Vol. 1 Edition 11 July 20, 2025 No silver platters. Just faith, music, and movement

I am deliberate and afraid of nothing. — Audre Lorde  

Dear Brilliant Community,

This week I’ve been deep in the paperwork and puzzle of HUBZone certification. But what I’m continuing to learn —is this: business isn't about forms. It’s about alignment. It’s about listening. Following the yes, even when you don’t know where it’s taking you.

A few weeks ago, a quiet intuition nudged me: 

Register as a vendor in New York State.

No one told me to. There wasn’t a YouTube tutorial or checklist. Just a quiet nudge. So I did.

Three days later, I saw an interview on YouTube with Dr. Kizzy Parks, featuring a woman named Debra Smith who shared how she pivoted and landed a major government contract in New York. She mentioned attending a state conference that connected her to the right people—the people making decisions. As I watched, I scrolled through the comments. Someone said that same conference is coming up soon.

Debra replied: “I’ll be there too.”

It’s happening in Rochester, New York, where I grew up. Where my parents still live. Of course I’m going.

Meanwhile, back in North Carolina…

I’m applying for certifications here too—HUBZone, M/WBE, DBE, all the layers that make access possible. Every mentor and workshop says the same thing: “There's contracts on the table, but people aren’t applying.” 

So I am.

Maybe you've heard that too? What's your 'table' with contracts waiting?

Because this isn’t a hobby or a someday dream.

This is a discipline.

Almost every day, I open SAM.gov.

I check the North Carolina eVendor Portal.

I scroll the New York State Contract Reporter.

I review solicitations. I flag questions. I learn the language.

This is self-study, every morning. No class, no blueprint, just persistence.

I’m using the 12-Week Year, starting with the end in mind, to stay focused.

Every four months is a new “year” for me—a new cycle of goals, deliverables, and execution.

I don’t ask, “What do I want to finish by December?”

I ask, “What must be true by the end of these 12 weeks?”

That’s how I’m moving:

Focused. Structured. Relentless.

By the end of this year, Brilliant Corners will not just have shown up—it will have delivered.

Because I’m not just building vision.

I’m building evidence.

This discipline fuels the engine, but the inspiration? That comes from everywhere. And sometimes my inspiration isn’t linear. It doesn’t all come from one place. One moment it’s a 1994 track by The Brand New Heavies. The next, it’s a Langston Hughes poem. Then it’s a Jay-Z lyric running through my head.

That’s how my brain works.

That’s how I make sense of the world.

And when it gets hard—and it does—music catches me.

The other day, I was driving my daughter to meet up with a friend, and my whole chest lit up when “Brother Sister” by The Brand New Heavies came on. That song that my sister, Ayanna and I played to death still hits.  

Especially this verse:

“Grandma said, at times you’ll feel a sting. There will be sharp turns and uphills and closed doors. Then she said, hold on to your faith—

‘cause in this world, you’ve got to go and get yours. 

So you stand up. Be strong, go out there. Hold on to the real things that matter ‘cause no one’s gonna hand it to you on a silver platter.”

Yes, Grandma. That part.

I am deliberate and afraid of Nothing - Audre Lorde

Langston Hughes “Mother to Son”:

“Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair…”

I'm still climbing... still turning corners... still moving through the dark where there ain’t been no light.

Still here.

And finally, Jay-Z, from Rick Ross' “The Devil Is A Lie”:

“Told my life, the devil is a lie—I’m the truth.”

That line gets me right every time.

Because when I start hearing the critic in my head—the one that says I’m not ready, not qualified, not enough—

I remember:

I’m the truth.

Not the doubt.

Not the delay.

Not the closed doors.

Me: I’m the truth.

What about you?

What’s your “nudge”?

What’s the habit that’s moving you forward?

What song or poem reminds you of who you are?

Hit reply and tell me. I’m building a playlist—and a movement.

With you in the field,

Soyini