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2023 Women to Watch: Tiffany Alexander

Alabama Women in Business is very proud of our board member Tiffany Alexander, who was named one of the 2023 Women to Watch.

We are sharing the article about her below:

“What drives you to succeed? I’m always in competition with myself to bring the best version of myself to everything I do.

What challenges have you overcome? I thought starting a business from the ground level would be the most difficult thing I’d face, but it turns out running a business through a pandemic was the most difficult. While everyone was in fear, I had to keep a level head, and manage under unprecedented circumstances and unknown obstacles. We not only survived, but thrived.

What are your goals for the next 10 years? I would like to open another location or two of Alexander & Associates and bring our excellent customer service to Shelby and possibly St. Clair counties. Personally, I also plan to do a bit more traveling. I love being immersed in other cultures.

Do you have any advice for young professionals in the Magic City? Every time you show up, you show others who you are. You begin to identify your professional reputation before you begin your career. Be mindful of the company you keep. Develop a strong network, and protect your professional reputation. The person sitting next to you in English 101 might be your best referral source in 10 years.

How do you balance your home life with your work? My husband and I both own our own businesses, we respect the sacrifices that we occasionally have to make and support each other in every step along the way. I also have a wonderfully amazing group of friends and family that support me and are never more than a text away.

What would you do differently if you could do it all again? I feel like every mistake has taught me so much, and I love where I’ve gotten in my life. I think it’s all part of the journey. So I’d have to say no, I probably wouldn’t do anything differently. We are built and defined by the experiences we have, both good and bad. We learn from our mistakes and strive to grow as humans. Except for that one scam advertiser that got me. If I was going to do anything differently, I would have kept that thousand dollars.

What is the most promising thing happening in Birmingham right now? As a Birmingham metro native, I’ve watched so many things happen around the metro area over the years. I love watching Birmingham redefine itself again and again.

What does Birmingham need to work on to move to the next level? I think the most important thing the Birmingham metro area could do is invest in vocational/skilled work programs for high school students. We need to make it available to all high school students and if possible offer similar training at a low cost to the community as well. There is a need for skilled labor in the workforce across the world. Get young people trained in a career field that is financially sustainable.

What can Birmingham businesses do to make the economy more inclusive for women in the workplace? That’s the million dollar question isn’t it. Anytime you make the workplace more inclusive for families it goes a long way in making it a better place for everyone. I know childcare is a big concern among working women, whether they have children presently or not. Access to affordable child care is paramount.”

Please see the original article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/c/2023-women-to-watch/20144/women-to-watch-tiffany-alexander.html

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Women In Business Profile: Liucija Smaizyte Wright, CFP®

Liucija is an Associate Vice President and Financial Advisor on the SteelCrest Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley.

COMPANY: Morgan Stanley

LOCATION: 3500 Colonnade Parkway, Suite 200, Birmingham, AL 35243

GRADUATION: From the University of Montevallo in 2015 and MBA in 2022

DEGREE: Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and minors in MIS and Pre-Law

PHONE: 205-968-6910 (Office)
205-839-2974 (Text)


EMAIL: Liucija.smaizyte@morganstanley.com

WEBSITE: https://advisor.morganstanley.com/steelcrest-wealth-management-group


A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, she focuses on creating and presenting personalized wealth planning solutions by building long-term relationships with clients to help them achieve their financial goals. She loves people and loves working with clients to help them paint a picture of their financial opportunities and expectations. She first interned with Morgan Stanley in 2014 and returned in 2016 as a Wealth Advisor Associate. She joined the team in August 2018. In 2019, she earned her CFP® designation after successfully completing comprehensive financial planning coursework and having met experience and ethical requirements.

Originally from Lithuania, Liucija came to the United States on a full athletic scholarship to play tennis at the University of Texas at Arlington. She transferred to University of Montevallo in 2013, where she helped the tennis team reach Peach Belt Conference championship for the first time in the school’s history. Liucija graduated magna cum laude, and first in her class, at the University of Montevallo earning Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, and minors in MIS and Pre-Law. While at Montevallo, she earned the Academic Achievement Award, was on the President’s List, a Gold Scholar, and one of twelve students selected as a Montevallo Master two years in a row. In 2022, she earned MBA degree.

When she was 14 years old, she represented the Lithuanian tennis team at the Junior Olympics, and at age 16, she was ranked the number one tennis player in Lithuania. However, having grown up in a family that struggled financially, she had to work very hard to achieve her goals. Thus, she is very passionate about helping her clients to achieve their personal goals and dreams and be financially independent. She focuses on helping clients with financial planning to help them live successful and happier lives by working to increase their comfort level, and helping to preserve things that they treasure in life.

