Check Out TiKeysha Barnhart’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to TiKeysha Barnhart.

Hi TiKeysha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a mother to an amazing 7-year old boy, a divorcee, cult survivor, and business owner, trying to make my mark on the world and I’m excited for this opportunity to speak with you!

As a child, I was indoctrinated into a religious cult that encouraged reading, research, and helping others, but only within their limited capacity, according to their rules. Women did not have much authority or say so in what went on, higher education was discouraged, and you were to live your days essentially hoping for a better life in the future when God decided to make things better. It was stressful and exhausting.

Years down the line, after marrying and remaining a part of the religion, many of my friends had begun to take strides towards being business owners but didn’t realize all that it entailed. Because I’ve always had a love of research and paid great attention to detail, I started receiving inquiries to proofread for others, transcribe audio, help answer client inquiries, etc. I also started my own Mobile Notary business and learned firsthand how complex it is to manage a business on my own. I floated the idea to a friend of my perhaps starting a business with the purpose of helping other businesses and Dynamic Integrated Virtual Assistant Services was born. I chose the acronym because it is my hope that in the future I can partner with and hire other women to work with. DIVAS.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
By stepping out of a submissive role, it put further strain on a marriage that honestly was already unhappy and made me a target within the religion. I ultimately launched my business while separated from my spouse during a pandemic while also working a full-time job in the day and having my child home with me as a virtual learner. I was also being shunned by the majority of the people I grew up with for leaving the religion. Even still, it seems that the biggest obstacle is not having enough time in the day. There were and are still programs and courses I feel would help me advance and make things run smoothly, but my income needs to increase in order to take advantage of those options. Still, I enjoy what I do and plan to continue making it grow!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager. I proofread and edit documents, manage social media, organize business meetings, contact vendors, respond to client inquiries, create Google forms, manage Google Business profiles, support on-site events when needed, the list goes on. The great thing about my role is that not every business owner needs the same type of assistance and if there is something they need from me that I do not currently offer, if it’s within my reach to learn and assist with, I add the skill to my repertoire! I love having the opportunity to work with diverse clientele such as ROQ Body Academy, ThaBeadedLyfe Boutique, Fluidity LLC, A Nu Day Therapy, and Sweetest Nectar LLC, just to name a few, because all bring unique perspectives and challenges and the business owners are just as driven as I am to succeed. The clients I work with often express their appreciation for what I do and recommend me to others and that let’s me know I have found my calling!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the diversity and support within St Louis. It’s a large city, yet small at the same time to where we often joke that there are only 2 degrees of separation here as opposed to 6. It is easy to network and find common ground and shared acquaintances that make business ventures even more exciting. In my spare time, I love to read, travel, hike, exercise, attend poetry and musical events, and just be around positive people. What I like the least, honestly nothing can be done about, the weather. Sometimes it’s hard to be dressed and prepared for a long day when the season will change three times within 24 hours. But we’re use to dealing with that here, and we don’t let it stop us!

Contact Info:

• Email: Admin@dynamicintegratedvas.com
• Website: www.dynamicintegratedvas.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dynamicintegratedvas
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/dynamicintegratedvas
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/divas_obm

Image Credits
Rogue Shots Ade Tokundo Ali Mayer