She's A Boss - Toni P.

The crazy, sexy, cool Toni P. sat down with me for a very candid interview. Born and raised in the Bronx, Toni came from very humble beginnings. It was only the three of them, Toni, her mom, and sister. Until her mom remarried and had another daughter and son. They are a very tight-knit and big family. Along with her soon to be a nine-year-old son (birthday March 28th) Tony Giovanni, it is this family that keeps her grounded. “It’s where I get my heart from.” Her free spirit and high energy aura is so infectious it took me into my first question: why a radio personality? She laughed and answered, “Lori, I have a big personality it’s the only place it will fit. There’s no box it can fit it in, you understand? I love being a host, a radio personality because I can be myself without feeling like I’m being put in someone else’s box. It’s role I can cross and do different things. Also, the opportunity was amazing so I jumped on it!”

A few years ago, as Toni says, the Devil was busy. She found herself homeless, childless, and at rock bottom. After separating from her husband of eight years, and getting into a car accident, she had no money and sought help from the government. I empathized with what next Toni shared with me. Toni was so down and hurt; she attempted suicide and was committed. It was that same loving family, her support system that helped Toni get back up and rise above it all. Toni revealed that before she attempted suicide, she tried all that she could to get her family back including applying for government assistance. “It was hard Lori. The system is set up not help anyone.” She is so right. I have seen the system jerk people around, break up families, and destroy lives. It’s no wonder so many people try to con the system. She prays that she will never ever be there again. She discusses her marriage and why she believes it didn’t work. “He is a great father but I don’t think we were really ready.” Toni describes what usually happens to young people who are starting families. She goes to say that it also depends on your upbringing. She describes the upbringing of most African Americans and Caucasians in our age demographics. She still thinks marriage is beautiful and worth going into if it’s the right partnership. Her advice to others, if you are wondering do you stay and make yourself sick, change the person you are and not for the better, get out. You will be no good to no one. Not your child or yourself. “He is not a bad person. It’s just the situation was not for us.”

Toni P. is all about branding. After getting back up, she went back into music; with hopes of managing artist. But again… she felt that box. She decided that after really looking at the artist side of the business, it was not for her. She didn’t see management as something that would satisfy her either. Still wanting to be connected to the entertainment industry, and experience other sides of it; she started the Brown Entrepreneur Firm a year ago. Where she worked with G Phactz along with several other artists. “I’m a pusher at heart. I like brands and I like start-ups. I enjoy the grind of starting up a business. The sweat and tears. I am a pusher of brands; take yourself, Davi. I would promote your blog, connect you with people you needed to grow your business, and let you know what you need to see your business thrive. Once I started pushing all these different brands I thought this is something I can make into a business. So the Brown Entrepreneur Firm is a branding consultant for companies.” They will show you how to move in your business and stay with you for your start up. Toni knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She didn’t want to work for anyone else. Toni P. wanted something of her own because she has too much creativity in her. “It is hard to be a creative mind under someone else’s thumb. You are itching to get that out. So, when you turn that into a business opportunity, you will go ham you will go hard. Right now, I am working on the business aspect of my firm.”

She is also the co-host of Everyday Lifestylez Radio Show where the Host is Ace Amilli. Created with the endeavor to drive the knowledge and the empowerment of entrepreneurship. “The goal is to reach out to people like yourself and find out what it’s like, what is your grind like for Davi, how do you brand yourself, and we do this through an interview. We want to know what is the next up and coming business, how another brand got through or what entrepreneurs are doing. These interviews help the listeners. We have entrepreneurs and then there are people who want to be entrepreneurs and just don’t know where to start. When you hear someone else’s story, if you can relate to it, if you’re at zero and they are coming from where you are coming from or if you are already at ten - you’re ready to start a business and just don’t how, you can get that knowledge. And we keep it light with jokes. We have live entertainment on as well because believe or not a rapper is an entrepreneur. So are singers and models. Because they’re stepping out on a limb to get themselves out there. They are a walking business. The end goal is to make capital. You’re doing it for the love of your brand - for yourself. Then, when you do it for the love of doing it, the money will come.”

I asked Toni P. what it is like being a Boss. She smiles; “I am not a boss yet! I am getting to the boss level. I’m getting there. My definition of a Boss is someone like Ace Amilli who I host with. Ace got his hands in a lot of brands. As well as his on things (Brooklyn Way a web series and Everyday Lifestylez Radio Show is just a couple of them.). A Boss is someone who can leave their establishment, their foundation that they built, go across seas, go anywhere they want to and that establishment is still running the way it was running when they were here. That is a boss to me, which is Ace Amilli. This was our second show and he wasn’t here. Mind you this was our second show. So that shows you what a boss is. Someone who knows what his team is capable of.

