A Good Problem to Have

LaToya Smith behind a video camera

LaToya M. Smith of Brass City Media was freelancing for a Fortune 500 company when the company asked her to sign a three-year contract to do all of their media production. Though she had worked for years in the industry, she didn't know how to handle a big contract with such a large company.

LaToya met with Joel Weidman, an NYCSCORE mentor who told her that a three-year contract with a Fortune 500 company was a good problem to have. LaToya met with Weidman for an hour and left feeling more confident. Weidman gave her some tasks: Incorporate as a C-Corp with an S-Corp election; purchase a domain name; set up business email accounts; get a Google voice phone number. These steps helped LaToya break the overwhelming task of a three-year contract into doable jobs.

Now LaToya works with many clients and hires 20 contractors to help her produce quality videos. She coaches small business owners on improving their brand and works with them to make a greater impact on social media. She is also working with the LaGuardia Community College Small Business Development Center to reach new markets and reach her ideal customer. She is an M/WBE and WOSB.

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