Badass Bosses: The Bestie Code
MEET RENEÉ, TAVONNA, & EMMA
When we heard about their new book, The Bestie Code, we knew we had to find out more. So, we asked C Renee Mangum, TaVonna Symphony and Emma Sheree to give us a little more insight into their book and the community around it.
TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR STORY?
We are 3 adult women who realized that being independent is great and all, but having a supportive, genuine, girl gang to help motivate you, is so much better! We are Renee, TaVonna and Emma, a trio of besties who loves, motivates and support each other through every endeavor and aspect of life. We decided that many women could benefit from the same relationship that we have thus we started The Bestie Code. The term “bestie” is used so loosely these days but we wanted to clarify what it actually means. We wrote The Bestie Code in hopes of inspiring women to open up and be more supportive of each other, all while pursuing dreams, being wives, mothers and business owners. There is enough room for us all to shine and living by the Code will help many along the journey of understanding this.
C. Reneé Mangum is a Business Development Strategist and digital influencer. She is a voice and advocate for empowering women in business, no matter what industry they want to thrive in. She is the creator and host of the BOSS Brunch, an annual entrepreneur’s networking brunch tour for growing and sharing knowledge with aspiring and established entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of the Strictly Business Planner Book, a tool for entrepreneurs to prioritize and organize their businesses. She, her husband and her son are Detroit natives enjoying the Phoenix sun. When she is not laughing hysterically at her bestie group text thread, she is traveling the world, running her business, spending time with her loved ones, eating chicken sushi with friends (seafood allergy) or taking long random naps on the sofa. She has been a member and leader of her sorority for seven years, fostering sisterhood and service nationwide.
TaVonna Symphony is a cancer survivor, lupus warrior, author, and advocate for women with chronic and invisible illnesses. Her personal journey has been the driving force behind her earnest desire and passion to encourage women to fearlessly navigate life unapologetically. She’s a Life Navigation Specialist helping her audience navigate life around roadblocks. She’s the creator of the “My Chronically Essential Health Organizer” and the founder and facilitator of “The Lupie Mama and Co” support group. Born and raised in St. Louis, she now resides in Mesa, AZ with her husband and two children. When she not planning her besties’ lives or helping chronic illness patients find their way, you can find her in the sky flying to fun destinations, in a bakery buying cookies, or ordering planners online. She has also been a member of her sorority for six years focusing on local philanthropies.
Emma Sheree is a lover of literature and all things creative. She is the founder of Eclectic Stereo, a blog showcasing her thoughts, ideas, and opinions on a variety of music genres. She has worked on many creative projects, including an independent music magazine and now a book empowering women to be better supporters of one another. As a recently divorced mother of three, her life can get pretty busy but she’s all for spending time with her besties. She is a Detroit native but has resided in the desert of Phoenix, AZ, for over 4 years. In her spare time, she writes to perfect her craft, loves on her children and strives to be a great person all around. Learning to love herself one book at a time.
HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS COME ABOUT? WHAT MADE YOU START IT?
The Bestie Code was originally just a book project amongst the three of us. One day (Renee’) decided she was tired of not waking up on an island and so she literally texted (Tavonna) and (Emma) and said we’re going to write a book. Being best friends, we all were on board and thought “well why the heck not?” We later discovered the necessity of having such a platform and decided to make it a full-fledged business. We are all about building healthy, genuine friendships in your adult life. Most women have friends that have been around since adolescence, but the women who do not may feel as though all hope is lost. The Bestie Code was created as a platform to highlight all the things that are possible when women band together.
WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S MISSION OR PURPOSE?
Our mission is to create a culture of empowering women through genuine friendships and a positive space in society to experience united womanhood.
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER BUSINESSES LIKE YOURS?
What sets The Bestie Code apart from other women empowerment businesses is that we want to solve the issue of division among women and lack of genuine long-lasting friendships
With more unity, we could do so much more as women. Such as “Me too” and “Black Girls Rock.” But the bestie code is geared towards all women with a positive motive. Empowering women to take themselves off the back burner and uplift them to their full potential.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF BADASSERY?
Badassery means multifaceted, which is a common trait for women. Women wear many hats, we are often wives, mothers, students, doctors, teachers, secretaries, ect.. add entrepreneurs on top of that and you have one badass woman.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?
Success to us means reaching your goals. It’s not necessarily monetary but whatever goal you set and obtain, then you have some form of success. Example if your goal is to get 50 additional followers on social media and you accomplish that goal, then you have experienced success.
WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE TO OTHER ENTREPRENEURS?
The one piece of advice that we can give to entrepreneurs, is to just do it! There are times when you want to give up but you have to keep in mind that someone somewhere needs what you are offering. Remember that what you have is valuable and that will be the motivation you need to keep moving forward.
IS THERE ANYTHING COMING UP FOR YOUR BUSINESS YOU’D LIKE TO TELL OUR READERS ABOUT?
The Bestie Code is more than just a book, we are a platform for women to have a voice. We will be launching our blog, podcast and event sector for our business. There is so much more that’s in store for the Bestie Code
WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOUR BUSINESS? WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
We plan to take this business as far as we can. More merchandise, more events and possibly another book.
Connect with The Bestie Code at their website and Instagram.
