ANSHIA TULLFounder of Briclyn Entertainment + Co-Founder of Project Hygiene

Describe a day in the life of Anshia Tull:

Everyday varies but for the most part I wake up, pray to God for allowing me to see a new day. I drink tea every morning to get my day started. From there I begin on emails for both companies and touching base with my team members. I then move into checking all of my social media sites, conference calls, researching new opportunities and also checking on clients that have active bookings or projects that have been organized or programmed by Briclyn. Everyday I am booking an event or beginning a new deal or pitching a client for a new opportunity and this is constant.

On a Project Hygiene and Briclyn event day, I am usually up early, so I can have a few moments to myself and then I’m in event mode as well as focused. This consists of meeting with my team at the venue for briefing, sound checks with artist, meeting with their management to make sure everything we’ve worked for their artist is settled and together on show day. When the event begins, I look at the crowd to see the expression on their faces and that let’s me know if we’re having a successful show. We produce events to entertain the audience as well as make sure they're having a good time. We close out the night and go home to rest so we can do it all over again. What’s the history behind Briclyn Entertainment and Project Hygiene – what propelled you to start it (how did you come up with the name) – and how does Briclyn Entertainment and Project Hygiene reflect your personal aesthetic?Brice is my father’s middle name and Briclyn is my middle name. That name holds meaning and is special to me, it’s also very unique and no one has it, so I thought I would name it after myself. :)Project Hygiene was originally Operation Hygiene, but my sister and I decided to change the name because most of our events so happened to be project based.I’ve known since the age of eleven that I wanted to be in the entertainment field and one day own a production company. Throughout the years I’ve produced events based around community involvement because I love the arts and live music. I’ve interned and worked with different labels and TV Stations while in undergrad and grad school. In my last year of Graduate School at The New School in NYC I began to manage artists and book shows for artists. Briclyn was birthed out of me helping my peers get shows, get features with press and grow their career. I knew at the time I didn’t want to work at a label, but I wanted to start my own company and grow my own brand. I wanted to be an Entrepreneur.Project Hygiene was started due to an experience my twin sister witnessed with a client, because she’s a Protect & Placement Specialist for the Social Services in Atlanta, GA. She had a client who was being bullied because of their hygiene. She wanted to do more in the community and for underprivileged youth by providing toiletry products. She told me the idea and I loved it, we decided to develop it more and Project Hygiene was born to give a hand to underprivileged teens to promote Health & Wellness and to denounce bullying.Briclyn & Project Hygiene is a reflection of who I am as a person. I live what I do and love what I do. There’s passion in what I am doing and I believe others can see that and that’s the beauty in it all. What were fundamental steps you followed before starting your business?When I started my company I was a Media Studies and Media Management Graduate Student. I was applying what I learned in school to what I wanted to do with Briclyn. I also made sure to go after entertainment internships with companies I wanted to model my company after. I was interested in seeing how some of these companies were structured and I would research them. I read a lot of books on company success, everything you needed to know about the Music Industry as well as Artist Relations and Management Books.The most fundamental steps for me have been studying and researching people, places and things to be honest with you. I would also speak with others that started businesses and at 23 I began my own. From there I would study business principles because I wanted to make sure I was heading in the right direction, especially being a young entrepreneur who didn't go to school for business. I used my network as a fundamental step understanding this would help me in my net worth.What challenges did you face when building Briclyn Entertainment and Project Hygiene from scratch? How did you overcome such challenges?The main challenges have been finances and lack of team. When I first started Briclyn, I was a broke grad student really trying to make it. I started my company alone and I was still new to New York, so I just began to learn more about New York, network as well as partner with others who had similar interests and from there the Briclyn name began to buzz and people started paying attention to my business.I would also say being a young woman at the time and still in my early twenties, I had to prove myself. Many thought I lacked experience, so over the years I’ve had to prove that all my years in school, common sense and working hard made me capable to represent others and get the job done.As for Project Hygiene some challenges have been around us not having our 501 c 3 status as of yet, so people are not comfortable donating funds to our programs. However, we’re in the process of getting that done and we just became an Official Non-Profit and we've pretty much funded toiletry products and our bullying programs ourselves. It’s empowering to see women making moves in the scene like you — how have the women in your life been instrumental in developing your hustle?I believe I am a natural born hustler and some things come to me naturally. However, there’s a core group of women in my life who are extremely supportive. We’re all go-getters, trendsetters and we uplift one another. Many of them are entrepreneurs, so they understand the hustle. What do you think it takes to make it in this