Operations Unfiltered

Welcome to operations unfiltered the
podcast that takes you behind the scenes.

Zuryna: I'm your host Zarina.

And today we're bringing you an incredible
conversation with Tiana Frazier, the

CEO and founder of be more girly.

If you haven't heard of be more
girly yet, get ready to be inspired.

It's a fast growing community created
just this year to empower women across

Baltimore and the DMV area, connecting
them through inclusive, high energy events

that celebrate collaboration and support.

What started as a small idea is now
a thriving movement of over 16, 000

followers and counting, which shows
you just how powerful it is when women

come together with a shared mission.

Tiana's vision is all about creating
spaces where women from all walks of life

can network, learn, and grow together.

And did you know, research from
the Harvard Business Review shows

that women entrepreneurs who
collaborate are almost twice as

likely to see their businesses grow?

This spirit of community is at the
heart of Be More Girly, where Tiana

is building something truly impactful.

One event at a time in this episode,
Tiana shares her journey, her

challenges, and her secrets to creating
a supportive and authentic community.

So without further ado, let's
get into this week's episode

of operations unfiltered.

So I'm joined by a very special
guest, the founder and creator

of be more girly Tiana Frazier.

Welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Hi, I'm so happy to be here.

I can't wait to get into it.

Yes.

Well, I have to be honest.

I found you scrolling through Instagram
one day and what caught me was your logo.

I am a pink girl and I
love the be more girly.

So that's what drew me to you.

And as I was scrolling through
the Instagram, I fell in love.

So I'm like, I need to talk to you.

How did you start this?

How did be more girly become about?

Teauna: This is literally my
number one most asked question just

by like the idea of be more girly
just being you know, be more girly.

I'm always so surprised that people
Kind of don't realize how Baltimore

is not as inclusive as well as
welcoming to women in general.

It doesn't matter the race, doesn't matter
the age, doesn't matter the demographic.

It's just, we don't have a lot of
activities and events and exposure for

our businesses, our entrepreneuring, our
opinions, just overall, we don't as women

here in Baltimore have inclusiveness.

So I decided to go ahead and just take
the stand, step up and just create that

sense of belonging for the girlies here
in Baltimore and now like even in the DMV.

Zuryna: I love the term girly.

It's so dainty.

It's so, what is it?

Demure, cutesy.

I love that.

Yes.

And it's like your whole branding,
your kit, your, your marketing,

everything just all aligns into that.

So I absolutely love that mission.

And , what are the age ranges that
Be More Girly is geared towards?

Everybody can join.

Give us the tea on that.

So our age range

Teauna: starts from 18.

I want to honestly say younger.

I have a lot of younger followings as
well, but we go all the way to 65 to 70.

I have like, yes, it's crazy.

It's crazy.

You would think like, oh,
like it's be more girly.

So maybe it's the 22 to
like the 28 year era.

I have girlies that are in high school.

I have girlies that are,
they have grandkids.

They have great grand.

Oh, you really curated a girly community.

I love that.

It's so welcoming and it just provides
such a, a nice sense of belonging

where yes, we have to always be on our,
like our, on our bully or we always

have to be in our gangsta hustling.

Yeah.

But like, it just creates,
creates a sense of belonging.

Like, Hey, we could be girls here.

We're a girls girl.

We're a girls girly.

You're a girls' girly.

Let's be girls girly together.

Zuryna: Tell us a little bit about you.

Who is Tiana?

, how did you start this?

What does this mean to you?

Teauna: Ah, okay.

So, so I feel like I
got in my introduction.

I never do that, which is so silly.

I literally don't tell anyone
about me or anything when it comes

to the behind the scenes, but I

Zuryna: know, but we
want to know who you are.

This is an amazing little community.

We got to know who created this.

Teauna: So, my name is Tiana.

I go by T usually, and
I'm only 23 years old.

No!

Yeah, I'm

Zuryna: only

Teauna: 23 years old.

I'm originally from Norfolk, Virginia.

I came over to Baltimore when I
was eight, and I'm a Capricorn,

a January Capricorn at that.

And I mean, I'm the itinerary friend,
basically, if that makes sense.

I'm pretty sure now, like,
I am just, I'm a girly girl.

Like I'm a, I'm a, I'm just a
welcoming kind of social butterfly.

And so, and the spirit,
if that makes sense.

Zuryna: I can get that
from your Instagram feed.

I get that from this
community that you've created.

It gives very bubbly.

