We had the good fortune of connecting with Chairidee Smith, Ms. Mogul® and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Chairidee, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
That’s a great question and I can tell you, most people would expect the usual answers. Statements containing strategies for success, mentoring programs, conversations with industry leaders, are true but not complete.
The most important factor behind my success is purpose. Why purpose? Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. I know why my businesses and non-profits exist. I know why my brand exists. The Ms. Mogul® exists to give leverage to families and businesses wanted to make a social and relevant impact, while freeing them economically and financially.
Land investing, real estate investing, development … all of it exists to show people, particularly women another way of defining success and achievement. We exist to show you how you #CreateYourOwnEconomy®, regaining your time and energy to make truly mogul moves® in the world.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My story of real estate investing and development started out of desperation quite frankly. My marriage at the time was crumbling like a glass building in a category 9 earthquake on the Richter scale. I built a global boutique consulting firm where I advocated for and created paths for women-owned US businesses to develop their products and services in emerging global markets. The opportunity to witness the growth of my clients’ brands and to see them develop into world-class business leaders fed my purpose and personal mission in life. I later closed that company, finalized the divorce, and was looking for my purpose again.
Also during this time, the US was experiencing an economic downturn, particularly in the housing sector.
It was during this time that I was watching Disney’s The Lion King®. Some may remember when Rafiki, the sage baboon leads Simba to the water and he has an encounter with King Mufasa. Mufasa reminds his son in a powerful moment of reflection and says to him, “You are more than what you have become.” I heard those words and they resonated with me deeply.
As unconventional as that may sound, broken from the loss of my company and marriage, that movie sparked a fire in me to make a difference, to be an economic solution for those around me and specifically for my family. It made me get up with the fire in my soul to meet the challenges ahead of creating a new family norm, financial norm, and social norm. The tasks ahead were huge, but I was finally ready!
Land and real estate have always been important to me and are nods to my past. So when life became chaotic, I turned to what I knew, working with land and helping people.
I went to work buying, managing, and holding land and well as single-family rentals and eventually launched MoguLife Real Estate ®. We are a residential real estate investment firm, showing today’s leaders how to “create your own economy℠” in real estate. This of course led to me opening MoguL-U Real Estate Academy, training entrepreneurs in the strategies of real estate investing and business leadership.
Over the years, we’ve traversed various economic US cycles, now a pandemic, and more uncertainty. But in the midst of it all, we’ve maintained our growth trajectory, integrity with our clients, faith in Yah and ourselves. In 2021, I was invited at the request of a king and his chieftaincy to travel to Ghana for an economic development mission. The purpose of the coalition is to provide development opportunities for business leaders in the African Diaspora to build sustainable businesses and opportunities in the country. It’s exciting. MoguLife Real Estate is now a globally functioning company.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
That’s easy. For private dining, we’d visit Fogo de Chao and La Griglia. For casual dining and my plant-based friends, we’d visit Green Seed Vegan.
For coffee and brunch, it has been a long to be Tout Suite, Catalina Coffee, and Day 6 Coffee. Yum!
We’re not drinkers but Pur Noire is a classy space for friends who want an atmosphere with laid-back sophistication.
Because I am such a fan of the arts, we’d lease our the Houston Museum for African American Culture and invite more friends. We’d definitely catch shows at The Ensemble Theater and TUTS, finishing with tours of the museum district.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shout-out to business icon and wealth strategist Dr. Dennis Kimbro, author of Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice. He has inspired me through his writings throughout my career.
I want to thank the leaders of MoguLife Real Estate® who I get the honor to lead daily, the courageous moms of Mommies Creating Economies®, and the Lioness® businesswomen I have the honor of mentoring in the ROAR! Women’s Network® was founded in the US, Ghana, and Latin America. They all inspire me to elevate my contributions to humanity in lasting and meaningful ways.
I want to also shout out to my mother Dr. Smith who has supported me in business and to my daughter who inspires me with her curious genius and my son, who inspires me with his unshakeable commitment to go his own way and discover his path in the world.
Website: www.youcancreateyourowneconomy.com
Instagram: ms._mogul®
Linkedin: Chairidee “Ms. Mogul®” Smith
Twitter: Global_Ms_Mogul®
Facebook: Chairidee Smith, Ms. Mogul®
Youtube: MoguLifeTV®
Other: You can get a copy of my book, The Roar Of A Woman: My Journey From Silence to the Power Within on Amazon or email our team at roaryourlife@gmail.com for a signed hard copy. The Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/Roar-Woman-Journey-Silence-Within/dp/0988940221.