Disrupt Featured Entrepreneur: Interview With Vanessa Donnelly

In today’s feature, we would like to interview an entrepreneur by the name of Vanessa who has gained the attention of the fashion industry lately. Like most successful individuals, her path was not always as smooth as it seems which you will learn more about from her interview below.

What exactly do you do for a career?

I started out as a well known fashion designer in Minnesota where I won awards and took part in many fashion shows over the course of 7 years. Once my family and I moved to LA I knew I wanted to help people and be in the entertainment industry, and at that time being a publicist is what sparked my interest.

What was the process for you to find what you wanted to do?

As a fashion designer, I went through many obstacles. When I first started I didn’t know how to sew, so I reached out to those who did and they would give me a run around or would never contact me back. Right then and there I knew I had to do something myself. My husband ended up buying me my first sewing machine and I began to teach myself to sew until I got better. My unique designs won me the respect of a lot of people in Minnesota and some in LA too. As far as being a publicist I knew no one in LA who could guide me on how to be a good publicist so again I taught myself and I did my research.

What does being a successful entrepreneur entail?

Being a successful entrepreneur entails lots of hard work, dedication, and patience. You can’t get anywhere without those 3 main things.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

As a fashion designer, the most rewarding part of my job was seeing people in designs that I made or people who absolutely love how different my designs were. As a publicist, I felt that watching my clients grow in front of my eyes was most awarding.

What do you want your audience to know?

I want my audience to know that even though things may get tough on your road to success, don’t give up because your opportunity could be just around the corner right when you decide to give up. It happened to me many times and many times I would want to give up until I had to prove to myself that I was wrong.

What is your greatest success so far?

My greatest success for being a fashion designer was getting my clothes on a celebrity. As for publicist, it was just watching my clients grow drastically over the past year. Also, moving to LA with my husband and our 2 daughters.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Providence, RI and moved to Jacksonville, FL where I was raised until the age of 10. In 1998, my mom (who’s a single mother also a Liberian woman) my sister and my brother moved to Minnesota. It wasn’t until 2018 when I finally left Minnesota, 20 years later.

Where are you from?

I am from Minneapolis, MN

What are some of the challenges you faced along the way?

Some of the challenges I faced along the way was judgement from others before they got to know me, bad friendships, the death of my husband’s mother, his group getting dropped from the label around the same time and  homelessness.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?

As I was stating before a lot of hard work, dedication, and patience.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

In the next 5 years I see myself running a well known and top PR company and relaunching my brand Zenobian Moxis.

What is some advice you would give to a young entrepreneur?

Some advice I would give to younger entrepreneurs are, take that leap of faith and don’t allow anyone to talk you out of it because that leap of faith is capable of opening so many more doors that you didn’t know would open for you.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is definitely my husband. I’ve watched him get knocked down and get back up and come back stronger than before.

Keep up with Vanessa on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/thaladyrift