Char Lawrence: Slow down and love the ones you love

Char Lawrence, founder of the Mogul Minded Group and N9ne cosmetics spoke to us about how her incredibly popular magazine, The Mogul Minded Magazine, was born from her frustrations about not being able to get positive stories from the BAME community into the mainstream media. 

She discusses how all her businesses began organically to address the needs that she had, from the hair care products created from her own natural hair journey, which was triggered by a comment from her daughter; to the events business that was set up due to the inaccessibility of other networking events. 

The conversation included:

• How she has managed through 2020, reflecting on her growth and her frustrations 
• How she is telling positive stories focused on people in the BAME community
• How faith doesn't have to mean the same as following a specific religion, but how having faith has helped her on her journey
• Positive mindset 
• Being a do-er and how this helps her to keep pushing forward.

Find the Mogul Minded Mag and N9ne cosmetics:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mogulmindeduk  @n9necosmetics

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mogulmaguk/?hl=en    https://www.instagram.com/n9necosmetics/?hl=en

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skrillaugq/  (Charmaine Lawrence)

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/MogulMagazine/    https://www.facebook.com/N9NECosmetics/

Website: www.mogulmagazine.co.uk     www.n9necosmetics.com

About The MindStyling Podcast
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Host Amy Armstrong:

Website: https://amyarmstrongcoaching.com
Instagram:  www.instagram.com/amyarmstrongcoaching

Host: Dr Becky Sage
Instagram:  www.instagram.com/drbeckysage
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/becky_sage
Website:  www.beckysage.com 

Transcript

The first half of this transcript is just the answers from our guest, Char Lawrence. The second half also includes comments and questions from our hosts Dr Becky Sage and Amy Armstrong.


Char Lawrence
Thank you for having me ladies.

Char Lawrence 1:38  
I would say that, you know the introduction was perfect I wouldn't want to change a thing. It's difficult when it's time to introduce yourself Do you know i mean because you? Well I tend to kind of just say, Well, I'm just you know me I just love doing what I do and I honestly couldn't see myself doing anything else. So it was perfect. I wouldn't change a thing in the introduction.

Char Lawrence  2:21  
Yeah.

Char Lawrence  2:33  
Yeah, no, it really is. You know, I do believe in just creating a worthwhile platform that people can utilise and be proud of and you know, I just like shining a light where I believe it needs to be shined.

Char Lawrence  3:10  
Back in 2014 I went on a bit of a life journey where I went on a natural hair journey you know, growing up in the black community is very easy to always be manipulated in our hair and do stuff to our hair. And my daughter used to say, “Mom, Can I have my hair like yours?” I used to always be telling her Angel your hair’s beautiful just the way it is you don't need to change your hair and I thought right Char, you know better you know telling your daughter one thing and then doing another is giving her mixed signals you really need to show her Her hair is beautiful by really, you know, keeping your natural hair the way it naturally is. 

So my daughter inspired me to go on my natural hair journey and I learned so much about my hair and on my natural hair journey I was looking at the products I was using and pay more attention to the products I was using on my skin and basically if you cannot eat it You shouldn't put on your skin shouldn't put in your hair because your skin is your body's biggest organ. So I was introduced to shea butter natural coconut oils and olive oils and all these different jojoba oils and stuff like that. 

And I started creating my own mixtures in my kitchen and I started using on my door and she used to have a bit of eczema at the time. And when I was using my mixtures I would make on her it got rid of her z muscles like okay, that's really dope for years all of our all of our life we've been trying to get rid of you know example using different creams prescribed by the doctors and stuff like that and it never really seemed to just get rid of it used to heal it for a little while and then it would come back. 

So I realised it got rid of her exzcema by just using natural products. And then I started giving out little pots to family and friends and stuff like that and they really liked and I thought right Char, why didn't you turn this into a business. 

So I decided to create my own natural skincare line, which was, um, which consisted of body bars, lip balms, lotion bars and stuff like that. But in 2014, I really didn't know what to do in terms of how do you start a skincare line? Who do you speak to? And I was thinking, I would like to meet a group of successful business women across Bristol, you know, who can help me out, I was looking online for networking events. And most of the networking events were 250, a year, 500 quid a year in terms of the membership costs, and I just didn't have that money. And at the same time, in 2014, I knew of at least 10 of black females from samples or starting their own businesses. And I thought, why don't I put on a networking event of my own, where I can get all these ladies to come. And then we can network amongst ourselves, if I'm selling creams, she does fitness classes, she does hair, she does food, she makes clothes, we must can generate some business amongst ourselves. So that made me think of my first event called the Queen's power lunch. My first event, I had about 50/60 women that are between the ages of 18 to about 67, some starting their own businesses, some with their own business and some thinking trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. And it was a brilliant event. And the women started demanding I put on more like when I seen the need for the event, I was like, wow, I definitely need to keep this going. So then I decided to focus on the networking events and put my skincare dreams on the back burner, you know, because it was just like a door just opened and I didn't realise that this was really needed. So at my events as well, I would always have men turning up at the door with their money wanting to pay to get in and I always say to people, I didn't know if they were there for the women or there for the networking. 


Char Lawrence  6:56  
I did think okay, Char men need to network as well. So I created another event called the mogul minded networking banquet, which men were able to attend as well. So I started doing networking events. And in 2016 by 2016, I realised I built quite a network of entrepreneurs that I was in regular contact with through my networking events. 

