You're on with Maureen Umeh | Sadie Pegues-Hall talks MTWBTB Magazine

Good morning. Welcome to you're on with Maureen Umay. Today we're talking about something bigger than the business. We're talking about visibility, purpose, and giving black women entrepreneurs a way to shine beyond just what we normally see in the mainstream media. My guest today is Sadie Pegues-Hall, founder of Meet the Woman Behind the Business magazine, a publication and community that is helping women tell their stories in powerful ways. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me. Absolutely. So we need the backstory. How does one say, I'm going to launch magazine and actually do it? Well, the magazine all came about because of a podcast that I had already started from Meet the Woman Behind the Business. And it was around the time of COVID. And, you know, everyone was on social media a lot more. And while I was on, I kept seeing all of these black women popping up. And then I followed them. And then I saw their backstory. And I started purchasing from them. And what I found was a lot of their products were either as good as, if not better than what was already, you know, on shelves. And I said, you know what, I think I could do so much more by actually putting all of these women in pages of a magazine. And it kind of gave some validation, you know, to what it was that they were doing. So, yeah, and I just did it. And you said this is not just a magazine. It's a movement. What do you mean by that? Well, this is a movement of visibility. Because oftentimes it's black women when you have your small business. A lot of times people are like, oh, how's that little business going? They can be a bit dismissive of what it is that you're doing. And this is just a platform that's going to give them visibility and exposure and show them for the true leaders and entrepreneurs that they are. When you say meet the woman behind the business, who is that woman? Oh, and that's the thing. We get a back story because a lot of times people will do business with people that they can relate to, that they find relatable. They say that people do business with people they know, right, and they like. Absolutely. So say, for instance, I give the example all the time. You can have two women that have or two businesses that have vanilla candles. This person is an army vet. This person is an autism mom. And a lot of times you might lean the way of someone you find more relatable. So it's very important. I tell people all the time to tell your story, put it out there because that can increase your sales. You never know. Does the person have to already have it figured out or can they still be in the process of being, so to speak? Well, it's great if they're still in the process of being because this magazine also is a way to keep you in. Yeah, it's a way to kind of uplift you, let you know that you can do it, that there are other black women, small business owners that are also building or building alongside you. And it means a lot to have that sisterhood of support. How long have you had the magazine? The magazine has been around for four years. And I chuckle when I think about it because to think when I first started the magazine, the question was, OK, well, this is only featuring black women, small business owners. Are you really going to have enough women to fill that? And we're like 75 to 80, 90 pages plus each issue. So we have the women in there to fill it. And to think that that was even a question on my part at, you know, at one point. But there's so many of us out there. We're the fastest growing group of women, you know, people that there are starting their own. I was going to say that the numbers are on our side because it does say black women are like the largest group of entrepreneurs. Right? Yes. And I find every issue. There are more and more women that I'm getting the chance to meet and connect with. That is how I came to find out about you. From Lenay Faber. And then we have Jennifer Gwinn. And just building that sisterhood where we can help elevate one another is really important. It is very important. And that's one thing I love about this particular show you're on with Maureen. Because as I said to you before we came on, it really is a platform to highlight people doing amazing things. I know so many black women who contacted me saying, I do this, I do that. And it has been so heartening to see that. And even more heartening to be able to highlight what you're doing. Is there any one particular story in the course of you meeting women and profiling them that stands out most to you? Well, for me, the one story that stands out greater than any other kind of right now, I will say, is because Shanice Virgilio. She's an artist actually out of Houston. And she was the very first guest I had on my podcast. And I reached out to her, not having the following that I have now. And she was just so open and excited that someone wanted to hear her story. And to hear her voice and show what she has. And we are sisters now. Like we are joined at the hip now. Even being states away. And I host an event at her art gallery in Houston each year now. Because she's grown so much. Like from going to being this at home artist at a time where she developed an illness. And so she turned to art to kind of lift herself up with that. And now she has a huge art