Liucija is on the boards of multiple organizations including Alabama Women in Business, Alabama Economics Club and GirlSpring. She is multilingual, fluent in English, Russian, and Lithuanian. She and her husband, Steven, live in Vestavia Hills with their adopted dog Cooper.


CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S.

CRC5858127 9/23



Women In Business Profile: Marina Caycedo

Marina with her daughter

MYRAINBERRY

FOUNDER: Marina Caycedo
LOCATION: 2104 Rocky Ridge Rd, Birmingham, AL 35216
GRADUATION: In 2020 from Formula Botanica in England
COURSES: International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur Program + Certificate Facial Masque Therapy +
a Diploma in Organic Skincare + a Diploma In Haircare
HERO PRODUCT: Youth Solution
WEBSITE: https://www.myrainberry.com https://formulabotanica.com/graduates/myrainberry/
EMAIL: info@myrainberry.com

BRAND OVERVIEW

MYRAINBERY Youth Solution

MYRAINBERRY Lab and Spa is located in Hoover, Alabama. The owner of MYRAINBERRY, Marina Caycedo, created a one-of-a-kind vegan skincare line to provide a natural and nourishing beauty routine for dedicated and busy mothers. These unique and nourishing products are handmade in small batches at the MYRAINBERRY lab and spa. On site, they offer soothing facials and beauty treatments, and also have the MYRAINBERRY skincare line available for purchase for use at home. Each product is formulated to provide quick and visible results for beautiful and radiant skin. MYRAINBERRY products are created to cater to the needs of women who want optimal results and high-quality skincare.

Marina says that Formula Botanica completely changed her life. With the knowledge she gained from her studies at Formula Botanica, she confidently creates professional, natural, vegan skincare.

Marina is a licensed cosmetologist and also a certified facial massage therapist.

MYRAINBERRY Shampoo Bars

Marina’s Story

My name is Marina and I am from Uzbekistan, a country that is famous for producing organic food and eco-friendly clothing. My journey to the world of beauty started in my early years when my grandmother opened my love for natural Uzbek herbs, plants and flowers from the Chimgan mountains.

My passion for beauty became my profession. I became a licensed cosmetologist in my early 20's. When I moved to the United States from Uzbekistan, I was happy to be able to continue my education in the beauty industry while at the same time growing my family.

I fully dedicated myself to my family and my lifetime passion – cosmetology and beauty treatments. I was living a happy life until one day changed everything. My fourteen-month little girl, my life, my sunshine, started getting sick, and after two days in the hospital, she passed away. It turned our world upside-down. My grief was so deep that I could think about nothing except my loss. In the process of grieving and healing I met mothers like me, and as time passed my desire to help them continue to grow. 

One day, my husband took me to a skincare store and suggested that I make something like this but natural and organic. I couldn't believe that one single person would be able to do it. The same day I joined “Formula Botanica” and continued my natural, organic journey into handcrafting skincare. I learned to be happy with my new life. After I finished the formulation school and reached a point where I could turn my knowledge into practice, I decided to start creating vegan natural skincare products to help mothers with tired and dull skin enhance their beauty.

We all know how memorable our time is when we are taking care of the biggest loves of our lives, but at the same time, maternity, worry, and sleep deprivation can take a heavy toll on our skin. Our goal is to help mothers all over the world get healthier and younger-looking skin while enjoying the gifts of nature in vegan MyRainBerry skincare products.

Marina with her two daughters

Women In Business Profile: Tiffany Alexander

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Tiffany Alexander is a Nationally Certified Counselor who has a passion for helping individuals, couples and families navigate through life’s struggles and specializes in helping those who have been through traumatic or stressful situations. She has been a practicing counselor in the Birmingham Area since 1999 and owned her own private practice since 2011. Tiffany is a Licensed Professional Counselor & Supervisor (LPC-S) and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She is an active member of the American Counseling Association and the Alabama Counseling Association.


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Outside the office, Tiffany loves to spend time on the race track as a High Performance Racer & Driving Instructor. As part of her passion and commitment to the community, Tiffany and her husband, owner of Eurasian Auto Service, will be sponsoring “Porsche Night” at Street Fest in Leeds, Alabama on Thursday, April 4th from 4pm-7pm. They will be bringing a racing Porsche, a vintage 1957 Porsche and MORE! Learn more about the event HERE.

Women in Business Profile: Keyani McNeil

Time flies enjoy it! The months passed, full of transition, my whole world had completely changed. It was for the best and the perfect time to take leaps I'd wanted to take for years. 2015 set my life on a different course. Oh, the juiciness of starting over, up the path towards a new career studying Esthetic(skin).

