The New Dawn - A re-introduction

Last Sunday, my sister and I were working together on the launch of my rebrand, and her friend was over (shout out to Amaarah). She asked me “Shakirah, this is really cool but what exactly is the rebrand about?”. So, I figured that would probably be a great topic for the first blog, of the new dawn.

It’s kinda crazy actually because when I was working on the redesign of this website and planning what it was that I wanted to offer the world during this next phase of my life, I knew that blogs would be a major part of how I tell my story moving forward but it’s always been such a daunting thing for me to do. Even though I’ve been D R E A M I N G of consistently putting out written pieces since 2016.

I’ve attempted a few times, but never got past blog two or three. This time around? I’m choosing not to overthink it. I’m just going to word vomit on a page, put it out and hope that it resonates with someone <3

If nothing else comes from this, at least it will be good practice for when I start writing my book (my goal is to be a published author by 50).

Okay enough about my almost decade long fear of writing blogs, let’s get into the actual topic.

This campaign is a really important one to me, for a number of reasons.

1. I’ve been working towards this version of my personal brand for about eight years. The journey we’re about to embark on together is something I’ve been thinking about and envisioning for the longest time, and now it’s happening.

2. After more than a decade of soul searching, crafting my message and figuring out the role I want to play on this earth, I’ve finally beded down what I’d like my focus to be (at least for the next few years). Skip to the end of the blog to find out.

3. Building this website, shooting the content and planning the roll-out has been a four month exercise, and I’m so proud of the work that’s gone into this.

For these reasons, answering Amaarah’s question is something that is going to have to be revealed and understood over time, but I think that answering a few different questions is a good way to start the process.

Why a rebrand?

People are ever evolving creatures, and if you’re someone who values growth and self-development as deeply as I do, you almost never stay the same person you were yesterday… or last week… or last year.

Around 2017 I started to think about life as if it were a video game. A game that has levels which need to be clocked and unlocked. And while you may always be developing within a certain level, there comes a time when you reach the end of a phase, and you gotta move on to the next stage of the game.

In my head I’m usually picturing an adventure game from the late 80’s or early 90s. When you cross over from one level into the next, the graphics change, the tools you have available to you get better, you’re in a different environment, and everything looks different but the path you’re on remains the same. You’re just a stronger player.

Let’s just say… I’ve reached the next level. And it’s time for me to reintroduce myself to the world.

What is the rebrand actually about?

At the core of it all, is my desire to convey knowledge and help people on their own journeys - in life and entrepreneurship - by sharing the path I’ve walked, the challenges I’ve overcome and the methods I’ve used to grow and develop, in every area of life.

I always knew that I wanted to share my lived experience with the aim of guiding others on their own paths, but there are probably 1 789 different ways I could have gone about it. Over the years, I’ve dabbled. I’ve shared short content pieces, livestreams, interviews, social posts etc talking about my journey, but my content never really had a overarching focus or theme. Now it does.

Being a business owner, and an entrepreneur, has always been extremely important to me, and it’s also something that comes quite naturally. After analyzing and assessing my life for the passed few years, I’ve come to realise that there’s a sweet spot that I’m most intrigued by… And it’s the exact intersection where life, and entrepreneurship meet. Where the experiences of being human, and a spiritual being, intersect with the capitalist requirements of running a business and at this exact cross-over, I’ve come to find immeasurable amounts of growth, self awareness, self development and courage.

And so, in this next chapter of my life, this is what I’d like to focus on. I’m going to share with you, how entrepreneurship has been my biggest guide towards self-actualisation, and how I believe other people can use it as a tool to self-actualise themselves.

But, what will this practically look like?

Under the umbrella of my personal brand, Shakirah Dramat, I will create various pieces of content with this theme at the center of it all. I’ll be putting out blogs, vlogs, tiktoks, reels, podcasts, talks, etc… all focussing on the intersection of life and entrepreneurship, and using this path not only to grow revenue or to solve a problem with your business, but also to improve yourself, spiritually and mentally.

Right now, I’m hoping to convey two main messages with the rollout of this rebrand campaign:

1. I’ve arrived. I know who I am, I know what I want to achieve, I’ve finally figured out how I can help people and I’m focussed.

2. Entrepreneurship as a pathway to self-actualisation, is now the main overarching theme for all the work I do under the brand “Shakirah Dramat”

I’m so excited and deeply honoured to be able to share this with you. I really hope you stick around for a while.

xx

Shakirah