It gives very, you're a girls girl.

So I get it.

Teauna: Like you would understand, be
more girly in all like You Honesty is

really me like it's not even something
I have to put a face on for it's not

something that I have to Try to be or
pretend to be it's honestly all naturally

100 Just an extension of me and it's
so easy to be able to do these events

and talk to the girls and just be able
to come up with different things that

are out of the box because it's just
Honestly, it's just Tiana in reality.

, Zuryna: I love that.

So we here at Operations Unfiltered, we
like to talk about the logistics, the

behind the scenes, what makes things go.

Let's do it.

Let's get into what tools and technology
do you use to manage your content?

I've gone through your feed.

Like I said, and you are so
engaged with your audience.

The videos are crisp.

Everything looks professional quality.

What tools do you use?

Tell us, give, give the girls the tea.

Teauna: So you guys want my inside, right?

You guys don't want
gatekeeping, basically.

You don't want me to gatekeep, so,

Zuryna: exactly.

Teauna: So to be honest with you guys,
like when it comes to filming my videos,

I do it right on my iPhone 13, pro Max.

Very go, not 13.

Yes, the 13, uh, the 16 just came out.

So she's lagging.

She's probably, she's
on her last right now.

And

Zuryna: they're crisp like that.

Be more girly tech time because

Teauna: yes, I record on my iPhone.

And then when it comes to editing,
I edit right on my iPhone.

I use the app cap cut.

Okay.

So I have, you know, full range
to all of the, what I need to do

with editing, animations, anything
in regard, in regards to that.

And, , the most craziest thing is, , I
do it in the spur of the moment.

So most of my videos are put together.

edited day of.

Probably when I post it, I just finish
editing it at that same time as well.

What?

Are you serious?

Yeah, everything is spare the moment.

What's in my brain?

What's how I'm feeling that day?

What needs to be marketed?

What's coming up in events?

It's never like I'm, I don't have a
calendar where I write down posts.

I need to go out.

None of it.

It's in my brain.

. Zuryna: That is so crazy.

So that was, that was going
to be my next question.

, what about your daily tasks?

How do you schedule emails
and things like that?

Are you a pen and paper kind of
girly, or do you do the notes app?

What's your vibe?

My vibe is pen and paper.

I

Teauna: am an old school.

School to do list girl,

I got it off so I can get
that, that, you know, instant

gratification that I got it done.

Okay, we're going to have to

Zuryna: have a target date because
it's going to be more girly at

target because I cannot wait
to get down the calendar aisle.

That is my go to like favorite time
of the year is getting a new calendar.

So we see each other with that.

Teauna: So I do the to do list and
then I also am big on Google Calendar.

I'm quick to send somebody a
Google Evite because I have ADHD.

So my schedule is actually something I
revolve around when it comes to routine.

I need those 30 minute notifications.

I need the location.

Set the

Zuryna: travel time reminder, please.

Teauna: All of it.

I need, I need them to remind
me because I'm going to forget

if it's not on my Google Evite.

Invite.

If not on my Google, like
calendar, it does not exist.

Zuryna: Okay.

Yeah.

Honestly, as a project manager and my
side hustle, that's one of the things

that I always tell my business owners
is like, you need to get it out of

your head and get it somewhere else.

So you can delegate.

Cause that is honestly the biggest
key to, you know, building your brand,

building your business, whatever is
being able to delegate where you need to.

So I love that you're already doing that.

And that leads me to my next question.

You said you're only 23, which is crazy.

You built this amazing community.

Do you have a team or is it just you?

, what is, what's going on?

It's just me and I'm just

Teauna: me.

I'll buy my lonely.

Yep.

I take care of all of the operations.

I take care of all of
the logistics meetings.

I plan myself.

I schedule myself.

I map out, um, the financial
aspects of everything.

I go over, um, you know,

.
It's materials, decorations, food,
budget costs, everything I do is just me.

I sit at my dining room table and I
just lock in my favorite jacket on and

I just glue myself to my, my mini like
fake office, my friends in my apartment,

but trust and believe it's a tax cutoff.

Yes, you're right in this apartment
corner off in a tax write off.

So no,

Zuryna: that's right.

That's right.

So that's crazy.

I'm still stuck on the fact that
you just do this by yourself.

Is this your main hustle?

Is this, or do you have a full time job?

How do you manage all of this?

So

Teauna: originally I was a not was but
so I'm like a social media influencer

already in my own personal brand.

I've worked with companies
like Match Group.