Keyani McNeil, founder of CHAT Nature's Skin & Hair Co LLC

Keyani McNeil, founder of CHAT Nature's Skin & Hair Co LLC

Walking this new path, sparked an interest in product development. I’d found a “New Love”! Funny, a client mentioned this very thing a few years prior, but I laughed and said, "Yeah right". Crazy as I thought she sounded, now looking back I was already following the path toward this New Love. It started with buying hair products to create a hair maintenance set and then selling them to clients. Next, it elevated to buying products and mixing them to formulate a new product I could use on my clients.

Throughout my career as a cosmetologist, I always concerned with the healthiness of hair. Now a passion for skin and product development had emerged. “At Last My Love Had Come Along!” quoted from a song by Eda James. I decided to run with the notion to develop my own line of skin and hair products.

In 2016, I dove right in. Research, research, research! I was determined to use natural ingredients and I was opposed to creating a collection that only served one demographic, gender, etc. I grew up in California with and served in the Navy to protect a melting pot of different people. And so, my collection would serve everyone. The key, I found was formulating the right ingredients. Can you say fun? From the Ancient Egyptians, to Greece, Asia, Native Americans, Indians, Africans; there were many effective ingredients, right from the earth, that were used for natural and medicinal remedies.

This is how it started. I developed 4 products, tried them on clients and gave out samples. I received good feedback, even had a few consistent customers. Doing everything by yourself and trying to balance a career as a cosmetologist was challenging. Let’s skip the rest and fast forward! The story between 2016 until fall of 2018 will have to wait for another day. For most of 2018, circumstances halted product production. Having a passion that can’t be fulfilled is a crippling feeling. Production had stopped but expanding my knowledge was on the horizon.

Fall of 2018, I started attending UAB to study Business Management and participated in a entrepreneur program called the Student Commercialization Accelerator. The program helped guide students and facility in their quest as entrepreneurs. I was introduced to many wonderful people, one being Cindy Kostelecky, the former President of the Alabama Women in Business (AWIB). We set a meeting, had lunch, and the next thing I knew I was a member of AWIB. This group is filled with amazingly talented women who have been an influence and support in my journey.

The majority of 2018 was a learning stage in entrepreneurship. 2019 was the development stage from creating a new company name, new a logo, labels, packaging, and working with a branding coach. Caroll Atkins of Caroll Creatives, my branding coach, challenged me in so many ways. Her methods were exactly what I needed to guide my branding in the direction it needed to grow. After completing all of this, I took a major leap and had my collection professionally photographed. Gretchen Birdwell of Gretchen B photography had me lost for words. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The photographs in front of me were of the collection I developed.

Now that everything was falling in place, I could finally introduce My Love, CHAT Nature's Skin & Hair Co LLC. “Effective, Informative, Beneficial. A collection for everyone, with a luxurious difference you can trust”. I launched the website (https://chatnshco.square.site/) Christmas 2019 and the launch party is set for February 23rd, 2020. As I look back, it's hard to believe all that I've endured to get to this point. I wouldn't take any of it back and I thank God because the challenges and my support team helped propel me to where I am today.

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Women In Business Profile: Tiffany Alexander

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Tiffany Alexander is a Nationally Certified Counselor who has a passion for helping individuals, couples and families navigate through life’s struggles and specializes in helping those who have been through traumatic or stressful situations. She has been a practicing counselor in the Birmingham Area since 1999 and owned her own private practice since 2011. Tiffany is a Licensed Professional Counselor & Supervisor (LPC-S) and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She is an active member of the American Counseling Association and the Alabama Counseling Association.


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Outside the office, Tiffany loves to spend time on the race track as a High Performance Racer & Driving Instructor. As part of her passion and commitment to the community, Tiffany and her husband, owner of Eurasian Auto Service, will be sponsoring “Porsche Night” at Street Fest in Leeds, Alabama on Thursday, April 4th from 4pm-7pm. They will be bringing a racing Porsche, a vintage 1957 Porsche and MORE! Learn more about the event HERE.

Find a Mentor Today; Don’t Wait

Find a Mentor Today; Don’t Wait

 

Back when I started my career in higher education, I didn’t think about having a mentor, coach, or mastermind. They were not the rage like they are today.

Looking back, I did have those people interspersed in my professional life to guide me with better decision-making, goal setting, and life-balance. They just lacked a title. Probably the most profound influencer for me was the founding board chair of the foundation that I helped launch. It just happened. We started meeting monthly on board related issues because of his position as board chair. Our conversations evolved into his providing me guidance, support, and advice on many leadership and career related matters. He was always available for me and became my sounding board and trusted friend. He was a mentor.

Much has been gained and learned from my mentors as well as coaches and consultants over the years. They asked thoughtful questions, guided me through issues, and offered their unique perspectives. The value added has been tremendous. Here are the first three steps I recommend to finding a mentor.

