MMIA Magazine - Million Moms In Action Magazine June/July 2014 | Page 25

connection
catalyst
THE

exclusive
interview

20 ENTREPRENEUR moms YOU’LL LOVE

“There is always something
that you can do right now
to get your dream out of the
clouds and on earth. It may
seem trivial or small to you
but every leap starts with a
tiny step.”

Fila Antwine
Founder & CEO of Strengthening Her Essence
New York, New York
Fila Antwine is a connection catalyst—a person who helps
women reconnect to their inner strength and use it to build
better personal and professional relationships with others.
She speaks on and writes about topics that teach women
how to harness the power of their femininity in areas of
life and love. Fila is a happily married wife and mother of
two children who values her family to the highest degree.
These are her most profound connections.

MMIA: Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
FILA: I’ve always seen life through my own lens and desired to have personal
freedom in my life. Entrepreneurship is one of
the ways that I exert my right to that freedom and get to serve others while
doing so.
MMIA: How long did it take you to go from business idea to actually seeing
income?
FILA: It was nearly a year before I began to see any money coming in and
a bit longer than that before I saw a profit. I had an idea and knew it would
create wealth for me but there were multiple layers of goals, planning, and
preparation that had to be done first.
MMIA: Do you ever regret your decision to become a full-time entrepreneur?
FILA: Never. Even when I have worked for 10-15 hours straight and am in
need of rest, or food, I wouldn’t want to do anything else to earn a living. I get
to do what I have been brought to earth to do and I absolutely love it. It feeds
my soul.
MMIA: How do you balance the roles of mommy and entrepreneur?
FILA: I do my best to devote equal amounts of time and attention to each.
But in life we often have to prioritize. The key is to be honest with yourself
about what needs to take precedence and always keep your family in the loop.
So I talk with my husband and children before, during, and after projects are
completed and let them know they are priorities in my life. But in order to have
the life we all want, there may be sacrifices along the way.
MMIA: What advice can you give to the woman who is reading this right
now and thinking there’s no way she can start a business while running her
household?
FILA: There is always something that you can do right now to get your dream
out of the clouds and on earth. It may seem trivial or small to you but every leap
starts with a tiny step. Turn off the TV and get to work. Use your time wisely
and create opportunities to work on your goals when the kids are asleep, or at
school, or outside playing. Reach out to your network and ask the adults that
you trust for help. If a family member or friend can take them for an hour or
two a week it is a great place to start. A big thing for me, especially in the very
beginning was letting the house go. When I would need to work on my business
but laundry called, or dishes, or vacuuming and I couldn’t work in a messy
environment. I learned that I sometimes had to let the mess stay a little longer
in order to use my free pockets of time efficiently. If you don’t have the money
for a cleaning person, close the door on the mess and get busy. Perhaps one day
you’ll have more than enough for an entire cleaning crew! Just do whatever
you can right now and it will grow from there. I guarantee you will see amazing
results if you make the commitment and do the work.
Fila Antwine
Twitter: @sheisfila
IG: @sheisfila
June 2014 | MMIA Magazine | 25