I don't know if you guys know about BLK.

Yes.

Dating app.

So I've done influencing from for them
for like, Various of projects from social

media, like TikTok and Instagram to doing
campaign shoots and things like that.

That's a side hustle I
have for passive income.

I'm also a orthodontic tech.

So I do the braces.

I work with braces all day.

I love it.

Girl with

Zuryna: hustles.

Teauna: Yes.

I love it.

I love it.

I love it.

And then finally my.

Third, um, side hustle is
also, I am a PRP counselor.

I help people who have mental health
disabilities as well as psychiatric, um,

issues that need to do like rehabilitation
and wellness and just retract themselves.

So, I already had three.

Hustles, Beamer Gurley was 100
percent not supposed to blow up the

way it did to become a full time job.

Since then, I have now cut my ortho job
into three days instead of a full five

day work week, but the other two, um,
jobs are also passive already, so they

weren't really demanding as my full time
40 hour a week job, but Beamer Gurley

definitely is becoming a, like, 180 hour
week on a situation is very demanding.

Oh my goodness.

Zuryna: Are you anticipating that
you'll need to get help soon or

are you good just riding solo?

Teauna: Um, over time I do, I do wish
to hire a personal assistant that

I can completely trust as well as
delicate tasks that will be done in

the order that I want to right now.

I feel like the passion that I
have for be more girly, it makes

me like front standing for it.

I know at some point I want to
You know, enjoy my life and be

able to put on other things.

But right now it's just, it's like the
adrenaline of being able to see something

to foresee my vision, like to life,
like see it on the actual, like ground

up and running and people actually.

Having a great time.

So, yeah.

And

Zuryna: to see how you're
making such a difference.

I can see it in the faces
of everybody that attends.

It just looks like everybody's
having such a great time.

So kudos to you and your passion.

I can really see the fruits of
your labor are coming to fruition

for lack of a better word.

Teauna: Thank you so much.

I'm so grateful and we literally
just launched in January.

I posted the logo.

I said, hey guys.

I'm going to be throwing events
and we're going to be exposing some

entrepreneurs, putting them on a map.

And then here we are at 16.

3 K 10 months later.

Zuryna: That is such a blessing.

That is so amazing.

And honestly, it's only up from here,
especially with such a genuine heart

in the community that you're creating.

It's truly only up from here.

So I'm super excited to see that.

Teauna: Thank you so much.

Zuryna: Now you mentioned that one
of your side hustles is that you do

some content creation and influencer.

And I always have this conversation with.

My friends and with my work groups
and my peers, do you consider yourself

an influencer or a content creator?

I consider myself, I want to say an

Teauna: influencer.

I'm gonna, I'm an influencer.

All, like, all I'm said done, I'm
an influencer because I do feel

like I influence people to curate
what I'm giving them, basically, or

to, to have what I'm giving them.

I wish I could say both.

Because the content I do also
is so unique and I try to.

Exactly.

That's why I

Zuryna: always ask that question,
especially because I love, that's

what I, that's what attracted me to
the be more girly brand is the type

of content that you were putting out.

So I would say you're both girl.

Give yourself that credit,
pat yourself on the back.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I literally

Teauna: like no photos on the page.

It's only videos of like,
like previous, um, events or

what's happening in the future.

I like to do live videos
that are like quick cut.

Fast in motion because that I have ADHD.

So I want something that will attract
them the audience and it attracts me.

I know it a hundred percent
will attract you guys.

So for

Zuryna: sure, for sure.

And you definitely got me girl.

And now you mentioned that you do
your content more sporadically.

What are some of the other content
creation challenges that you face?

Maybe as a small business owner
doing all this by yourself and

even as a community organizer.

This, thank you for asking,
girl, because I've been, I've

Teauna: been needed to talk
to a therapist about this.

Let's unpack.

Let me get, let me get
this out of my system.

So you would not believe the blocks I get
from actually feeling like the pressure

of having to, creates, I don't know, it
might sound selfish, it might sound a

little like rude, but some days I lay in
bed and I feel like I have a deadline, and

as soon as I feel like I have a deadline,
I instantly don't want to do anything.

Zuryna: Oh, I get that so

Teauna: much.

Try having a kid with it too.

I don't know.

So that's exactly why I'm like, If this
is going to be something I'm passionate

about, let's keep it at passion.

And I don't ever want it to overlap
when it comes to like, having,

having it to be my full time job
where it's like, I got to hustle to

make, be more girly, pay my bills.

