A boss envisions what needs to be done and proceeds to take action to create change without validation. Tiarra Taylor, MBA, a 39-year old FAMU alumna from Washington, DC, fits that description.
Taylor has been an educator for 17 years, a Real Estate investor for two and a half years and someone whose moral purpose is to empower her people.
In light of empowering her people, the Demolition Diva honed into a plethora of personal investments. These include Taylor 2 U Homes, LLC, as a real estate agent with Fortune Builders and DC Invest, Taylor 2 U Fashion and Performance Institute as an educator in the arts, fashion and dance, Taylor 2 U Creations as an entrepreneur and a radio host on WOL 1450 AM at Radio One in DC.
A majority of what she earned requires undaunted sacrifice and risk-taking, which is why she expanded her investments during February 2020.
Taylor has to fuel herself to embody the superwoman persona she displays before her peers.
“I want to be able to pass something down to my daughters, and I want to leave a legacy. I want to make my daughters and my mother proud to assure her that all of her sacrifices did not go unnoticed,” Taylor said. “No one is going to put me into a box to make me feel less than. I do not take it lightly that I have been positioned on a platform to help other people achieve success. One thing about FAMU alumni is we work very hard to exude Black excellence.”
To be a superwoman and mogul in the making requires proper branding to attract consumers. That is why her alter ego, the ‘Demolition Diva’ was introduced to her by a colleague.
We are the CEOs of our lives, therefore, she was given the name because of her bold fashion statements, her tenacity to transform minds and someone whose narrative is dependent upon demolishing whatever does not serve a purpose in her life.
Taylor admires a quote by Jay-Z that states, “I’m not a businessman! I’m a Business… man!”
What this indicates is that we are the representation of our brand, and if we want people to buy into our brand we first have to buy into ourselves, hence presentation and investments.
Taylor says that it is always important to look nice, as first impressions will set the tone as it relates to how people respect or dishonor what we stand for.
With a burning desire to elevate, encourage and inspire all generations, Taylor keeps her heels high and her standards higher.
While some people are complacent, she is none of the sorts. While some people sleep as if they are rich, she is wide awake as if she is broke and has a bag to secure. Of all the assets that she has inserted herself into, her pride and joy is educating her students as an academic interventionist to help prescribe solutions to better students’ educational needs.
However, she does not only educate the future real estate agents, doctors and lawyers of her classroom; She also pours into older generations of today.
Educating her clients as a gentrifier, as she likes to describe herself, enables her to help them create happy lives as homeowners, in effort to educate them about financial stability to maintain their assets.
This Demolition Diva was positioned to win as a jack of all trades but she does not do it alone. Her business partner Marcus Thomas, a real estate developer and consultant of DC Invest, LLC, shared why the company Taylor works for is transforming lives.
“We have been buying, selling and repairing residents for twelve plus years. DC is a very competitive market and there are a lot of people in this business,” Thomas said. “Personal investments will give you the time to educate others for free, because you are making money regardless. If you are going to invest, let it be a long-term investment that will build a legacy. Find someone who is doing what you like to do and be an asset to them.”
Speaking of assets, Taylor is also educating others as a published author with her incoming e-book, “It Starts With U.” She takes pride in pouring wisdom into others that was poured into her by successful mentors.
This was not some investment to gain profit but rather a declaration to buy all things Black in our community. The more we spend our hard-earned dollars into Black-owned businesses, we have the leverage to recreate our narratives as people who are rising and running circles around other groups. Everything from making personal investments into entrepreneurship, homeownership, economic empowerment and wisdom and knowledge to gain understanding will be inclusive to her book.
While those from the outside looking in may think that Taylor has a silver spoon in her mouth, Trenise Piper, her good friend and colleague, says that because Taylor works for what she wants, she is gaining the fruits of her labor.
“It was hard for me to find mentors, and as I became an adult I learned that as an adult you can learn from people,” Piper said. “I knew Tiarra long before she was a mentor of mine. Seeing her and learning from her, I was a little reserved and hesitant at first and then there was a video when she told her story. It gave me that encouragement to say that if she can do it then I can do it as a mother and businesswoman. Meeting her and getting to know her was a breath of fresh air.”
Piper is an accountant and Fayetteville State University alumna.
“She is a very supportive and understanding person who is always ready to jump in to help others achieve their endeavors,” Piper said. “Tiarra is a doer and will always follow up and follow through. We are up early in the morning and we like to say, we are millionaire mamas raising billionaire babies, because they are the legacy and we want better for them.”
Iron sharpens iron and when you surround yourself with sharp people, you are likely to become just as sharp as they are. Most importantly, do not always think you have arrived, because it is all about being the best version of yourself that you can be.