And I thought there's nothing that celebrates us in Bristol, you know, there's no award ceremony where, you know, it's for BAME businesses or BAME creatives and stuff like that. And although there was the MTM awards, which I think is a brilliant award ceremony, I felt like there wasn't something that crossed over to the rayshawn resolve entrepreneurs that I was coming across. So I decided to create the MMG regional awards, which I wanted it to be an event that brought the whole Southwest together. So you know, there's lots of them, people from diverse communities all across the Southwest doing great work, I want to create an event that cater to a soul. So that was how the MMG regional was was born. And then that became really, really popular on our first year, we have probably 17,000 votes from across the Southwest. On our second year, we had about 50,000 60,000 votes, and it just kept growing and growing and growing. 

And so the MMG was is is just a brilliant success, we would have been doing one this year. But as you know, COVID happened and it made everyone's you know, plans we put on hold. 

So while I was doing the MMG awards, I kept invite in the media to come along like you know, inviting all the different media outlets from across Bristol to come and, you know, cover the event, I would have like 300 BAME entrepreneurs all in one room celebrating their achievements from across the Southwest. And it just would never ever make it into the local papers or anything like that I do. I do pre event press releases, I do post event press releases, I'd contact individual journalists and email them. And it was just always absolute silence. But what I noticed is if someone had a fight in town, or they ended up in court, they would make the newspaper you know, I mean, it's easier for people from diverse communities to end up in a paper for something bad than if I got a roomful of 300, BAME entrepreneurs doing great work. It just was not news. 

So I went on a few workshops with them, which was put on by organisations like the like the BBC and spoke with other journalists. And they said to me, and he said, look Char, is something that we know is an issue with mainstream media. Unfortunately, a positive story just isn't sensational enough. And I said unfortunately for me, what I found was, my story isn't a negative to positive story. For example, I'm not a drug dealer now doing positive work. I'm not there's nothing I'm not coming from a bad background. I'm This young girl Yes, I come from a diverse background. It's I come from a poor background. But it's not I don't have a negative story to tell, because to me, I'm not a victim.  And they said, the story is just not sensational enough having 300 BAME entrepreneurs in a roommate sensational enough and speaking with a journalist from the BBC, she said, I look, I looked at what you were saying about, you know, that happened to be a negative beginning in time. And then it turns to positive. She said that she looked out, she seen a story about a black girl from Birmingham that made it to the papers. And it was, oh,

Char Lawrence  10:37  
was a stripper now I’m a Christian.

Char Lawrence  10:39  
And

Char Lawrence  10:39  
she said she saw the point I've been making in the workshops and stuff like that, because that made it into the paper, it was something negative, and now that she's something positive, but unfortunately for me, I don't necessarily have a negative story. And I don't have a victim based story. So it just my story was

Char Lawrence  11:01  
I just, I think, you know, I mean,

Char Lawrence  11:04  
it just, it was not sensational enough for mainstream media. And I thought, you know what, after four years of reaching out, sending hundreds if not thousands of emails, I got tired of reaching out to the new mainstream media. But with that being said, we did always end up in the papers in Cardiff and Newport. We ended up in the papers in Swindon. So it's like the the, I was very disappointed in Bristol's media, the award ceremonies here, it was created here. And every year we bring people from all over the southwest to here, the majority of the winners are from Bristol, and it's just not interesting enough for Bristol. So I thought you know, being the person that never complains, I hate complaining. I don't believe in complaining. It's good to complain if you're thinking of a solution, but I'm not just going to go on Facebook and just for the sake of ranting, I thought Char, just create your own magazine. Just do your own magazine and that way you can give a balanced view on the people and the issues you think you believe their stories need to be told. You know, so that gave me the idea and it prompted me to create mogul magazine under the mogul minded group.

Char Lawrence  12:14  
And

Char Lawrence  12:16  
then back in July this year because I kind of put n9ne cosmetics on the back burner I decided to relaunch n9ne cosmetics and so now I have Mogul magazine which was launched in November 2018. And I have n9ne cosmetics n9ne cosmetics which is all natural skincare brand made in the heart Bristol, which has now been relaunched on the seventh of July 2020.

Char Lawrence  13:16  
I believe with everything that's been going on in the world, I believe it may be a little bit easier. I'm in order to at least have someone read your emails and get back to you. But I do still find that most of the stories I see regarding black people in the media or the diverse community is sensational in terms of it's still pretty negative. Like even all around the world. Yes, the Black Lives Matter movement is a brilliant movement. But look at the backdrop you know like is, is it's coming It's still on a negative backdrop. You know, someone has to die before everyone starts having a conversation and then talking about all the in justices. I'm not saying it needs to be spoken about. But I wish I can see more black stories and BAME stories in the media without it coming in without it being on a negative Foundation.

Char Lawrence  15:07  
It's funny because it is frustrating when you're going through it. I sometimes what I realised is I didn't know I can do this stuff, I didn't know. But In almost everything I've done, I've been forced to do it other than n9ne cosmetics, I kind of was forced to do networking events because no one was in let me in or it was very, you know, cliquey, the group's you know, and they had high membership fees in order to even join. And then with the newspapers, I felt like, I felt like they had the power to silence me because they just weren't allow me on their platforms, you know, but I didn't get bitter from it, I got better. So the frustration makes me creative. I thought there's a scene when they say I work better under pressure. Unfortunately, I don't know anything but pressure. So breaking through, and creating something that I am happy with, and that works for me is something that I've always had to do. So I don't know anything different. You know, but it does get frustrating. It kind of shook your confidence, and it kind of make you feel like, Oh, I'm not good enough. You know, why is, you know, why do I get any support, or why don't you know, I see some people doing a whole lot less than they get like put on a pedestal, if they just created brand new and stuff like that. I think Char, like, you're you're being built up for reason you and you the business world you're entering into, you need to have really thick skin. So all this stuff to me, when I look at the grand scheme of things and where I plan to go. It's really, really small. But the lessons are lifelong in terms of making myself resilient and determined and self reliant.

