Meet Sonia Emore | Founder of A Time to Create, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonia Emore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

Before starting my business, I worked in education for about 7 years. During that time, I came across so many students that suffered from depression, anxiety, loneliness and even suicidal thoughts. I noticed that it was hard for most students to talk about those feelings, which in most cases lead to self-harm or the harm of others. I had to figure out a way to help them, and that’s when music came to mind. With a background in singing and songwriting, I remembered that music is the universal language that if not all, but most people connect with. Music happens to have a way of bringing out different types of emotions.

I decided to put my heart for helping children and my love for music together, to create a company that uses songwriting and music in a way to help kids express themselves. Expressing your feelings can be difficult at times. I wanted my company to be a safe, fun and creative place where students got a better understanding of their emotions and learned how to express them in a healthy way. I also wanted my company to help parents, therapists and any childcare providers with a resource useful to better assist students with their emotional needs.

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?

In 2017 I founded A Time to Create, LLC. A Time to Create is a company that guides and teaches students in grades 1-8 how to acknowledge, identify and express their feelings and emotions through the beautiful art of songwriting.

One of the amazing things about my company is that it inspires the youth to view their emotions in a positive way and encourages them to freely express themselves, while providing them with a safe place to do so. I’m so proud of the accomplishments made over the years. A Time to Create is a small business, but we’ve helped over 1,000 students learn how to express themselves through my songwriting program.

I’m super excited about my latest addition to the company, The Songwriting App for Kids. This app has been designed to help children nationwide understand and express their feelings and emotions. Kids in schools, hospitals, orphanages and more will benefit from the app. My mission is to help as many kids as possible deal with their feelings and emotions while they’re young, in the hopes that they’ll take these tools with them into their adult lives and pass it on to the generations to come. Could you imagine a world full of mentally, healthy individuals that expressed themselves in a way that’s safe to themselves and others? What an amazing world that would be.

Getting to this stage of my business was not easy, it was actually pretty difficult. When I first started A Time to Create, I was just a girl with this big dream and no money to spare. But I had a heart for helping children, especially my students at the time that were suffering from all types of emotions. I took a leap of faith and created some flyers for an after-school songwriting class. That class sold out, and the money I made from that helped me to pay for all of the business fees and supplies I needed. I spent so many late nights and countless hours building my website and taking the necessary steps needed to form my business.

I learned a few lessons along the way, such as: Asking for help, it’s no way A Time to Create would have made it this far if I didn’t receive the help from friends along the way. Another lesson I learned was to be humble and have a heart/mind that’s willing to learn from others. I worked in education for years, and a lot of the things I’ve learned from my previous jobs have been useful in my business. Lastly, I learned it’s ok to mess up and experience failure, or even rejection. I failed at different business-related tasks which lead to me losing money and opportunities and I’ve experienced rejection over the years. But those experiences helped me to learn from my mistakes and to build a more successful company. It also showed me that life is not perfect, and you shouldn’t take everything personally. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, you just keep moving forward.

I want the world to know that I’m a dreamer full of passion and determination. I have a heart for helping others, especially those that are unable to help themselves. I will be known for the ways I loved and lived my life to the full, with no regrets.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If my best friend was visiting, she’d go back home exhausted from all of the fun we were having. First, we’ll hike up Stone Mountain to catch the beautiful sunrise and look at the different parts of Georgia, then we’ll spend some time reflecting about all the things we’re grateful for.

Next, we’re heading over to Flying Biscuits, to enjoy their delicious breakfast, especially the grits and pancakes.

After that, we’ll head back to my place, take a power nap and change into something cute. Then drive to the Tanger Outlets to shop and buy some new Nikes from the Nike outlet. I love a fresh pair of Nikes!

Next, we’ll head back to the city and go to Marrakesh Mediterranean Kitchen at Ponce City Market for lunch. The food is amazing and reminds me of when I took a trip to Israel a few years ago. Another option would be Mixed Up Burgers in Grant Park, their burgers are amazing.

Then, we’ll take fun pictures around the area before heading to Revolution Donuts. Where we’ll enjoy the Vanilla Bean Vegan Donut. It’s the best donut I’ve ever eaten.

The beltline is pretty close by, so we’ll probably rent some bikes and tour the beltline while stopping frequently to take selfies and make snapchat videos along the way.

Towards the end of the day, we’ll visit the Georgia Planetarium to watch a short film. At the beginning of every film, they show a viewing of what the night’s sky looks like. You’re literally in a huge room surrounded by stars, it’s absolutely breathtaking.

Lastly, we’ll grab two boxes of pizza from Pizza Semplice, their pizza is simply delicious. Then head to my house and binge watch The Great British Baking Show or Sweet Magnolia.

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?

First, I’d like to start off by dedicating my shoutout to God. If it wasn’t for him and the encouragement that he’s given me throughout the years, I’m pretty sure my business wouldn’t have made it this far. I’ve been blessed with so many amazing supporters that pushed and encouraged me along the way.

I wanted to give up on my business multiple times, but one of my dear friends, Santana Terry, encouraged me to keep going and reminded me of why I shouldn’t give up. Santana is an amazing friend, great accountant and exceptional skills for managing money. After starting my business, I asked her to manage my business finances, but I didn’t have the funds to pay her. Santana’s response to my question was “sure, and you don’t have to worry about paying me, when you make money, I know I’ll eventually make it too.” She believed in me and my business so much that she was willing to work for free.

My best friend Tori Logan and her husband Michael Logan, founders of Perfectly Different Designs have also supported me since day 1 of starting my business. I remember emailing them a “not so pretty” drawing of my logo and I asked them to make something nice out of it. Not only did they make something nice, but over the years they’ve created countless designs for A Time to Create. They’ve donated so much of their time, resources and even money to my business. It’s been over 5 years and I have not received a single invoice.

I’m so grateful to have people in my life that believe in me and my company so much, that they’re willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and finances for me and my business success. It brings tears to my eyes, and it warms my heart knowing I have such an amazing support system.

Website: www.atimetocreate.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/at2cme

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-emore-b25b2149

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AT2Cme/