Her superpowers? Effective strategy and a powerful ability to galvanize the right people around a cause. She’s Jessica Chinyelu, former club promoter turned faith-based conference organizer turned sponsorship consultant. Now, as the founder of The Sponsorship Lady, she helps entrepreneurs, influencers, and nonprofits secure corporate sponsorships for their initiatives, having personally secured over $5 million in sponsorship funding throughout her career.
The Strategic Promoter
Jessica's entrepreneurial journey begins with a keen eye for strategic marketing. During college, she became Dallas's go-to promoter for major events like NBA All-Star Weekend and Super Bowl, implementing an ingenious approach that differed from her counterparts.
"While you had male promoters who would be at an event and pass flyers out, I would have these really beautiful girls that I went to college with go to really high-end stores in Dallas," Chinyelu recalls. Her team only gave flyers to the shoppers of those high-end stores, a strategy that proved very effective.
This natural talent for strategic thinking, event promotion, and connecting people are skills that would serve Chinyelu well throughout her career, even as her focus shifted.
A Divine Redirection
Chinyelu’s transition from club promotion came after a profound moment of clarity. “That was the first time I heard the audible voice of God,” she shares, speaking of how divine guidance was the catalyst of her forming Woman of Purpose, a faith-based conference that began humbly but quickly grew beyond expectations. "I was thinking it's just going to be like 60 people in a meeting room,” she recounts. “We had over 600 people at my very first conference.”
Interestingly, many of her initial supporters were the same women who followed her during her days as a club promoter. “Don't ever discount your beginnings, and don't be ashamed of your past,” she encourages. “Every bit of my story got me to where I am today."
Finding Her Business Niche
Chinyelu hosted successful conferences for five years when her husband noticed her repeatedly giving free sponsorship advice. "My husband pulled me to the side and said, 'Babe, you just need to turn this into a business because you're spending hours with people, giving them advice on how to get sponsors for their initiatives,'" she shares.
Still uncertain, Chinyelu decided to test the market—a strategy she continues to advocate for. "I didn't trust it because I didn't see anyone like me who was teaching and educating on sponsorship procurement," she admits. "So I decided to put God to the test."
Her experiment—an extended Instagram Live session offering a pre-order sponsorship e-book—validated her concept immediately, generating $5,500 in sales in just two hours. This led to speaking invitations and the eventual launch of a course with an impressive 70% conversion rate from free consultations.
Building A Sustainable Business Model
Chinyelu’s business has evolved significantly over time. After realizing that her Woman of Purpose conferences weren't financially sustainable on their own, she began diversifying her revenue streams. "Woman of Purpose wasn't a sustainable brand because the only thing I did was host a conference. You have to offer something else," she advises.
In the past, she monetized her business through influencer partnerships, and today, her business includes multiple revenue streams: a membership community, speaking engagements, and an agency model serving high-profile clients.
Business Tips from The Sponsorship Lady
You don’t have to search Chinyelu’s story to find the keys to success. Here are five essential tips she’s shared that you can apply to your entrepreneurial journey today.
1. Leverage Your Natural Gifts (Not Just Your Education): Despite holding four degrees, Chinyelu built her success on innate talents. "I have four degrees, and I'm not using any of them," she admits candidly. Instead, she suggests identifying and monetizing your genuine gifts. "Write down all of your gifts, remove anything you don't see in your future,” she continues. “Then ask God (or ChatGPT) how to monetize it."
2. Find Your Strategic Differentiator: Chinyelu actively disrupted the typical club promotion model by positioning her college friends at high-end retail stores instead of personally distributing flyers. "It was a strategy that worked so well," she explains.
3. Surround Yourself with the Right Advisors: From mentors to spiritual advisors and even business role models, Chinyelu doesn’t travel her entrepreneurial journey alone. "You need people who are going to see beyond what you can see," Jessica emphasizes. Her business transformed when she changed her board of directors to include people who had executed similar visions. "Surround yourself with the right people who can help take your vision to the next level."
4. Test Before You Invest: Jessica's approach to validating business ideas is refreshingly practical. "Before you do anything, always test it out first," she advises. Her $5,500 in e-book pre-sales from a single Instagram Live session proved demand before she created the product—a strategy she consistently recommends.
5. Choose Peace Over Profit: Perhaps her most powerful principle, Chineylu makes business decisions based on inner peace rather than financial gain. "Chase peace, not money," she counsels. "I don't have to work with anyone. I choose to work with the partners or clients I work with," she emphasizes. “Every woman who's a business woman should set themselves up in that way."
If you’re waiting for a sign to ditch your excuses or your fear, this is it. Jessica Chinyelu charted her own course from club promoter to sponsorship consultant who’s secured millions of dollars for her clients. And she’s done it all with the right strategy, support, and use of her natural gifts. “Chase peace,” she advises, “and use those gifts.”
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