Char Lawrence  17:05  
I have to

Char Lawrence  17:07  
remind myself and look at everything that I've done.

Char Lawrence  17:11  
Yeah, and because sometimes it's easy to make yourself feel small. And just think like, all you know, just start feeling sorry for yourself. But one thing I believe is feeling sorry for yourself doesn't change anything. I honestly believe that it does not change a thing in your life, you can have a day off and feel sad, but you gotta remember that, you know, life doesn't stop because you're feeling inside, you need to get up and continue pushing forward. And they always say just as you're about to quit, that's when your breakthrough comes. And one of the ways that I keep myself up, as I said, is I look at all my successes already. And I look at what I've done it with practically nothing practically no help just, you know, and the more I do, the more great people I'm introduced to, and the more opportunities get opened up. And I find it hard to stop like, and I got this crazy belief in myself like is almost, um, it's almost delusional in terms of from the outside, like, I I got this self belief where I believe I know I'm meant to live a certain life. I know I’m meant to be doing certain things, and I know where I'm meant to be. And nothing can stop me from believing that I believe only God alone will stop me from believing what I believe in my head on how I'm meant to be in my life and what I'm meant to be doing. So it's weird. It's just I just got this weird natural knowingness that I'm meant to do certain things. And, you know, when I see that, okay, I was I for years, I was getting blocked from all the newspapers and stuff like that. And then I created mogul magazine. And then I got celebrities from all across America is funnily enough, a lot of Americans love the platform. A lot of my covers feature celebrities from America on the front cover. in a million years, I couldn't have predicted that. I couldn't have predicted celebrities coming in my inbox, asking for interviews with Mogul magazine, some of the celebrities, you know, I couldn't have predicted it. So it's like, sure, like, you were, I don't know. But to me, when you work in and when you're genuine, and you love what you do. And it's just sometimes I do, even if it's my idea, it just comes in my head and it's just like, yeah, I need to do it. But I think one of my greatest things is that I'm a do-er. I fail a whole lot. I make some, I make lots of mistakes. But when something comes in my head and says, Char, you have to do this. I didn't wait another moment. I just do it.

Char Lawrence  20:49  
Yeah,

Char Lawrence  21:01  
I feel like, as I said, it's a weird thing because I don't know why I get this confidence from I honestly don't. I feel like I always found even when I was young, I always had a vision in my head like I used when I was playing games. I used to love pretending to be a business woman, I used to love it. You know, like, that was one of my imaginary games growing up, like being a business woman. And then I used to love being creative, and like music and stuff like that. So I feel like him coming from a background, which heavily involved music, that definitely built up my confidence. So even though I'm, I just I always was meant to be in business I was. And I wish I started earlier, I started looking at business from the age of 31. Like I find that's pretty late. But then they say it's a fact that the average of the average successful entrepreneur becomes an entrepreneur at the age of 35. You know, like that, that's just one of the world facts regarding entrepreneurial ism that most entrepreneurs become entrepreneur at the age of 35. But then what I find is, is that a lot of the support and grants and stuff like that for entrepreneurs are for young entrepreneurs. They're for young people, the cutoff date is often 25, or even 30. If you're lucky, if you can find one that goes up to 30 you are, you know, you find the code, but the fact is, most people don't become an entrepreneur until they're 35. And that makes sense. Because all my younger years, I weren't sure what I wanted to do. I just knew I wanted to be successful.

Char Lawrence  22:32  
You know?

Char Lawrence  22:36  
Right. Yeah.

Char Lawrence  22:56  
No.

Char Lawrence  22:59  
Yeah.

Char Lawrence  23:30  
It could very well have been through the media, I can't necessarily pinpoint on one specific person. But I just think the idea may sound silly, but a woman in a suit, you know, being a boss, it just really just, I guess I just really liked it, you know, and that is one of the things I do remember, I remember creating like fake money of paper and putting the numbers on there and cutting it into little squares and having in my purse and pretending to like you know, just have some money and go out and buy stuff and just be a business woman with a notepad in the pen. And God knows why I was writing at the time, you know, I mean, but it just felt it just, I just remember always liking it, you know, and always kind of believing I'm gonna be a businesswoman. I couldn't, I didn't I didn't know I didn't know what field I was gonna be. And I didn't have no idea. But I just knew that I was always meant to do business and I feel like, Oh, do I start I find I feel I started late on my entrepreneurial route. But I didn't need those life's lessons leading up to that point. When I was 31 I decided, right Char, you need to really think about what you're going to do what it is that you want to do. You know, I always worked for people up to that point as well. And it's I just knew that I want my own. I want to create my own. I want to leave something for my daughter. I want to I just I always felt like I was bigger than the work I was given.