gallery in Houston. And she wasn't a trained artist. She's not a trained artist. Yeah, so her story is always so moving. Because I always pass that story along to let people know. Like you never know where that inspiration is going to come. You never know why your circumstances are turning the way that they are. And yeah, she made so much out of that moment. What does it mean to you to be able to be the one helping to highlight someone like that? Someone who thought I don't have a wide voice. Who am I going to contact? And here you come. Right. Well, it's being a black woman small business owner. And knowing the struggle of saying like, hey, look at me. I'm over here. You see what I'm doing. I know what that's like. So, you know, I have rough days as well where I'm like, I don't know. You know, this is getting really rough right now. And then I'll get a message from one of the other women. Thank you so much for featuring me. I was thinking about giving up. But then you gave me a platform and a voice. So, you know, I'm going to I know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing now. And I'm sitting on the other side reading it like, oh, OK, so I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. It's an awesome feeling. I can I can. I empathize that because it really is. You know, your magazine isn't just about celebrating successes. One thing I noticed also about talking about healing and hope and instilling confidence. Why is it important to you to be able to highlight really kind of the full patina of who these women are? OK, well, it's really important to me. You see a lot of business magazines, but the difference in our magazine, we do highlight each woman and their business. But we also we include recipes because we know that you as a small business owner, you're probably still preparing your own meals. We have fashion accessories because you're probably still your own stylist. We have mental health and wellness articles because we want to help you maintain that balance while you're trying to balance life as well as your business. So it's important to see the entrepreneur, the black woman, small business owner as a whole. So we try to service that. Do you think that women sometimes underestimate the value of telling your own story? I think so, because I think people don't always see the value. Who wants to hear what I've gone through? They don't put enough, you know, focus or importance on that story. And like I said, that's a lot of what connects people to. That's what's going to make people remember you because they can see a million of a particular item a day. And then what's going to stand out is that story and what they connected to. I know we've been seeing pictures of you, but I want to hold up your magazine because, hello, we haven't even done that. Yeah, I mean, this is this is the magazine in which it's going to bring me to the next section because we're going to take a small break in just a minute here. But I want to talk about you being a, you know, an actual magazine in this digital age. You know, we're streaming, obviously. So digital, as we talked about, is where things are moving to. But you are a physical magazine. And some might say, OK, well, this is a relic of the past. But yet you're making it work. So I want to talk about why you chose to go this route. Where are you going with it? And then I still want to delve into how you became a publisher of a magazine. Because what's your backstory? What was your profession before? Don't tell me just yet. I want to tease the audience a little bit. This is Sadie Piggies Hall and we are talking about her wonderful endeavor here. This is a magazine that she has right here that she's printed here in the DMV, right? It's printed. Well, I'm out of the Pennsylvania area, but I feature so many women here in the DMV. I featured them all over the country. So, yeah, the woman behind the business magazine is what it's called. And so we're going to take a small break and come back and talk about what it takes to make this happen. I mean, anything worth anything is that takes hard work. It's just you make it look easy, but it takes hard work. We're going to delve into that. So come on back. You're on with Maureen Umay and we'll be back after a short break. Right here is Sadie Piggies Hall and she is the brilliant publisher of a magazine, which I'll hold up one more time. It is called Meet the Woman Behind the Business Magazine. And this woman, I would say venture to say that she took a gamble on herself and she's winning, which is what a lot of women entrepreneurs need to do. Sometimes they don't have the courage to do it, but a magazine like this also gives them like the drive, gives them the confidence to do that. So let's talk about the magazine. You are a print magazine in this digital world of ours where everyone is saying, nope, we're going the digital route. Nothing prints, nothing analog. But you took that leap. Why? Right. Well, with the print magazine, I mean, we do offer it in digital as well, but we offer it in print because how many times are you reading something on your phone? You're scrolling, you're trying to read this article and I get text messages constantly, email notifications constantly. There's a constant interruption there. Well, when you have print, someone is carving out time to actually sit with that, read that, take that