First, be an advocate for YOU

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Success is continuously refining and improving who we are and how we serve.

Decide now to be your own best advocate, and advocate for yourself. If you are not on a path of growing and expanding, start by intentionally filling your day with activities and people of high frequency. Weed-out people and behaviors that are low frequency. That sounds harsh, but nobody is going to look out after you better than you.

Jim Rohn said, “A lot of people don’t do well simply because they major in minor things.”

Add high frequency activities and people to your life

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

Set a goal over the next several months to add high frequency people to your circle. Keep doing this and notice a difference in your conversations. The more successful you become, the less time you can afford engaging in menial conversations and “eating bad food.”

Invest more in you and your future. “The best investment you can make is in yourself,” says Warren Buffett.

Actively seek out a mentor

If you don’t have a suitable sounding board, find one. First, observe people with attributes you admire and want to emulate. These could be people with whom you now associate, have watched from afar, heard speak, or have been recommended. Consider individuals whose opinions you value and principles align with yours and with whom you have a good rapport.

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Second, connect with that respected person over coffee to seek their opinion about a new endeavor, project, challenge, or dilemma. Don’t wait for it to just happen. Maybe you want to engage with them further. You may form a mentor-type relationship.

As my yoga teacher Martee says, “It is about progress, not perfection.” We progress with the support of others.

Be who you truly want to be, every single day. Each day that you live consistently with your values and ideals, amazing things will start to happen. You will live at a higher frequency. And you will begin to influence others in the same way.

I never saw myself as a mentor or coach. Then it occurred to me one day that I had enough experience and knowledge and a responsibility to help others in their career journey. I watched a colleague do this, and it inspired me. I became more intentional in guiding others and watching for opportunities to mentor. Maybe you are a mentor and already witness the benefits.

Who is guiding you in your professional journey? Are they genuinely interested in seeing you succeed? If so, they should be pressing you to think critically, challenging you in a way that moves you forward, and holding you accountable.

Consider a group of people (a mastermind), several people (mentors) or one person (a coach or sponsor) who can help advance you professionally. This also spills into your personal life.

*Originally published in the Birmingham Business Journal

 

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Nancy Rieves, Ed.D. of NL Rieves Consulting, LLC is an executive coach and consultant to charitable organizations, assisting them to maximize and sustain funding to support their mission. Reach her at nancy@rievesconsulting.com or visit http://www.rievesconsulting.com

Women in Business Profile: Beth Nigri

The path to getting healthy looks different for everyone. So The Fitness Center never treats two of its clients the same way.

Vic Nigri started The Fitness Center in 1994 to provide one-on-one personal training and overall health and nutrition services. At the time, his wife Beth Nigri was a special education teacher with Birmingham City Schools, but she joined her husband’s business in 2003 and provides evaluation and nutrition services for clients along with marketing for the business.

The key to a successful health plan, Beth Nigri said, is setting goals that are reasonable for each person’s abilities and finding out what will motivate them enough to stick with the plan.

“None of us are perfect and we have to realize that, but at the same time we have to learn to make healthier choices,” Beth Nigri said. “Making those healthier choices makes a huge difference in the quality of your life.”

Several of The Fitness Center’s trainers have been part of the team for a long time. That includes manager David Reed assistant manager John Crowder, who have worked at The Fitness Center for 20 years and 17 years, respectively.

Since many of the trainers and clients have been with The Fitness Center for so many years, Beth Nigri said it feels a lot like a family, so clients enjoy being around them and are more likely to stay accountable. Increasing their physical health also helps The Fitness Center
clients handle stress and become more self-confident. Clients know The Fitness Center trainers genuinely care and want what’s best for them.

Web: thefitnesscenter.org
Call: 205-870-1121

Women In Business Profile: Annette Springer, CEO

Annette Springer, CEO

Springer Equipment Company, Inc.

1) What do you love most about owning your own business?

The buck stops here!  Every day there is always something new and decisions to be made.  It is always an easier task to make that decision when you have very dedicated and smart people working to provide the answer to you.

2) What has been the most challenging?

Being a small family-owned business is sometimes challenging when we’re in competition with large corporations that have multiple locations.  That challenge just makes us work harder. Recruiting experienced service technicians is also challenging.  The service industry requires more technical knowledge now than just mechanical requirements.

3) Tell us something no one probably knows about you?

I was fortunate to have both of my grandmothers live to the age of 99.  Both independent and strong women!

4) How has AWIB helped you?

The speakers we have at our AWIB luncheons have been so informative.  If you don’t take something away from the speakers back to your business then you just haven’t been listening!    Although it is a business group we have so much fun and make lifelong friends.