Char Lawrence  25:04  
You know,

Char Lawrence  26:12  
I definitely think it was, I feel that it was just my natural life journey, you know, I was meant to, my daughter was meant to look at me and be like, Mom, I want my hair like yours. And I was meant to look in the mirror at myself and feel bad for not representing my true self to my door, I, I was meant to go through all of that I was meant to do some deep diving within, and look at how I'm representing myself to my child. And I was meant to start loving myself naturally. And I just thought it was a natural progression, you know, and then thinking of right, Char, you need to do this as a business, I have a lot of energy. I know I'm a very high energy person. And any job I go into my my, I didn't, I didn't know this, but I used to keep clashing at jobs I was going into because I kept out shining the master. That in the laws, in the 48 Laws of Power. That is one of the worst things you can do. And I kept doing it without realising that's what I was doing. But because I've got so many ideas, and I want to do things as best as I can, and I kept over achieving, and I realised that they don't want you to overachieve. Or they want you to just do the job. Keep it simple, keep it small, keep it in the box and just do this job. Don't think bigger, don't do nothing bigger. Don't try to excel. The I guess the business, I guess their organisation too far forward, you do not think in how the bosses are thinking they’ve got a structure that works for them, and they want to keep it in this confined box. And that is totally fine. But I feel like I'm one of the thoughts in my head by showing this turn this into a business. I just thought, of course I can like Why couldn't I? I could do anything. I could do anything. Why would I not do this, it’s weird. I This was I didn't know where I get the confidence from . But I just

Char Lawrence  28:21  
um, I would say my parents definitely play a big role in my life in terms of my dad, he always made me feel special in terms of like, um, you know, his only child and I always knew that I was loved and that I am a special young girl. And I felt like I always do grant to him and say, like, I'd like you know, you're so blessed to have me as your daughter like, you know, you got it covered. You can go do nothing more with your life. You got me as your daughter, like what more could you ask for? Like, you know, we do have fun or like that, but I never ever felt. I just feel like I would say my parents have inspired me in the way that I would never want to let them down. And I want them to see that. Like, I told you I was going to do this. See mom look, see that. Look, I told you I was going to do this. I told you like, I'm telling you the heights I'm going to get to is going to be like you guys. They never even imagined it. Do you know what I mean? And I believe I'm going to be able to open up their world in a way to say there's more than you know, Bristol. There's more than what we know as life. There's a lot more out there and I'm planning to get that you know and then come back and show you guys look. This is where we could go

Char Lawrence  31:49  
Yeah,

Char Lawrence  31:58  
I would say um, when COVID happened when, when, when it first you know, the media was crazy with the report reporting of it, like it was really, really depressing, like, in all honesty, I, my, one of my biggest fears is probably thinking I was going to lose family members, you know, like that was just a thought in my head like, Oh my god, like dad, you need to really be like, seriously careful out there, I went to stay home, like I just started, you know, trying to keep them at home as much as possible. Like, you know, let me know I was doing a shopping and I was doing everything I can to just try and keep them safe. And then I thought, um, so when it comes to when it came to anything I was doing outside of my family, everything suddenly became a bit less important. It wasn't important. My main concern was, keep my family safe and do all I can to help where I can help. And so as much as I love doing all my events and stuff like that, I think it made me It showed me right off the bat that ultimately Nothing is more important than my family. 

You know, so those few months off it really. I didn't even really think of it like that until you just asked me the question, but it was so easy to stop doing everything. I didn’t, it wasn't important. You know Dad, are you safe? Do you have food? Do you have everything you need? Do you need anything? I know my mom's Okay. Do you know what I mean? So? Because she, between me and my brothers and sisters. We You know, my mom was good as well. But family just came first you know, not just looking out for my brother and and everything like that. It's just family just came first that was it. You know, making sure my daughter's Okay, making sure she's not going crazy in the house. That was it. You know, everything else, it was just so easy to put everything on pause and just focus on my family. Now the and then after a few months, by about June, I started getting a bit restless, saying how long is this gonna go on for like, you know, I'm looking at article saying that the hospitals are empty, you know that they're reporting that they were doing the counting wrong, and they were reporting on the deaths wrong because if someone had COVID, six weeks ago then died of terminal cancer six weeks later, they still put it down as COVID. 

And the messages really were mixed information and becoming very confusing from the government. So I was like, I can't live in fear. I can't let my daughter live in fear. We need to live, do you know what I mean? Yes, we need to be safe. But I need to live. I cannot live with this “oh 10 people die today. 50 people died. Oh 100 people” is just like, it's crazy that they even did that. Do you know what I mean in the history of media, they have never gave us daily death numbers for any illness or disease or virus. You know. So mentally I was saying that. Look how much people like the pressure has gone through the roof during this period, just because of the how the media is reporting on it. Like I'm like, Are you trying to kill us with bad news? You know, thoughts are very powerful words have energy, and you are bombarding the public. Yes, tell us the facts and the figures, but be a bit more tactful when you're doing it, you know, I mean, have a bit of consideration for the people who are not mentally strong, I believe I’m mentally strong. And it did have me paralysed in terms of just focusing on my family for about eight to 12 weeks, like, you know, until it's like, this isn't healthy, I need to live, I need to not think about COVID I need to enjoy my family, I need to visit my family, I need to go out and be with my friends and my loved ones and spend make memories with my daughter. I cannot be locked away for a virus that they say have naught point whatever percent, you know, yes, I it's a real virus. There is something out there, but we've not stopped the world for anything else. That you know, it's just it's a weird one because, I know. There's so many conflicting points of views on this. Not conflicting, but there's so many different points of views on this, but I just feel that we need to live we cannot hide away forever do you know what I mean?, and if What if it comes every year? Are we going to be looking down every year? Like how are we going to deal with this? Are we going to be you know, in groups of six like I can't visit like right now where I can look down again, you can't go to your parents house if there's more than six people that do you know, I mean, like it's really, but you could still go grouse shooting or fox hunting or whatever it is that they do. Like it's just crazy.

