Meet Author, Entrepreneur, and Producer, Farissa Knox

Farissa Knox is a Chicago-based author, producer, and entrepreneur. Founder and CEO of RLM Media, an integrated marketing and communications advertising agency, and WhatRUWearing (WRUW) Productions, Farissa is a visionary creative executive, passionate storyteller, and tastemaker. An accomplished director and executive producer, her content and on-air appearances span NBC Chicago to Amazon Prime. In its second season, her reality show PRGirl showcases the grit and grind behind the PR industry’s lifestyle, fashion, and beauty sectors. From writing to designing, speaking, and creative development, Farissa draws inspiration from real life with a mission to change the social narrative and empower diverse, authentic characters.

 

Christina: What is your SwagHer? What makes Farissa, Farissa?

Farissa: I love this! I think it’s my creative energy and how I uniquely harness it and put it out into the world. Whether it’s how I present myself every day, the outfits I pick, the way I love on my kids, or the way I lead my staff—I lead with my creative, nurturing energy, and that is what makes me, me. 

Christina: Tell us a little bit about your businesses, RLM Media and WhatRUWearing Productions. 

Farissa: RLM is a full-service integrated marketing, communications, and advertising agency. We focus on the full spectrum of potential client needs—from research to insights to messaging, creative, paid media, and more—and managing all of it. WhatRUWearing is my production company. We created and produced the reality show PRGirl, which is streaming on Amazon. We have a couple of other television shows and documentaries in the early days of pre-production. Business is good!

Christina: Why did you choose to pursue entrepreneurship? Have you always wanted to own a business?

Farissa: I don’t think I even knew what an entrepreneur was before I became one. Hell, I can only spell it today because of spell-check (haha). I never set out to be a business owner because I didn’t know that was a way to make a living. At the start of my career, I set out to be one of the best at what I did—no matter what that was. As I grew, navigated the economy, and developed relationships, I tripped into entrepreneurship, and I decided to apply my “I want to be one of the best” mentality to it. 

Christina: What are some of the challenges you feel Black women face when running their own businesses?

Farissa: One of the biggest challenges we face is not knowing what we don’t know. Traditionally, we don’t come from generations of business owners who have already navigated some of the hard parts of all this (raising money, understanding how to manage people, being strategic from the beginning about our desired exit strategies, etc.). We have to take different twists and turns to accomplish the same things others have been doing for generations. Once you get past all that, you have the typical things you would think of: racism, sexism, ageism, and the plain ignorance of others. 

Christina: Tell us about your book, Love, Sex, and Friendship: In No Particular Order. What inspired you to write this, and where can our readers go to purchase it?

Farissa: My book is the story of my 20s, working, living, and dating in NYC. I think everyone who reads it walks away feeling nostalgic for the early 2000s and feeling like they were hanging out with their best girlfriend. I wrote it on a dare, and then, along the way, I realized/remembered how much the writing process is a therapy for me—and now I’m a published author. It’s still crazy for me, but I’m so proud that people can find and buy the book online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million. 

Christina: Do you have any advice for the young Black female entrepreneurs out there?

Farissa: My advice is two-fold. First, don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from taking the next step, or just a step. So many times, when I’m talking to folks, they don’t do anything because they think they don’t know what to do. It’s less about doing the right thing and more about not sitting still. My other piece of advice is to educate yourself on traditional businesses in your space. How are they run? What’s the model? How do owners scale and grow? What is your plan for exit? Knowing all these things and having a plan for them from the beginning sets you up for success. I didn’t realize this until about five to seven years into my business. 

Christina: You have a reality show, PRGirl. Tell us about that. Where can we go to watch it?

Farissa: My first show creation! PRGirl is a modern reality show, but it’s atypical in the sense that women are not fighting with each other, creating unnecessary drama, or talking about each other behind each other’s backs. Instead, the women on the show are rock stars in their space of public relations—they support each other (and others), and they look fly doing it all! Our latest season is streaming on Amazon Prime right now. 

Christina: Not only are you a producer, author, and business owner, I understand you’re also a lover of style and fashion. Are there any dos and don’ts that you would share with Black women regarding how they should dress for business, especially since many meetings are now virtual?

Farissa: Yeah, for me, no matter if I am at home or in the office, it’s important to me to show up as my best self. That doesn’t mean wearing a suit for Zoom meetings, but I tend to dress as if I have people coming over for lunch. I’m put together in a way where I can accept company, but not as if I’ll be sitting in a conference room. So, do your hair, put on your favorite makeup item(s), and dress for company! You do that, and you will be ready for any virtual meeting.

Christina: Do you have any upcoming events or projects you would like our readers to know about?

Farissa: I’m working on a handful of new projects that I hope to be able to share more about this year. I’m writing, and some television show ideas are in development. So stay tuned!

 

Connect with Farissa:

Website: https://farissaknox.com/

Instagram: @farissaknox

Facebook: Farissa Knox

LinkedIn: Farissa Knox