(Photo taken by Everyday Lifestyle Guest Photographer)

You know Toni can hold it down. A Boss can trust who they have on their team and know things are going to good. Another thing an about Ace, once he reaches one level, he scratches that out and he is on to the next. The things that are in preparation is crazy. That’s a boss.” Ace and Toni met on the humble. Toni went to support a friend of hers at an event. She wanted to go to support but was not up for the event. It was meant to be. She was in the right place at the right time. Toni and Ace hit it off. She shared with him her story and what she is trying to accomplish. “He saw my potential.” Two months later they were working together. “He’s my mentor without saying he is. His movements are never regular. He put the battery in my back. He is what I strive to be like. I know female Bosses, like my friend Lashanda DeBerry of Pur Bella Natural Hair Products. She is a beautician who had her own salon since she was 18-years-old.” While she started a clean and holistic lifestyle two years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It is the leading cancer diagnosed among beauticians (because of the chemicals they inhale over the years). She decided to incorporate her new lifestyle in a hair product line. She did beat cancer. She stopped using chemical products in her salon and grows her ingredients in her own garden. Her main line turns kinky hair straight.

Toni now surrounds herself with like-minded people who wants to teach and believes in you; this is the formula. Her encouraging word to others, “don’t give up. You can be right there.” She reflects on a cartoon drawing. Two men digging for this diamond. The man closest to it gave up when he was right there. Just a few more dig and he would have had the diamond. But the man on top who had a longer dig never gave up and eventually got the diamond. So it’s there, you just got to go and get it. She tells others to sit down and really think of what it is you want to do and let it be in you. “You can’t give up. You must stay away from nay-sayers. And don’t be rude about it. Just respectfully let them do what they are doing while you do yours. You will meet them again. Then you can decide if you want to deal with them and how you want to deal with them. Make sure you surround yourself with like-minds. Successful people. Her next thought was an epiphany. I don’t care if you feel like the lowest one in the room (of these successful entrepreneurs). You’re in the room. You’re one step above the rest. Be focus and get yours. Get in the room. Go into the bathroom and talk with yourself. Get it together and then get out there and get it.

Toni is full of life, funny, and filled with wisdom. I told her I just want to bottle some for myself. She told me God made her with too much sauce. I love that. She shared how she wanted to tame herself for a very long time. She thought she was too much for people. Too loud, too witty, too out there until she met her dad. Then she knew she was not alone, not made for all, but made just right.

My next question to Toni P. was what encouraging words do you have for our young people? “Girls we must tighten up. I know everything looks good to be loose. We must tighten up as black women young women. Get your focus on something else. I know hormones are raging and you think you're sexy. Make sure a man is not your focus. Get out of these four walls. Save up your money and you and your girls take a trip to Florida. Same things for our young men. Get off these four corners or where ever it is you live at. That’s all you will see. Then on TV, you think this is what you need to succeed is, being an Instagram model or this. No. Or my boys, oh I’m just going to rap. No, let’s do something else. Even if this is what you really want to do, do it correctly. Oh, how is it I can get my name registered or my music. I can get my music on iTunes, Amazon. Not just How you and your home boys came across a G and now you have 3 or 5 of Hennessey, all outside smoking dope making a music video on your iPhone, no. Take that money and hire a professional, videographer. I want them to open their minds and do something else. Everything that glitters is not goal. Pick something. Talk to someone. Talk to older people. Unbelievably they are not trying to hinder you. If you don’t want to talk to them, there are 25 and younger male and female entrepreneurs out there already. Because it is something that was already instilled in them. I thing I can put out there, get to know some entrepreneurs and business owners so you can see where they came from and see if that is what you want to put your hands on. Because this is not being taught in school. It’s one of the reasons I think a lot of people are not going to college. We are taught to go to school so you can get a good job. Our kids are saying there aren’t too many good jobs out there. Why are we not teaching them to have their own?” Toni’s message of being in the room is broken down as this. Be surrounded by like-minded people, look for mentors, stay focus and don’t give up. Be a sponge. Research the heck out what you want to become.

She shared with me a few stories of other folks that people would look over. This woman was bad on drugs for years. So bad that her children were taken from her. She wanted more and changed her life. Now in her 50’s, she is married to the love of her life and lives very well because she wanted better. The theme for these stories was it still can happen. It is never too late.

Toni P. and I ended the interview on a high note. She is very grateful for her opportunities, her support system, and the lesson she has been through and learned from. What I want you to really get from her story – Toni, to most, would have been counted out of the race. She lost everything at one point. She was so down that she was committed. But she got back up, learned more about herself and her illness and kept right on reaching. She is successful today because of her drive. She really thought about what it was that she wanted to do. How could she help other? Then she educated herself and made sure she aligned herself with the concurring people. Toni P. can’t fit in any cookie cutter box. She is a divergent thinker, innovator, and striving to live out her purpose.

You can catch Toni P. Co-hosting with Host; Ace Amilli on Everyday Lifestylez on DTF Radio (DTFRadio.com), Sunday’s at 8 PM, USTREAM, Tune In and follow them on IG and Facebook, Everydaylifestylez, and twitter EDLSZRadioShow. Entrepreneurs, start-ups, and expanding business reach out to The Brown Entrepreneur Firm for consulting on branding your business.