Char Lawrence  36:48  
Yeah.

Char Lawrence  36:52  
issue. Yeah.

Char Lawrence  37:10  
No, feels like it's getting worse. Again,

Char Lawrence  37:11  
We had a bit of a break over the summer. And it's like, Okay, well, we had all the marches. We like I thought there would have been a spike when the marches happened. I honestly did. It seemed like nothing happened, then it was cool. Like, you know, COVID took a break. You know, and now it's coming back again, you know, so I was like, that it really it genuinely confuses me, in that sense to say that there was so much mingling going on during May, June, there was so much like, and I would say mainland in terms of, we were still on the tail of the peak. You know, and then we had the summer off, you know, I enjoy your summer, you know, you got four weeks of, you know, eat out and all that sort of stuff. Yeah, we all enjoyed it. And now it's rising again. And it just makes me think like, I don't know, obviously, I'm not an expert in viruses and stuff like that. But it just off just off the bat just looking at it. It just seemed really crazy. But as I said, we have to live, you know, so dropping everything for those few months. It wasn't a problem. And it's disappointing because I, I feel like in 2019 I was getting into my stride like I was ready to hit the ground running in 2020. Like, honestly, I couldn't no one could have predicted what he had in store for us all.   

Char Lawrence 
Slow down and love those who you love.

**Full transcript from here onwards…..**


Dr Becky Sage 0:03  
Yeah. It's some, as you tell this, as you tell that story and going back kind of to a pattern that seems to been throughout your life or throughout the journey that you've talked to us about it, a lot of it seems to come down to like the way you're you're taking in your stride even at these more difficult times. And when it's, like completely unexpected, and getting in the way of the plans and everything else, that you've still that yourself, listen to your instinct. And you you've done that all the way along that you've gone, I have this knowing. And I'm going to listen to that, and I'm going to act on that. So you mentioned kind of that focus on your family, it was just really obvious to you that that's what needed to happen in those first eight weeks. And then you got a bit more restless and to focus on other things. But it's Do you do kind of what do you do to make sure that you are in touch with that you're connected to yourself and you're connected to, you know, to be able to listen to yourself and to keep yourself healthy in that way, you mentioned that you you kind of feel that you're mentally strong as well. Do you have things in your life that allow you to keep those things going?

Char Lawrence  1:15  
I think I am. I don't know what it is. But I feel that there's so much more to life that we cannot see, there are forces that we can't see, we are connected in ways that we just that maybe the we just don't have the capacity in our human mind to understand. So sometimes you have to have room to let be, they say let go and let God and when you build up that faith that God has will never let you down. 

You you start just following the path that opens up for you. Like you just kind of get intuition and nudges on what to do next, or when to step back. Or when you just need to think or or, you know, it's um, I think I think there's a space between my confidence and my faith in God. That just brings it all together in a way that it's hard for me to even understand it is because I'm speaking in circles right now. But yeah, it's um it's just knowing that life is not what we see. Playing. Yeah, we see it, we're looking at it, and we're in it. You know, but there's, sometimes you gotta be able to just be Mm hmm. I know. That is divine, do you know what I mean?, like, every, like everything that I ended up doing naturally happened. I didn't, I wasn't a young person planning on going to have a haircare line, or I wasn't in my 20s thinking of having a certain haircare skincare line or anything like that. It all just divinely happened. You know, I was meant to have my beautiful daughter, she was meant to say what she said to me. You know, our children teach us so much I taught our children are probably our biggest teachers because they teach us patience. Love, you know, they, they that that is the best teachers and they are so free. And they just say exactly how they see. And they say exactly what they're feeling. And they're not scared. And I believe that, you know, my mom always said your child is going to be five of you. And then I'm like, whoo, help me, Lord. No, but um, is is um, yes, that space of just you need to if you if you have faith in the divine or faith that some things are beyond me, I can't everything I'm doing I'm doing but I wouldn't be able to do it. It could be just me cuz I know, it's not everyone. I'm not even religious. I just believe that there's a force out there. That takes care of everything. If you look at nature, and if you try to align with nature and how nature naturally grows, and it's got its seasons, and its cycles, like light, like that is probably one of our greatest teachers is just just looking at nature and just going with the flow on how things you know, pay attention to just the cycles. Yeah, you know, sometimes we're up sometimes we're down, but we're still here.

Dr Becky Sage  4:19  
Yeah, it's the word faith. And I think like not everyone listening, like everyone will have different beliefs, who's listening. But I think that word faith is still a really strong one. Because that's what allows you to let go and it doesn't have to be believing in, I don't know, a god that is divine being necessarily, but it's still the idea of having faith that there is that you know, like you said, there are forces we can't see. And there are these the cycles and the the rhythm of nature that that does, you know, interact with all of us and even just the way we connect with each other. And I think kind of being able to, to sometimes just let go of that grip. have that control where you think I have to push everything. And, you know, and that's how I'm going to be a success and it has to all be about pushing, pushing, pushing. That's kind of having a lack of faith. And I think that's that's what a lot of people we've spoken to, you know, that's when things like burnout come in. And and people aren't able to necessarily see see perspective when they're when they're working through their, their challenges or building new opportunities. So I think they I think that word faith is a really strong word, like kind of, regardless of people's actual beliefs, you know, religious beliefs, or any other kind of beliefs. So I think it's really great that you brought that up and talked about that, because I think it's very powerful. Yeah,

Amy Armstrong  5:44  
trusting in the bigger and bigger picture and the bigger energy and, and actually, I was reflecting share that you were talking about your faith and divine unfolding sort of inevitable unfolding a trusting and knowing that actually, you are on a path that is determined and is right and meant to be. And then right at the end, you mentioned you're not religious. And I wondered if actually, that faith, though, does even if you're not necessarily attending church regularly or praying regularly as some very devout faith based individuals do you have a practice that allows you to just be still and, and connect to that knowing and to that bigger force at any time?

