Destiny Dingle is empowering women of color entrepreneurs through Vital Virtual Services

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business

I started Vital Virtual Services as a means to support women like me, a baby business owner trying to learn the ins and outs of the entrepreneurial world and how to navigate it. I spent my first year making so many preventable mistakes simply because I didn't have the knowledge or resources to acquire the right knowledge on how to properly start my business. I want to be able to impact my community by educating women of color on sustainable online businesses and support their journeys in finding their own versions of success.

Who are your customers?

Women of color (African American, Caribbean, Asian American, Latina, etc.) entrepreneurs with online service-based small businesses who are either solopreneurs or have small teams.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I was in corporate for 2 years and some change at a podcast company and was on their operations team. Prior to that, I was in school full time and obtained a Master's in Business Management and Leadership. With that being said, that one corporate position was my only one but I worked part time in plenty of positions before that throughout college. Those experiences were enough to see the corruption within the corporate world.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I wanted to be an entrepreneur since college. I started the "idea" a body care business with a friend of mine but it didn't take off due to personal reasons. Like a lot of other people I didn't want to live the draining and never ending cycle the 9-5 puts people in but I also knew I could do more than what I was doing and I could make a bigger impact on people I actually wanted to impact and not ones I was forced to work with. I could do the actual work I wanted to, the way I wanted to and how I wanted to, all while having something that was truly mine. I stumbled across the VA industry and took everything from there.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I knew I wanted to own a business for a few years now but it was not always the dream. The original dream was to be a veterinarian haha.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

I barely had a marketing strategy. I knew I wanted to leverage social media because I knew it could grant me a lot of visibility and we're in a world where everyone is on social media so it made the most sense. Plus, I used to do social media management as a side gig in college so I knew a little bit about it. It did not go as planned. I chose to focus on Instagram first and quickly realized it was the wrong move but I actually hated it.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

The biggest challenges for me have been marketing, client boundaries and having too many services. I did these things the wrong way at first by focusing on JUST social media posting with a weak strategy, offering everything under the sun and letting clients push me around. I learned to dial in on what I knew best and to just be me, no matter what. Me being myself made marketing more enjoyable and helped improved personal branding.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

While I wasn't in business for long, several months in I realized what I built wasn't sustainable or enjoyable. I listened to all the VA gurus out there who told the public their way was the best way, and I quickly found out that isn't true. So, I decided on a rebrand where I changed everything based on me and what I wanted such as new niche, new target clients, new attitude. Now, I'm more confident in my business than I was before and have a better mindset.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

Besides the rebrand, none yet. I'm working hard to build it everyday so I know they will soon come.

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

I have so many ideas! In the next few years I want to offer consulting and fractional COO services, build digital products and start a networking community!

What is your top productivity tip? 

To STOP working when you don't want to. This is often overlooked because women think it reflects them to be lazy or not hard working enough and that could not be further from the truth (I would know, I still struggle with this). I believe in not doing what you don't want to. If you know you need to get social media done but when you are sitting in front of your laptop and you're spacing out, getting distracted or if you're like me falling asleep. That is your body's way of trying to communicate with you. You produce the best results when you're in a good head space, not a stressed one.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

Is it tacky to say the same thing above? Because it's true! When you're not feeling it, stop working. Try again in a few hours or the next day. Nothing will come crumbling down if you wait a bit.

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

One of the most exciting things about starting my business was to bring my work with me. That way, I could travel where I wanted, when I wanted and for how ever long I wanted. That's what I still do now and I love it. So, my approach is to bring work with me when I'm living life. Work a few hours one day, then enjoy the rest of the day how I want. That's my idea of balance and it works for me.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

What is your passion for wanting to apply to this role? This question is most important because I feel when it comes to building a team for your business you need to make sure you have the right people with the right ambitions and motivations for working there. So many people could apply for that role and so many people can do that role efficiently, but your employees are only going to go as hard for your baby (your business) as you if they care about it as much as you do. Take the time to learn that person's character before you focus on their skillset.

What's the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

ChatGPT and TikTok. I'm asking chatgpt business questions all day and every day because I always have the mindset to learn something new that is going to help propel me towards my goals. TikTok, honestly, for the dame reason. It's a social media platform I enjoy for my own non-business related entertainment but don't underestimate the value you can find on there.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

Automations! I love automations and swear by them. They can be intimidating at first and I understand but once you take the time to sit down and learn how to do them, they change your business forever.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Don't give up. That sounds cliche, I know, but it is the biggest truth I have ever heard. If you implement a strategy, keep going at it and keep your faith alive, success will always find you.

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today

‍