"From Overlooked to Empowered: How I Took Control and Built My Own Success"

After obtaining my Business Law Degree from college, I was confident that I would climb the corporate ladder to great heights. However, what followed was a tumultuous journey filled with both successes and personal struggles, including battles with depression that I had to overcome.

Before completing my Bachelor's degree in 2005, I secured an internship at a company where I ended up working for 13 years. True to my work ethic, I quickly established myself as a dedicated and hardworking member of the team, often allowing Corporate America to trample over my personal boundaries.

As a result, I was promoted and achieved a six-figure salary within two years. However, my success in Corporate America was accompanied by significant costs. As a Black employee, I found that my ideas were often stolen and I was not given due credit. Despite my rapid promotions and hard work, I encountered microaggressions and pay disparities compared to my non-Black colleagues. Frustrated and disillusioned, I began to explore ways of building wealth that did not rely solely on my paycheck. In this blog, I will share my journey of overcoming these obstacles and using them as motivation to pursue financial independence.

After spending nearly a decade in the same position, I was thrilled to be offered a promotion. However, my excitement soon turned to disappointment when I discovered that the promotion only pertained to my job title and not my salary. To make matters worse, I sacrificed my maternity leave in hopes of increasing my chances of being promoted. Despite my dedication, when a manager position became available, I was passed over for someone with less experience and education. This was a devastating blow, but it also became a pivotal moment for me. I realized that I needed to take control of my own future, and thus decided to leave the firm and start fresh with a new company. In the upcoming section of this blog, I will discuss how this decision opened up a path to building wealth outside of the constraints of a traditional paycheck.

Despite the disappointment of not being selected for a management position, I remained committed to pouring my energy and talent into my work. Alongside my corporate job, I had also launched my own business, Redstone Firearms, in 2014. I had hoped that my manager would recognize my entrepreneurial spirit and see my potential for leadership, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Nevertheless, I persisted in growing my business and pursuing my passions. 

In my new position at the new company, I had the opportunity to work remotely, but I also traveled frequently throughout the United States. This allowed me to devote additional time to developing the back-end e-commerce and structural aspects of Redstone Firearms, as well as designing new, distinctive patches, t-shirts, and apparel for Redstone Creative's Etsy store.

Initially, my experience at the new company felt refreshing and inclusive with its diverse environment. However, it wasn't long before the same microaggressions that Black women encounter daily in Corporate America began to resurface. Unfortunately, these experiences ultimately contributed to a breakdown in my mental health.

I eventually took some time to focus on my mental health and resumed therapy. I realized that my desire to be a manager was not actually my own goal but rather a societal expectation that had been ingrained in me by my parents and the corporate world. I began to reassess my priorities and focus on building a successful business that aligned with my passions and values.

Redstone Firearms quickly became a passion project of mine, especially during the pandemic when everyone was in a state of panic and uncertainty. It was fulfilling to be a voice of reason for beginners in the firearm industry and educate them on responsible firearm ownership and safety. As our business grew, I had the opportunity to do countless interviews with major news outlets such as CNN, Fox, and Spectrum, where I shared my journey and the mission statement behind Redstone Firearms. It was a cathartic experience to turn my painful memories into something positive, and it was clear to me that the closed doors in Corporate America were simply too small for what I was capable of achieving.

 

Now it's time for me to return to the very thing that saved me in the first place: Redstone Creative. Redstone Creative started as a mental health project, a space where I could escape and pour my energy into crafting, sewing, painting, and more. It was a source of joy and comfort during a difficult time. Little did I know that the creativity I was enjoying would one day turn into a thriving Etsy store with over 200 listings, where people from across the nation request wholesale pricing on my unique black 2A patches. Finally, I can say that I have generated revenue through my creativity. Looking back at the last 10 years and this blog on this website, the proof is evident. Welcome!

 

- Geneva Solomon

3/15/2023