to the point where I am now has been an interesting journey. Immediately, you think I’ll automatically get the support of friends and family with this venture, but somehow that is the hardest audience to get on board. People who don’t know you tend to jump on board pretty easily and full force. I think sometimes those closest to us don’t fully realize the work we are putting into our passion or take it for granted, but they realize it over time. With my brand relying heavily on social media it gets hard to keep up with the changing algorithms and trends in the business. Some people pay to quickly grow their audiences or participate in groups that help you to grow. I don’t blame them for doing it. It gives them access to a bigger audience and more tools, but being a full-time teacher in addition to my brand doesn’t allow me the budget or time to put effort into these methods. I have to rely on the relationships I’ve built to speak for themselves.
My advice to other women is to build a quality network. Go to those networking events and step outside of your comfort zone if you are a naturally shy and introverted person like myself. Push yourself to speak to people and truly connect with them. In your network, you need people who you see as being in the position you want to get to in order to mentor you, people who are at the same stage as you that can relate to you and people who are trying to come to the point where you are that you can help to come up. We can do greater things together than we can do alone.
What should we know about Brandi’s Foodie Diary and The COCOA Initiative? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The biggest moment with my brand was a game I created for Black History Month. I created a BINGO style game called BLACK that went viral. The purpose of the game was to introduce the community to black-owned restaurants in Dallas and encourage them to patronize those places. The game was a huge success. I have also created a Black Owned Business guide with my blogger friends The Eats Blog and Texas Megabites. Through that guide, I was able to meet the owners behind those businesses and get to know their stories. The extension of my brand The COCOA Initiative will be organizing a series of events so that those, who are like I was when I first got started, can go out and patronize these businesses with a group of like-minded individuals who are all about supporting great businesses in the community. This will not only include dining experiences but activities such as paint parties as well. My focus is on businesses owned by women and minorities that have quality products/services and quality customer service.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My grandmama has been the biggest inspiration in my life. She has been there for me from day one. The love that she has shown me is unmatched by anyone. She is the person who made sure I was in church every Sunday. The values I still carry with me to this day are the values that I learned from her. She let me get in the kitchen as a child and create whatever I wanted to create which started my love for cooking. She instilled a strong sense of family in me by always taking me to family picnics, reunions and to visit her sisters (my aunts) every chance she got. She is a large reason that I am the person I am today.
My mom is another person who inspired me. Although I’m not biologically hers, the love she’s shown me and the way she has treated me would make a person never know that. The example she set for me as a child is one of a lady who carries herself with respect and dignity. She is a very genuine person and accepted me into her family as her own. She exposed me to so much through frequent trips and experiences growing up like making chocolate at home.
My friends are all very inspirational to me. We call ourselves The Village. We have all had our fair share of ups and downs in life, but somehow we find a plan of action to keep on going and come out better on the other end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brandisdiary.com
- Phone: 469-490-0044
- Email: brandisfoodiediary@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandisfoodiediary/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrandisFoodieDiary/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brandisdiary
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/cocoainitiative/
Image Credit:
Ty Lee Pierce
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