in. Whether it's at a salon, whether it's in a waiting area or, you know, even at home, you're taking the time consciously to sit there with this and actually take in what it is that you are. Reading. And that's very important, I think. And also with a print, there's a bit more prestige there with being in print, because today anybody, everybody's in digital. Everybody's got a social media page. I can flip and see anybody. But to be able to say that you are in print talking about your business, then there's a certain level of honor with that. And also, I'll point out this day and age with A.I., you don't know what you're looking at when you're looking at things digitally. It's like, is that real? I don't know. But, you know, when you hold this, this you can feel this, you turn pages, this you look at, you know, these women are real and they are emphatic. And for me, I'm an old school journalist. I still prefer a notebook. You know, a lot of my colleagues will come up their laptops. I prefer paper and pen. There's something about a magazine and turning the page, the crisp of it, even reading a book, turning the page of a book, the smell of the page. I love all of that. So you definitely have a fan in me having a print edition because that is what I you're right. There's something contemplated about being able to sit down and really just take it in. And for me, I retain information better also in this in this format. What is your background? Are you a printer? I mean, you have a print background, a journalism background. What's your background? No, my background is actually a project manager for ADP for like about 10 years. And then I've always been in project management. So the background isn't necessarily print, but the whole project management side to me, I view this as a project, you know, and I organize it in a way that I would handling any projects that I take on. And that's why I feel like it wasn't so much as a challenge to actually bring it to life, because that's something you do. Yeah, that's what you do. It was more so just trying to tap in and getting these women to trust me with their brand. And the fact that they do just means that that's so fulfilling for me. And you were talking to women all across the country. Are we global yet? Are we on that journey? Absolutely. You've interviewed so many women for your magazine, I'm sure just in your in your life. You've seen a lot of women, black women in particular. Is there a thread of that you find in all of them that leads to their success? Social media pictures, it can often make things seem so easy. What is it about success that people don't see? For me, for me with my business, just making sure that I have everything by certain deadlines, me having to pivot, maybe if something doesn't come in on time, the and I'll say I'm an autism mom as well. Yes. So we have just recently, I've more so been doing an annual type of event, but I have done smaller ones that are monthly where we physically get together in person. Right now I'm hosting the elevate Houston sisterhood business weekend that takes place in Houston area. But it's not just for women that are in Houston. No, why like women? Why can't it just be women? Why can't you just have a magazine because what you're talking about speaks to me too. And I'm not black. What's your response to that? And we can relate to one another in a way that maybe some others can't. Some of our struggles that people may dismiss, you don't have to worry about your sister dismissing that. We see it for what it is. And so in the magazine when you do feature women, let's say you have a maternal health issue. Do you seek a black doctor to give that advice or just an expert in that field? I kind of want to understand what the complete thought is. And still, my community is seeing me in this issue by just simply supporting and, you know, placing an ad. And so I mean, I appreciate I just put up an Instagram post yesterday. I appreciate every share every like every ad. I appreciate it all. And like, I'm talking salons, I'm talking doctors offices, I'm talking cafes, wherever Airbnbs because people like to read when they're I want this in so many places so that I can gain these ladies maximum exposure. You know, so it's about, you know, connecting with these women and reaching out and them trusting me and me trusting them to be as amazing as I know that they are. And yeah, so yeah, it's a process, but it's one that I love. Like knowing you today, I can never imagine that I'm thinking you have always been like, stratosphere here. How can people get the magazine? How can people you know, reach out to you to be in the magazine if they have a product? Give us that information. Okay, so it's very easy. So the magazine is meet the woman behind the business magazine, but the acronym for the website, MTWBTV.com. That's the easiest way to do it. That's the easiest way. Of course, we'll have the segment on our website. But Sadie, thank you so much for coming in. It's been a pleasure and an honor meeting you. There you go. It's happening now. Okay, thank you so much for coming. Appreciate it. That's it for this edition of You're On with Maureen Umeh. More Weekend Live continuing after the break. And of course, I'll be back next week with another incredible guest. But in the meantime, thank you for joining us. And thank you again. Thank you.