Char Lawrence 6:38  
Um, I was I prayed to God, you know, I, I like to, I definitely pray to God, I just don't want to get involved in religion confuses me. I'm like, well, which one's the right one? Yeah, well, you know, I will. Yeah, I was, you know, when I was younger, I used to go to Sunday school, I used to, you know, I was a Christian growing up naturally, that's what my family was. And it's just like, as I got older, and I started doing research and stuff was like, well, should I be a Muslim? Should I be a Christian? I, what am I meant to be? And I just said, you know, what, and then I started looking at all the world wars around the world. And I'm not blaming it on religion. I'm just saying, it didn't make me it didn't put me in the push me in that direction, in order to go to somebody to go to a structure and say, This is how you need to pray. And, you know, I used to have debates, I used to work in the money shop, in Peckham, and I would end up having long debates with the customers, because they're telling me the only way I can get to my God always get to God is through Jesus. And I'm like, Did God come and tell you that? We used to be seriously debating these mind? No, you cannot get to go. And I used to be like, but I prayed to God every day, and I've never wanted to go through Jesus. And I'm not saying that I'm right. And I'm not saying that they're wrong. What I'm saying is, is that who said that is the only way I could because if I go to a Muslim, they're going to tell me something different to you. I'm just confused. And, but I do feel safe. And I have faith in what I'm doing is right for me, which is just praying to, to the higher power. Yeah, yes. You know, I'm not saying they're wrong, because to me, everyone works. Like I still listen to Christian sermons. There are preachers out there that are brilliant, and like, it could be a Sunday, and I just feel like you'd let me just listen to something that just uplift my spirit right now. Now, listen to a Christian sermon. You know, I and there'll be speaking about Jesus, but I'm listening to the message, or, yeah, I'm not too worried about the messenger. I'm listening to the message. What am I going to take away from this? How's this making me feel? Do you know, I mean, so. Um, I feel that I just try not to put too much emphasis on the cover of the book. And I take, and I'm more interested in the content. Yeah. Yeah. If that makes sense. So religion could be like, the cover of the book, the brand of religion or the name of the religion, but the content, they will pretty much say the same thing. And I'm more interested in that. Yeah.

Dr Becky Sage  9:21  
Yeah. Right. So So we've kind of talked about all the challenges of this year. But you said that you started to get it up again. And I actually I'm going to read back something from your from the mogul minded group, Instagram, right now. Which is it which is a quote from Socrates, and again, probably about the message for rather than the messenger but the secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new so for you, what's the what's the new now what's the kind of things that we're looking at as you go forward? Have you got new irons in the fire? Are you rethinking how you might do events or awards? Or what what's happening next

Char Lawrence 10:05  
year? I am at the moment when it comes to events. I'm not, I have not put any thought onto it yet. I haven't because the world I don't know what is gonna happen tomorrow, I didn't know what was gonna happen in the next few months, I am literally going with the flow on events, I'm not thinking about it. But luckily for me, I have other things that it's really given me this shutdown time has really given me a chance to look at so I'm just all about refining right now. I want the magazine to be the best magazine, it could possibly be. I, I saw, I got lots of work to do with the magazine where I wanted to go and what I want how I want the platform to be. And luckily, it's digital. Do you know what I mean? I mean, the only thing that's kind of staring me down is the one to one interviews, you know, which I love doing and again, in front of the camera, doing interviews, but I got the magazine to refine and focus on, you know, like, I know that there's, um, I know that I've got lots of expansion that I could do with that there. And then I have n9ne cosmetics, which is a physical product, you know, I mean that I am I am selling. So I got two big things that I that I can work on outside of the events, right right now. So I am still pretty busy. In that sense. You know, there's always it's just it's, I feel like it's a slight shift of focus, when I could do events, again, hopefully, I'll be on an even bigger level, in terms of my platforms, and my businesses. Hopefully, by the time I do an event, like my magazine is international now but fully International, I rate people on the cover and exclusive interviews like so it will just give me more of a track record when I go back to doing the event. That's what I'm so it's about refining the two other angles to do aspects of my of my empire. As to put it

Dr Becky Sage  11:58  
it's amazing how restrictions sometimes can give us that focus actually, like you said to then do the refinement and and grow things in a different way. Yeah. Just to give people a taste Oh, who who's recently been on the cover which or what what would you like to what what would you celebrate recently that you've done just to give listeners a kind of idea of, of what they might find in the magazine?