I do not want to be more
girly paying my bills.

I want to be more girly.

Being something fun, exciting,
and something I love to do.

Once it starts truly your

Zuryna: passion project,

Teauna: literally, that's why I
work still as many jobs as I do,

because I never want to have it to
be like, Oh, I got to pay my rent.

We got to have three events.

No, everything I'm doing is
just because I feel like it.

And I'm going to have a
great time with the girls.

So sometimes I get blocked
because it becomes more than a

passion and it becomes a deadline.

Unfortunately, that becomes a problem.

When I need to post maybe a video
introducing an event or a video to

keep the girls kind of like interested
and keep, keep the content consistent.

If I could just post once a month
to remind them that we're Be More

Girlie, I would love that, but I can't.

Some days I miss others though, seriously.

Zuryna: Yeah.

Have you ever worked with other
influencers or content creators

to promote what you have going on?

I'm a talent manager for creators
and they do a lot of bartered events.

So wondering, have you
ever considered that?

Um, if so, why or why not too?

Cause this question always
stumps my other guests too.

So let's get into it.

Teauna: So I have, if you want to say
work with other influencers, I have

definitely done that where it's like, I.

They'll reach out to me and they'll
be like, Hey, we love you more girly.

Let us know if we can do some like
video footage for you or some content.

And we will, , just like to receive
maybe tickets to that event for free.

It's never like out of my pocket.

It's just, they want to experience
be more girly and they just want

to showcase what they experienced.

Zuryna: So have you found
that to be successful?

Because I find that You know,
with influencing and content

creation truly taken off, there's
a lot of money in this industry.

And I know the spirit of collaboration
has, has gone away from that.

Um, but I do think that it can be
beneficial for people who are trying

to grow their, their business,
whether that be online or offline.

So I'm wondering, have you
seen, , a benefit from working

with other people, not even on a
monetary thing, but, , bartering?

Have you, have you found
it to be beneficial?

I definitely have,

Teauna: honestly, because the people
who reach out to me have a huge

following as well as engaging followers.

So they kind of buy tickets as well,
or once they see the experience that

the content creator posts on their
page, they follow me immediately

because they want more for themselves.

So I 100 percent do agree that
collaboration, like easy, clean

collaboration should kind of come back,
even though influencers and content

creators need to get their money.

They need to get paid.

Zuryna: Absolutely.

I'm not saying that because we,
the talent managers get paid too.

So yes.

Get y'all money, y'all, but I miss
collaborating without all of the strings.

Cause I think that there's so much,
, synergy and ideas that come from that.

And, you know, even good relationships can
be built from that by just collaborating.

And I think that that's missing
because everybody's trying to get

to the bag and yes, we need the bag,
but bring back collaboration, but

Teauna: I think they respect the
They respect the authenticity of it

where they're like, if I'm gonna work
with, be more girly, they surround

themselves and experiences and events.

So the only way I'm going to experience
it or do a collab is if I'm in person.

So let's see.

Maybe just do tickets
and leave it at that.

And they also love the women
empowerment aspect of being more girly.

So they don't ever come to me
like, Shiesty, like, how much

can you afford for a video?

No, they're just like, I want to
have a good time with the girls.

Let me be a part of it.

And I'm like, okay.

Let's work it out.

Zuryna: Right.

Let's get into it.

I love that.

And, and bring back collaboration.

That's my moral of the story.

If I can leave anybody with a
message, bring back collaboration

because you never know.

Bring it back.

That's,

Teauna: I've, I'm like always
wondering about like the tart trips and

And like, um, topicals.

What are they paying?

Like, are they paying
the influencers and no

Zuryna: lifetime trip?

Like, no.

And you know what, as a talent
manager, I think that sometimes

content creators and influencers have a
misconception about the travel industry.

Not a lot of times these
influencers are not getting paid.

These are trips where they're working
and you're, they're They're expecting

you to do reels, they're expecting you
to do carousel images, and you're going.

Maybe you might get first class.

You might get business class, but
you're not getting paid thousands of

dollars to go on these trips at all.

You're actually working.

So that is a common misconception.

Wow, I never knew that.

Teauna: I'm so like.

We can, we can talk about that
a little later because I'm so

like conflicted about that.

Wow.

Zuryna: I know.

Yes, of course girl.

We're going to, we're going
to connect after this.

So what advice would you give to
small business owners or someone who

wants to start a community like this?

What would you tell them to do?

