Meet Tomika Jackson | Media Professional & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Tomika, is there something you believe many others might not?
One piece of conventional advice that I disagree with is that you have to “work harder” to achieve more or see bigger dreams manifest in your life. We live in a generation that pushes the idea that you have to “work harder” or “hustle harder” than the next person in order to rise to the top in your industry but my experience as an entrepreneur and career woman has taught me that that is not necessarily true. While working hard matters, whether you are running your own business, leading a Fortune 500 company or raising a family, there are a whole lot of unsuccessful, unhappy, and poor hard working people in the world. Hard work for them is a constant drudgery in their lives. Yes having a good work ethic is absolutely essential to personal and professional success, but I personally believe that it must be coupled with “working smarter”. When you add the “working smarter” element to the equation it means to have some wisdom working in your life and intelligently utilizing that wisdom to achieve the same results in a more fulfilling way. It’s working with understanding. When I say understanding, I mean looking at the situation, assessing it, and then strategically constructing a plan to achieve more with less stress, in less time, and more efficiently. In application, that may mean delegating more, managing your time better, or even batching your work flow. When I learned how to work smarter at accomplishing the things I wanted to accomplish, I realized that I had so much extra room to enjoy my life while doing it.

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?
The name of my business is “Go Girl Go” and I have a companion tv series “Go Girls Rock”. My business is a Creative Media, Events, and Brand Agency that was created to help “Faith-filled” women complete tasks that will help bring “life” to their businesses, creative projects, and personal brands. My business is a Faith-based business meaning I integrate my faith into my business practices. I encounter a lot of women who have great visions, ideas, and dreams but they have no idea how to “make it happen”. That’s where the word “Go” comes in to play. One of the last instructions that Jesus gave to the disciples was simply “Go”. A “Go Girl” is one who understands her assignment to put action to her Faith, and if she does not know how to do that, that’s where I step in. I help her “make it happen”. I wanted to create a “safe space” for women who have a value system derived from a biblical worldview to incorporate their faith on their journey to seeing their dreams manifest. I wanted them to be able to trust me with their visions and dreams as it relates to helping them build brands and businesses that reflect their faith. In other words, it’s ok to freely talk about God in a “Go Girl” business meeting. Meaning, nobody is being judged when they say “No weapon formed against my business will prosper” or if they want to “pray” about how we should move forward concerning a project. Yes sis! We can pray right now. This is what makes my business stand out. My Faith has played a BIG part in my successes in life and there were many times that people who I worked with didn’t understand why I didn’t want to go in a certain direction with my project or vision because they could not relate to my reasoning. Because of that, I had to do a lot of my work alone to protect the integrity of my brand.

-Experience, good work ethic and building great relationships have played a major role in the success of my business. I worked in the media for over 15 years as a morning show producer and noon reporter. I had the opportunity to produce award winning morning shows that were aired on Fox, NBC, ABC, and CBS networks. As a producer I built many industry relationships and acquired stellar skills that would open so many other opportunities to work on other projects. I ventured out into producing award shows, festivals, day time tv shows, concerts, and a number of other creative projects. This work was more fulfilling to me so I decided to launch my own company because I knew I had what it took in order to do that type of work without being controlled by my superiors. Now I could use my creativity freely and choose the clients that gave me that freedom.

-Stepping out on my own wasn’t easy because I had to do a lot of “free work” to get my business off of the ground. I had to learn how to wisely choose what projects to provide my skills and services for free because I was not making much money when I first started out. I had to choose projects that I could utilize for marketing, promotions and visibility. Those were also opportunities for development. It was great preparation for the type of contracts that I fulfill now. I am reaping the harvest of the seeds that I sowed starting out so the “free work” was worth it for me.

-I’m most excited about my new show “Go Girls Rock. I finally have the chance to produce my own show and own my content. Having my own show has always been a dream of mine and I used to look for opportunities to make that happen for me. Then one day it dawned on me, I could produce my own show and utilize the relationships that I had cultivated over the years to make it happen. So that’s what we did. The show showcases inspiring stories of Faith-filled women rocking it out in their careers, businesses and ministries. It’s a family oriented show that will activate change in the lives of women who are ready to “next level” their lives.

-I want the world to know that if you have a dream in your heart, oft times it is a dream that God has placed there. And if it is God that placed it there He is well able to navigate your paths in such a way that your journey leads you right to its manifestation. That’s what happened to me. I dreamed of being where I am today and though there were times that I wanted to give up, I held on to my Faith and kept going. I followed the voice in me that said just “Go”. Though I had many unsuccessful attempts while journeying, my life as a whole is a success because I’m exactly where I am supposed to be doing what I’ve been created to do, which is changing the lives of women, at this moment in my life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ok, so if my best friend was visiting the area and I wanted to show her the best time ever I would first take her to one of the Beautiful parks or waterfalls in the area. I love the outdoors and just seeing beautiful landscapes and enjoying nature is so fulfilling for me. Roswell Mills in Roswell, Georgia would probably be our first stop and The Atlanta Botanical Garden would be next. We would definitely have to go to dinner at the Oak Steakhouse for a mouthwatering 80z Filet Mignon topped with Foie Gras Butter with a side of Grilled Shrimp. I love seafood so going to Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is a must do as well because they have the best “crab cakes” in Georgia. We’d have to wrap up our week at C& S Seafood for some Fried Lobster Tails. Some of the most fun for me is peaceful fun. Fun that does not include large crowds and noise is my kind of fun. I love to shop so the Buckhead Shops and a few small boutiques in the city would definitely be on our to do list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am a “Girl Mom” and my daughters Akeri and Najai have been my greatest support team throughout my journey. Life has its way of placing some difficult obstacles in front of you on your journey to success and some are harder to overcome than others. What I’ve learned on my journey is that some of the hardest moments that I faced, I faced alone, just me and God. A lot of those moments were too hard for others to remain in my life while I was trying to figure it out, but my babies were “always” there giving me a reason to get through it. And we made it through together.

Website: www.gogirlnow.com

Instagram: @iamjusttomika

Linkedin: Tomika Bailey-Jackson

Facebook: Tomika Jackson

Youtube: GoGirlsRock

Image Credits
Antoinne Duane Jones: Opening Photo in on TV Set Jacoby Visuals: 1 (Black Jacket), 2 (Pink Blazer Standing), 10 (White tank and blue jeans) Antoinne Duane Jones: 3 (Pic with client Chef Bre), 6 (Tank top & Coffee cup), 7 (White Suit & Stairs), 8 (Pic with client A Soothing Moment, 9 (Pink Dress on couch) Ariel View Photos: 4( Blue Flower Suit-Standing) 11 (White Ruffle Top & Jeans)