Char Lawrence 12:22  
Well, the magazine is literally a fun lifestyle magazine. But the purpose of the magazine is to put rising entrepreneurs and creatives alongside some of the world's biggest stars. That is like the crux of the magazine, I want to put like, you know, I want to put big celebs on the cover and have exclusive interviews with the celebs. And then I want to put in the magazine, entrepreneurs and small businesses and creatives in there as well, because what I find is there's not many platforms that does that, like there's not many platforms, in terms of business Anyway, there probably is some out there. But there's not many that you can have a small brand new business that's doing well in their hometown alongside international singer in one magazine. And then you get the international singer put in this magazine on their page with the small business on the front cover with their right next to it. you know what I mean? Printing them beside each other. And, you know, she has a platform where I want to help elevate small businesses, entrepreneurs and creatives, you know, so I do have a long way to go. I've never done a magazine before, you know, and I as I said, I created it out of the need. But I would say well, I am happy about in terms of the magazine is that the interest I get and as I said it's a lot of interest from America, like our audience is probably is predominantly American, and international. And the big celebs that I am in contact with are from America. So it could be people of 2 million followers 3 million followers, and there'll be sharing on that page. They'll be excited. They'll be putting it on their Twitter's and stuff like that. I'm just like, wow, Char. It makes me realise that no matter what I think about what I'm doing, there's people out there with real influence. Looking at the magazine looking at the page, do you know what I mean?, so? I feel proud in that I feel extremely proud, you know, and what I just don't ever say anything, like lots of good things happened behind the scene. Lots of people will come over and shoot their support for the magazine or not like our pages and stuff like that. I just didn't say anything because I don't believe in blowing my own trumpet too much. I just but what I do do is I soak it all up. Mm hmm. Yeah. I said

Dr Dr Becky Sage Sage  14:44  
the power source.

Unknown Speaker  14:45  
Yeah, you know, definitely.

Char Lawrence  14:49  
is nice reminders to say, Char, you are doing something right. Because if I weren't doing this thing when I came over here,

Amy Armstrong 14:56  
yeah. No, it's incredible. Isn't it fantastic. How you Despite the avenue of events being closed off to you, you're using this time to be able to shine the light nonetheless, but actually on a global basis on those entrepreneurs that haven't been getting the recognition that they deserve and holding them up, so that power source is giving the light

Char Lawrence  15:22  
to shine. Yes, yeah, exactly. You know, but um, yeah. So going back to the question as well, I, one of the celebrities, I recently interviewed a singer songwriter, called Lyrica Anderson, she's a Grammy Award winner. And she's written songs for Beyonce, she's written songs for Chris Brown, and she's just released a new album. And, you know, and I'm just like, speaking with her here and about what it was like to write for Beyonce, and about her being in the studio with superstars like Chris Brown. He's like our modern Michael Jackson. That's what people call him. And it's just, you know, I would have never been able to have these conversations. If I didn't have the magazine, if if I wasn't frustrated from not getting if I didn't do the events, and if and if I wasn't ignored. And if I didn't go to those workshops, you know, where I was basically told it's not sensational enough. And if I didn't think Sure, you know what, you need to create your own magazine, I wouldn't be having this conversations this year. You know, so as I said, it's all just natural progression. I can't, you know, God knows where this magazine is gonna lead me, but I know that I need to refine it, I need to focus on it, I need to, you know, focus on the natural skincare brand, you know, everything. There's a reason why, you know, we can't help that coupe it happened, but I can't do the events at the moment. And the events took up a lot of my time, a lot of my time was focused on doing the events, you know, there it took me like six months to plan an award ceremony. So a lot of time went into and now is like wow Char, different Doors open at different times. And as I said, if I didn't go through these frustrations, I wouldn't have what I have today.

Amy Armstrong  16:59  
You know, what strikes me is you have the most incredible set of ecclectic skills. And it's there, they're just don't seem to be You don't seem to have ever set yourself. I don't know how it's always like, well, let's go and learn how so you've got this. Yeah. On one hand, you've got a natural skincare product line, you've got your magazine, you're a natural creator of events and connecting of people. How have you done that? How have you enabled yourself to never be shackled by self doubt about the fact you just don't know how to do it. You just started anyway.

Char Lawrence  17:38  
You know what that is so true. Because everything I'm doing I've never done before. I've never done but what I can say and I can give a shout out to is my partner. He's a videographer. And funnily enough, he picked up the camera because I needed someone to film me. Ah, I used to do music A few years ago, and I was finding it hard to find people to do my music videos. And he was like, you know what Char, I'll buy a camera, and I will learn how to shoot videos, and I'll shoot your videos. So he picked up a camera and he now has a successful career as a videographer, you know, but with him. He is probably my number one supporter in terms of everything I want to do. I get on his nerves like, like no one's business. But everything I've wanted to do, he's helped me do it in terms of so when I wanted to do it, start my business. He was like, Okay, let me figure out how to make your website. When I wanted to do music. He was like, hey, let me figure out how to do videos for you like everything I want to do. He is definitely someone who helps me get the ball rolling, like, and he says to me, he's like, I don't want to hear no more ideas. I'm tired.

Dr Becky Sage 18:50  
No, please.

Char Lawrence  18:52  
I'm playing but um, yeah. So I would say one, I have a natural confidence and to luckily enough, and I have a partner who is ready to go on this crazy journey with me like, you know, we've gone around and we've interviewed, I got up one day when I started the Mogul Minded Group. And I said, You know, I want to interview millionaires, I want to do an interview series where I'm interviewing millionaires, because they got the answers on how to be successful. So he ends up looking around wells, you know, with me to meet millionaires and interviewed them, well, I'll be interviewing them and he'll be videoing them. And he's like, well, it's good to have you said that. Because all the millionaires that we've not been interviewed, I would have never have done that. If you didn't say you want to interview millionaires. So it's just like, I don't know. The word No. I do know it because I get told no all the time. But as I say, sometimes something will just come in my head and I'm just doing it if something comes to my head, I'll just do it.