Teauna: I would tell them to
stay consistent, whatever idea

they have, whatever goal they
want to foresee with the plan.

Stay consistent with it.

You're going to have zero like days.

You're going to have zero follower days.

You're going to have times when people
probably don't even view your real or

your video, but you keep posting, you
keep saying true to yourself and unique

to yourself with your personality and
please trust and believe people will.

They will bite into it.

They will become addicted to it and
probably honestly supports you better

than your own friends and family.

Be

Zuryna: your biggest fan because
we watch we watch and we can

tell when it's authentic.

Yes, literally.

Yeah.

And so what or who
motivated you to do this?

I know we talked about it briefly
and whenever I ask these business

owners, they'll say maybe a grandmother
or maybe their child, but what or

who motivated you to start this?

Teauna: I want to say
it's my younger self.

So my inner child probably.

Yes, coming to Baltimore.

I just did not grow up with many friends.

I had my one sidekick, Mona.

She was my best friend.

And then I'm going through high school.

My other best friend name's Tyler.

Um, and.

I always wanted to do bigger events
with like a lot of girls, like you

guys would see on TikTok, like, you
know, like the Halloween boo sleepover

party, like the girly sleepovers.

I will always try to plan those out for
girls who, um, like, you know, I thought

I could have connections with and hang
out with, but I always kind of, you know,

Ended up getting the short end of the
stick where they wouldn't show up or they

were going to be last minute, you know,
plans don't make it out the group chat.

Right.

Oh, I hate that.

We hate.

So I kinda, I kinda was like,
no, I have, I have enough.

I have enough following
on my own and enough of a

personality that people know me.

I want to share it with
the rest of the world.

And my inner child kind of like, My
inner child kind of like pushed me

to do this because I've always wanted
to have a large group of friends.

I always wanted to do events.

I always wanted to make up like
different themed activities to do.

So my younger child definitely,
definitely motivated me to do this.

Well, I'm

Zuryna: so proud of you
and I'm proud of her.

I hope you are laminating in this moment.

I don't know if that's the right word.

I read that in a book, but I hope you are
really absorbing this because you, if you

don't tell her you made that girl proud,
I'm proud because you have done it, girl.

Thank you so much.

So what is next for be more
girly for Tiana, the brand?

What's up?

What's next?

Be More

Teauna: Girly is gonna be
tapping more into the DMV.

I love you both more, but we are packing
our bags and we're going on the road

to meet new girlies in Virginia, D.

C.

We're trying to hit Philly.

In the summer we plan on having
a tour for one of our, like,

well known Things that we do.

I don't want to spill too much, but I
was going to say, are we going to get

an opt operations unfiltered exclusive?

Um, we will also be, , this can be
operations unfiltered exclusive.

We actually plan to collaborate
with some Baltimore based brands.

Towards the end of this year.

So I was talking about under armors
performance center, and we're also

talking about power plant live.

We're going to be really yeah.

Zuryna: You heard it here first.

This is the first, I'm so excited.

This is an exclusive way.

I'm so happy.

I got to put that down
with you guys today.

I'm excited.

And I said, what do you see next for you?

The, the person professionally,
personally, what's next for you?

Teauna: For me, um, personally, I
just want to, I want to find a balance

with Bea Margerly and Tiana, and
I want to be able to separate Bea

Margerly from Tiana in the future.

So we're going to be taking a
couple of trips out of the country.

Just kind of like taking care of
my mental and self care and finally

for my mama and for my dad getting
that marketing bachelor degree done.

So

Zuryna: you heard it
here first mom and dad.

She's listening.

She's going to do it.

I'm going to do it.

I promise.

Okay.

Well, for people who don't know,
how can they keep up with, be more

girly and find out about all the
next activities and events and

what is the next event coming up?

How can we get all the team?

Teauna: I read girly.

So for October, we have our Halloween
party happening on the 31st.

All of that is linked in
our bio on our Instagram.

This is how you guys can see
what's happening, what's going on

in the most recent engagements,
follow us at be more girly.

And that's basically it.

Um, I don't have an
email, um, listing yet.

I just haven't been that much of a,
uh, I guess, you know, Like business

owner to be that series email list.

Um, and yeah, but just follow us on
Instagram, you guys can catch all of the

Zuryna: latest there.

All right.

Well, you heard it here first.

We got that exclusive and
thank you so much for sharing

all about be more girly Tiana.

It was such a pleasure.

And thank you guys for listening to
operations unfiltered until next time.

Bye.