business, especially for women?You must understand what this business is all about. You must have common sense, because many are looking at us to fail. You must have a sound mind and be ready for anything, because at any given time something new can be thrown at you. I believe having thick skin is a must as well as being able to work with people. My industry is all about people and no one wants to work with someone with a bad attitude and especially a woman who has a bad attitude. Be sure that you’re able to communicate effectively and hold your own ground. I would even say have a strong support system of women around you, at times that’s pretty hard to find in this industry.Cultural trends constantly change. What do you do to stay relevant, connected, and ahead of the curve?I network constantly and I research new markets. I study books/magazines like Pollstar, Billboard Touring, Nonprofit Operations and send newsletters to my network database via Constant Contact to keep them in the loop with Briclyn Entertainment & Project Hygiene. I stay active on social media to make sure people know we’re present in the online space. I even talk to my clients' fans and see what they like about our clients or what state should they perform in next. The consumer’s opinion is very important to us. I go to a lot of showcases, concerts, networking events as well as involve myself with other community service organizations that give back because there’s many opportunities to build in that area as well. How has social media shaped Briclyn Entertainment and Project Hygiene? What’s your favorite platform? Why?I realize everyday that social media has always worked in my company's favor. People are constantly watching the work we do. At times many of the work inquiries we receive comes from the online space. We’re pretty active on many social media outlets because of the events we produce and the clients we have, so people are always inquiring.My favorite platform right now is Instagram, because it shoots over to our social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Seeing is believing and the photos we post tell about our company's story or talks about our work. I believe our Instagram accounts allow others to experience the work we’ve done even if they’re not in the same place.How do you keep track of personal & business goals, prioritize projects, and stay creative at the same time – even when you’re exhausted?I never thought I would have to rely on my calendar so much, but more and more I can’t work without it, or I may overbook my life. I try to map my life out by writing in my tablets and having a to do list. If I can stay on track with that, then it’s makes my day easier. There’s no right or wrong answer to this, because everyday is different and I am growing two companies at the same time, but I find it easier for me to work in the early morning hours around 2am to 5am. Around that time I am extremely focused when others are sleeping and not distracting me. Lol.I also have team members that help me balance some of the work. Every project I work on is different just like every client, but I try my best to follow up with the stuff that’s time sensitive and work on everything else throughout the day.As long as music is playing while I am working, then my creativity is never lacking. It’s truly like the cure for my exhaustion and get’s me motivated and I keep pushing.What are your must-have tools or apps to run your day-to-day grind? What kind of gadgets would we find on your desk or in your bag?On my desk you’ll find: 4 - 5 writing pads because I scribble in them throughout the day. Several pens, highlighters, external hard drives, thumb drives (USB), printer, books, especially a dictionary as well as tape, envelopes and whiteout. In front of my desk there’s a copy of the United States map and a physical calendar hanging. My computer and the following tabs stay open, Hootesuite, Facebook, Gmail, Youtube and my Google Calendar. You can either find Spotify or Pandora playing when I’m working. Instagram is up and running on my ipad, phone and I love the pic stitch app as well as the fun text app. I am constantly using those two apps to post on my clients, events and sending positive messages through Instagram. In a fast-paced industry where last-minute-anything can happen, what’s your fail-proof, go-to outfit that will last from morning meetings to evening events?My fail-proof go-to outfit is a cute blazer, blouse, black tights or a skirt. You can also find me in knee boots or a cute pair of comfortable pumps. How important are mentors? Who is your mentor?I believe mentors are extremely important and I think we all need them in life, to be a positive outlet and guide us on our path. I never really had a mentor outside of my parents. I’ve watched them both work extremely hard to take care of my siblings and I. My parents have sacrificed day in and day out so we could follow our dreams. To this day my parents continue to be my coaches and mentors on my path to success.Define your idea of success.Success to me is being able to put a smile on other people's faces and knowing my work is making a difference in people’s lives. If my hard work, time and efforts are doing that for others, then it let’s me know that I’m on my way to true success, happiness and building a positive foundation that will then bring wealthy success. What you put out is what you will get back and if my work is having a positive effect on others, so that we all may benefit from it, then I know I've succeeded. What’s your advice for other women entering creative fields or starting their own business?If you feel you’re capable of doing the work and can handle the task then go for it. In the words of Nike “Just Do It” write the vision, have a plan, stay focused and be great at whatever you do. Do not compromise your integrity for anyone. Remember you’re a woman so people will constantly expect for you to work harder and always communicate effectively. Keep your eyes on the prize, because your creative genius was meant to shine.