In 2016, Nicaila Matthews Okome launched a podcast called Side Hustle Pro to highlight the untold stories of Black female entrepreneurs from the beginning of their journeys to success. Since then, her podcast has amassed over 2 million downloads and a loyal social media following of more than 66,000 aspiring entrepreneurs.
Okome was born in Jamaica and raised in the Bronx in New York City. After earning her Bachelor's degree at the University of Pennsylvania and her Master's at the University of Michigan, she said she wasn't that sure what she really wanted to do. Eventually, she landed jobs working at NPR, Google, MTV Networks, among others.
With her extensive experience in digital marketing, ad sales, and social media strategy, she decided to focus on doing her own work initially to attract employers. But when she started writing blogs and doing interviews on successful Black women, she realized that she wanted to share more about their stories that often go unnoticed.
To do that, Okome started her own podcast called Side Hustle Pro, which features Black women "who were working but finding a way to nurture their multi passions through side hustles," she told Forbes. About a year after its launch, it was quickly named "the perfect entrepreneurship podcast" by Mashable.
Moreover, she also incorporated a marketing agency to her podcast where she helps up and coming podcasters to create their own podcasts, grow their influence through targeted social media marketing, and ultimately build a profitable business.
For more information and/or to subscribe for free to Side Hustle Pro, visit www.sidehustlepro.co