Unknown Speaker  19:48  
I that's something I wanted to kind of point out as well. You were just saying about, well, you know, the path is laid out in front of you and you've kind of just done what comes naturally and you've got the support to help do that as well. But no, no If it would have happened if he didn't step up and do. So it's all about like seeing what they're not like seeing those things laid out in front of you and being able to identify them. And then going right now we're getting the work done, getting getting the sleeves rolled up. And that's where the next opportunity comes from. And the next opportunity comes from

Char Lawrence  20:17  
and what is surprising is what people don't realise is a lot of people say, yes, you get lots of no’s. But, you know, because I got loads of no’s when it came to reaching out to newspapers and stuff like that. But the moment I created my own magazine, I got lots of Yes. You know, from celebrities, who I was reaching out to, to interview them. Yep, do you know what I mean?, so it's a funny one, or when it comes to successful, multi millionaire business people when I was reaching out to them to interview them. I'm a young girl, they've never known from nowhere. They know me, they don't know my platform. You know, they might do a little bit of research, but either way, I get lots of yeses. Yeah. And I get used to getting yeses. And then I started expecting more yeses.

Dr Becky Sage 21:01  
Yeah, that's powerful, isn't it? 

Char Lawrence  21:03  
You know, you don't always get but I, I always say this, if you hear me complain, and I'm being ungrateful, I always say, if you hear me complaining, I'm being ungrateful because I know the way everything is set up is that I just feel so blessed. Like, nothing is easy. I'm not even where I want to be right now. But clearly I am where I need to be. I'm in the perfect position right now, to take the next step. Mm hmm. I just have to focus, I have to be strategic, I have to have achievable goals. And it's and I have to be realistic. And I have to do my research in terms of what it is I'm doing, you know, and then I have to do it. Ultimately, you have to do it. You can do you can research all day long. You can plan all day long. But as I said, my biggest thing is I just do you know, yeah, I just I you know, I get an idea. And I'm like, I'm gonna do that. And I just do.

Dr Becky Sage  21:57  
I have I have a question. I've wanted to ask you all the all the way through, which is, what what is it to be Mogul Minded?

Unknown Speaker  22:05  
Oh, yes. To be Mogul minded. I would say it's definitely it is a mind frame. And it's being positive. Yeah. And it's knowing you can achieve anything you put your mind to not that saying is said over and over again. But so many people, they say it and I don't believe they believe it. Because when you know, that you can do anything you put your mind to. That is then a reality. But and I know when you would act as though you can do anything you put your mind to. When you start acting as though you can do anything you put your mind to, you will start seeing the results that you are right. You know, nothing is easy. Yeah, being broke is painful. Being underachieving is painful. being successful is painful, should I say can be painful. being rich can be painful. There's pain in life. do you know what I mean?, but the question is, what do you choose to do on this journey? And once you've got that solid sense of knowing that you can achieve anything you put your mind to like whose to question? Who said you couldn't? That's my question. Yeah. Who said you couldn't?

Dr Becky Sage  23:18  
Yeah, I think we all need to tell ourselves that

Char Lawrence 23:20  
So Mogul minded is knowing that you are going to be successful. Knowing that you do have a purpose on this planet. We all only have a short time here. And but we are all meant to be here. We all have a job to do. And is sometimes it is about just within yourself that Mogul mindedness it doesn't come from with out, it comes from within. Mm hmm. You know, and it's something that it's already in all of us. The question is, will you awaken it? Will you allow it to flourish or not? You know, simple minded is just, as I say, do Mogul being mogul minded is not dying with the fire inside you. Ah.

Dr Becky Sage  24:02  
Oh, so powerful.

Dr Becky Sage  24:05  
Have you got any more questions before we wrap up, Amy Armstrong,

Amy Armstrong  24:09  
I only have that reflection that that's empowering set of beliefs is so phenomenal. And thank you so much for sharing them with us today. Dr Becky Sage, over to you for the last top tip.

Dr Becky Sage  24:23  
So Char, we ask everyone to provide us with a top tip for our listeners. And that can be a kind of top tip for anything. It could just be a general top top tip for life or for entrepreneurship, for leadership. And so that they go out there and try things for them for themselves. So if you were to give one top tip, what would it be for our listeners?

Char Lawrence  24:49  
I was funny I just said um, yeah, don't die with the fire inside you. Oh, honestly, just don't. ya need to lay out you need to live in Need to try you need to do you know do not, you know, they say is a sad saying but they say the graveyard is the richest place on the planet for the idea that are there, honestly. Yeah, yeah. So let's forget about the graveyard let's do it now. Yeah, you know, you know, don't die with the fire inside you get up and do it do it do it do it it will be hard anyway. Yeah. You know I mean, and as I said, you know success is not easy, but never as being poor. You know, I mean, or is the same it really is to say it's the same effort doing or not doing, you know, is a weird one. But yeah, just don't die with the fire inside you. You are here for a reason you have purpose, you have your power. Just believe in yourself. Honestly, it will it will open up your world in ways you can. You can't even imagine naturally, you wouldn't have lost.

Dr Becky Sage  25:57  
Why? Thank you so much. And I'm going to go back to something I said right at the beginning, which is you know about your it's all about taking other talent with you and you know, shining the light on all the great things that other people are doing. And I'm sure that everyone listening will feel like they are coming with you. I certainly feel inspired by this conversation and by that top tip. Very valuable. And so you're, you're taking me with you and I hope that you're taking all our listeners with you as well. So, thank you so much.

Char Lawrence  26:31  
Oh, thank you for having me. It was a brilliant conversation. I really enjoyed it.

Amy Armstrong 26:35  
Charmaine, thank you for lighting us all up.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai