Shama Patel [Humanoids of Huntsville]

As an engineer by training, Shama Patel could have been intimidated when she took her first entrepreneurial steps into social media and marketing. Instead, she got educated.

“I took different workshops, I read a lot, I got to understand what people’s social media profiles were like, and just did a lot of work behind the scenes,” Shama says. “So I got that education and now I’m able to pass that on to others. I tell other people, ‘You can do the same thing, too. You don’t have to be an expert, but you can share the knowledge you have.’”

All that legwork eventually turned into Evening Light Designs, LLC a startup that specializes in creating and maintaining social media sites, websites, and graphic designs. Meanwhile, Shama’s affinity for sharing knowledge found an outlet in The Social Tribe, her biweekly social media workshop at Urban Engine’s CoWorking Night.

While Shama says she doesn’t expect her company to be an overnight success, she also knows that kind of uncertainty can discourage aspiring entrepreneurs. In the way of advice, she points to her own experience with self-motivation.

“You’re going to have a lot of ups and downs and think, ‘Can I really do this? Can I not do this? How can I do this?’” Shama says. “I really started my journey from engineering by putting myself into that position of, if someone else can do it, why can’t I? And I tell people the same thing. You can do it, just don’t give up.”