Jo Sesay

• Shelby Miller, Senior Manager, Accenture

As an entrepreneur, Jo says she sprouted Black Roots through her own roots: not only that of her heritage, but also as a woman. After learning she had fibroids and precancerous cells near her ovaries, she decided to establish a holistic lifestyle that didn’t make her hate being healthy. She also decided she would make herbs a source of healing for her own personal battles with depression and anxiety. This passion for care extended across her family and community until she realized through her personal network how many more people needed what she could offer.

Like many entrepreneurs, Jo found that just getting started was more challenging than she'd realized it would be. When she was getting started, and registered her business, she found out she was pregnant with her second son, and her oldest had just turned one. She had to put launching Black Roots on hold, and it wasn't until after this life experience that she felt she began to make some small strides. After her baby was born, she discovered Sky's the Limit, and began working with mentors to help her launch with more confidence and clarity.

Jo had the opportunity to work with Shelby Miller, a senior manager at Accenture, who provided mentorship and guidance through the skysthelimit.org platform, where she reports she benefited from strategic business mentoring on branding and marketing. Shelby was also able to bring in his experience in consulting and coaching to support Jo, while doing something fulfilling that aligned with his interest in supporting entrepreneurs in the early stages of their businesses. 

Jo reports that mentorship has made a world of difference in her business journey. While she had some experience running a business,  it often felt like she didn't have the support to achieve the results she hoped for. She tapped into mentoring to take her game to the next level – both to support her growth as an herbalist, and then to help her grow and scale her business. Having mentors taught her to see new opportunities and to think bigger, without fear, and act in ways that were more resourceful. By learning not to overdo it in certain areas, and to pace herself as a growing business instead of rushing the process, she's been able to attain new heights of success.

In addition to mentoring, Jo has been motivated by the journeys of other entrepreneurs within the Sky's the Limit community and the stories of their resilience help keep her inspired knowing that her business can be successful and that the work is worth it. And, the Sky's the Limit milestones have helped her move her business forward by giving her the structure she needed to harness her vision into something tangible.