A recent visitor to Dell’s main campus just outside Austin, Texas turned several heads.
She was a face very familiar to Dell team members, although most had never met her in person. Dressed in her typically bold style – a brightly patterned suit – team members peeked out of their desks to meet her as she walked the halls of Dell’s headquarters.
Rakia Reynolds is the face of Dell for Small Business appearing in print, video, and digital ads. She was even featured in this Dell for Small Business billboard in Brooklyn, New York (below).
But Reynolds isn’t a professional model. She’s president and founder of Skai Blue Media, a multimedia public relations agency with an all-star roster of lifestyle, technology and fashion clients. And, she’s a real Dell customer.
“We are living in a mobile economy and my laptop is my office,” Reynolds says. “When I got the XPS 13, I was impressed because it had this sleekness to it and I loved the touch screen, it was lightweight and I can go an entire day without having to plug in.”
Taking advantage of technology is number 10 on Entrepreneur magazine’s 23 common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, and Reynolds says technology inspires her to look at things totally different.
Reynolds’ visit to Dell focused, among other things, on an exciting part of Dell’s partnership with the successful businesswoman – supporting entrepreneurs.
Reynolds has been a long-time advocate of women and minority owned entrepreneurs, most recently signing on as a judge on new TV series, Queen Boss.
In addition to her work as the face of Dell for Small Business, Reynolds has been involved with Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) for many years and has participated in a number of events and activations in support of the mission of empowering women entrepreneurs.
Pictured: Erik Day, VP Small Business Sales and Rakia Reynolds, CEO, Skai Blue Media& Face of Dell for Small Business
Reynolds’ day at Dell yielded new opportunities for a continued partnership. She agreed to and subsequently spoke on a Small Business Panel powered by Microsoft and Dell that addressed government policies and how small businesses can grow and thrive under the new administration.
When asked by the Young Entrepreneur Council’s “Business Collective” about the best advice she received that helped shape her as an entrepreneur, however, she said it was actually discouragement that drives her.
“My mother once told me, ‘Rakia, you can’t be on every ship that sails!’ And while some people would agree with this ‘you can’t have it all’ sentiment, I’ve made it my mission to prove her wrong. I absolutely love my mother, but I want to be living proof that you can do everything you put your mind to,” she told them.
Ultimately, however, success to Reynolds is running a company where she gets to have an impact on the world, and we’re excited to provide her the technology solutions she needs to do just that.
