Meet Tiffany Smith | Founder

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

Hi Tiffany, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Starting a business and building a brand is never easy. My parents would always tell me anything worth having is never easy. Let me tell you, they were right because it took me five years to develop Secret Doors. You would think after two years I would’ve thrown in the towel and just focus on my 9 to 5 job. I knew giving up was never an option. When a vision is planted inside you, that’s all the motivation you need. Business owners rarely tell the struggles before the success stories. I went through numerous developers trying to be cheap and none could deliver my project. My passion was in technology and owning my company to build generational wealth. Once you figure out your passion that should always be your motivation to keep going towards your goal. If I could tell any aspiring business owner anything, it would be to never give up. Make wise sound decisions and use data to help as well. Create a business plan to help you stay aligned with your goals. Surrounding yourself with positive people is always helpful. My team consists of my family and boyfriend. Once I stopped trying to do everything myself and got a team, things started turning around in the right direction. It’s okay to ask for help. Never let your pride or your inner strength prevent you from asking for help. The University of Georgia – Small Business Development Program Center offers free mentorship and classes to help new business owners. They are in partnership with the SBA. Lastly, make a vision board and keep going until you crush every goal off your board. No matter your age, never stop pursuing any passion that’s planted inside of you. In the end, every path you took will be well worth never giving up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Secret Doors is an alternative lifestyle website for people to connect with other like-minded people regardless of their sexual orientation. The site was built around the logic of women and what is missing from other sites to make it enjoyable for all women.

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?
Apache Cafe’ is a great spot to hang out with friends when visiting Atlanta. Apache is my favorite spot to unwind and listen to live bands from jazz to world music, open mic nights with a glass of wine to start the fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my team. A special thank you to John Woodruff, Terrance Smith, Carolyn Smith, Ronnie Smith, and Lekeisha Price. The love and support from my two kids who pushed me along the way. Lastly, the loving calls and motivation from my cousin, Marquita Layfield. Each and everyone one of you played a special role in making sure I never gave up on my dream. Thank you!

Website: www.behindsecretdoors.com
Instagram: behindsecretdoors
Twitter: SecretDoors1_
Youtube: Secret Doors

Image Credits
Terrance Smith-All images