Hey there, I'm Fayola! Let me start by saying that my most important roles in life are being a wife and a mother to my two incredible kids, Totiana and Oamrie. Motherhood is truly the heartbeat of my existence, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Now, onto another exciting aspect of my life—I am also the proud CEO and Founder of Creative Motion Events. Balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with the joys and challenges of family life is a constant juggling act, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I’ve found that I have exactly what it takes to be amazing at what I do. In a sentence: I have an eye for perfection and a heart for designing. But let me tell you, to be here today, focusing my full professional efforts on running my own business doing what I love, has been a journey.
So grab a chair, put a marshmallow on that stick, and enjoy the warm fire as I tell the story…
Like I mentioned, it has been a true journey into entrepreneurship for me. And this story is very personal and important to me. It has shaped who I am, why I do the things I do, and laid the foundation for my excellence.
Working in the financial industry for fourteen long years has been no easy feat. As a client associate at a stock brokerage firm, I encountered numerous challenges that pushed me to my limits. While I did forge a handfull of lasting relationships, the work environment itself was incredibly challenging. Throughout those fourteen years, I faced obstacles that I never anticipated. However, it was through these trials that I grew and developed into the person I am today. I now have a unique story to share, one that I hope will inspire others facing similar circumstances. Looking back, it’s absolutely crazy I even lasted that long before realizing I couldn’t take it anymore. That I wanted… no needed… more for myself. Working for brokers, and others, who brought out the worst in me, who made me feel like I wasn’t enough. I knew I had so much more potential, and what's more, I was ready to reach it.
During 2020 I was able to work from home, as many of us did during the pandemic. Having the time to govern myself more freely, spend more time with my family, and have space from the corporate pressures I had been experiencing at that time, made me realize how much I hated my situation working at a stock brokerage firm. It was then that I knew something had to give.
So I tried something new and requested a transfer to a high paying position where I thought I would finally be able to excel. To my chagrin, what I actually encountered in the new location was way worse than what I could have ever imagined.
During my first day in this new role I was told by the broker I was working for, “We don’t do ‘Black Lives Matter’ here”. Wait… what?! Why did he even find it necessary to say that? Being a black woman in a predominantly white-male industry was already hard, let alone during that time of injustice in the world, it was literally one of the greatest challenges I faced working in the corporate world.
I knew within that I did not deserve that, but I accepted it because I was excited to be out of a cubicle and into my own office space. Turns out adding a little square footage and thin walls wasn’t enough to fix issues that ran much deeper. The excitement of my own office quickly faded, and I remember sitting in my own office, next to the office of the aforementioned broker, and hearing through the paper thin walls him say some very unpleasant things about me, and how I was doing, only a few weeks after I had begun to learn a new method of madness at a [far too] rapid of a pace.
I realized that doing my best to live up to his expectations, while trying to catch up on work that was left behind from his previous assistant, was simply impossible. No matter how late I stayed, how often I didn’t go home to the family I desperately wanted to be with, no matter how hard I worked, or how much I tried to communicate with him, there was nothing I could do to make him happy.
The broker decided he needed to try someone new. He hired a new assistant to take my role, and take my office. Yup, that’s right - in fact he didn’t even tell me - I learned through another associate that I was headed back to my sad cubicle.
This had gone on too long. I was made to believe that I wasn’t enough and that I was not capable. So I told myself what I wish I had earlier, this wasn’t for me and it was time to leave. I now know that what I experienced at the brokerage firm was preparing me for bigger things that were combining…
In 2021, one year after I had tried something new in the corporate world by getting a transfer, I finally did what I had dreamed of doing, I left my job of fourteen years to focus on building my own business - and I was going to do it full time.
Yes, that was scary, I took a big leap when I made that decision. I am so grateful for the support I had from my family and friends that gave me the confidence and encouragement to push forward.
The idea of starting a business (which would become Creative Motion Events), began after I designed my own wedding in 2011, that was the moment a fire was lit and my passion for designing was discovered.
I had formally established my business in 2017 and was designing and coordinating events such as weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, etc. on the side during the time I was working full-time at the brokerage firm. I later added event rentals to my business and became a full service offering with event design, planning, and rentals.
After I had quit my corporate job I had the time and energy to expand further and create something I had always dreamed of having; my own event space!
Now I can honestly say I am the happiest I have ever been in my work, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am still working on healing from what I experienced at the brokerage firm, but I'm so proud of my journey and I hope that I can encourage you to never settle, follow your dreams, and tell your story too.
It would mean the world to me if you want to share in the comments below what touched you about this story. Or share your own experience that has led to your happiness as my journey has done for me.
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