Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonique Edwards.
Hi Bonique, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
THRIVE!
I live life to the fullest daily. More importantly, I participate in all that Los Angeles has to offer. Since the Sunshine Tax is so expensive, I hike, bike, and snowboard to ensure I breathe in all our city has to offer. There is no reason to live in this expensive city if we don’t participate in all of the outdoor activities and events available.
My professional journey as an entrepreneur started in my father’s breakfast nook 20 years ago. One email sent to friends and family, coupled with my strong personal brand of “not burning bridges” propelled me to start Kaleidoscope Digital. A full-service digital marketing agency in South Los Angeles.
About a decade ago, I partnered with a woman named Sheila Coates from Be Your Own Brand. She helped transform my thinking around not only branding my company, Kaleidoscope Digital but also recognizing that “I too” am a brand.
Being an entrepreneur has been the most challenging, rewarding, and exciting thing I have done to date. As a small business owner, it helped me understand that while I have employees, I am the face of my company and my personal reputation is at stake.
People make snap judgments based on the 10% of a person that they can see. Knowing that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, I started working on my personal brand which included clothes, shoes, hairstyle, makeup and more.
Initially, I fought the idea that I needed to “look different” or “dress the part.” I wanted my work to speak for itself. Sheila helped me realize I was not Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg!
With her coaching, I was able to transform my brand as well as develop a personal branding statement.
My personal brand is “I am a creative leader who is bold, energetic and fun!”
Everything I do for work or pleasure involves my personal brand. More importantly, I don’t hang out with people or take on client projects outside of my brand.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an avid snowboarder, I spend lots of free time in Mammoth, California. While snowboarding with friends, a much younger man standing in line turned to me and exclaimed, “Dude! How old is your snowboard? It looks like the first model of snowboards ever made!” I sheepishly said, “about ten years.” Shocked, he responded, “Do you know how much technology has changed since you purchased that snowboard?”
Appearing to be outdated was not the brand I wanted to convey, as I pride myself on being innovative. That same day, determined to maintain my youth and vitality as a cutting-edge adult, I purchased the most advanced, high-tech snowboard in the store. I held my head high as I exited the snowboard shop with the “vanguard of snowboards,” which elevated my snowboarding ability.
Like my new snowboard, my firm Kaleidoscope Digital transforms the image of companies with archaic digital platforms. Founded nearly 20 years ago, I recognized the Internet as the ultimate equalizer for business owners and formed the company to upgrade the brands of businesses through effective design and succinct copywriting for websites, brochures, and other marketing collateral. This is particularly helpful in South Los Angeles, since the digital divide is impacting small Black and Brown owned businesses.
Today, we are a full-service web development, graphic design and social media management agency servicing Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, and government institutions across the country. Under my leadership, we have a local presence in South Los Angeles with a global reach.
What makes you happy?
I work to travel! To date, I have visited all seven Wonders of the World, been to six out of seven continents and explored more than 45 countries.
Travel is humbling, particularly when you immerse yourself in cultures where English is not the currency for access. When I first started traveling, I constantly had to remind myself that being American does not give me license to judge other people’s cultures, traditions, and values. It’s easy to fall into the “Why can’t you be more like….” which is just another way of saying, “Be more American!”
My sense of entitlement as an American was preventing me from learning and growing. My aha moment while traveling was understanding that English speakers are no more intelligent than non-English speakers. In the streets of South Los Angeles, oftentimes I notice that people with accents are treated as inferior because of this bias.
Traveling makes me a better global citizen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kaleidoscoperocks.com
- Instagram: @kaleidoscoperocks or @boniquetravels
- Facebook: @kaleidoscoperocks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kaleidoscope+consulting+group
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kaleidoscope-consulting-group-los-angeles
- Other: https://www.boniqueedwards.com
Image Credits:
Image on couch was taken by Gervel Sampson.
