About this episode
In this episode of This Mother Means Business, Laura sits down with community-builder, advocate, and founder of Black Moms Connection, Tanya Hayles. Tanya shares how a simple Facebook group for Black moms turned into a global nonprofit serving tens of thousands of women, how she thinks about advocacy, funding, and impact, and why slow, values-led growth still matters. They dive into nonprofit vs. for-profit decisions, building a working board with intention, navigating grief and career pivots, and why collaboration, data, and niche communities are the future. If you’re a mom building something bigger than yourself—especially a community or movement—this conversation will light you up and ground you at the same time.In this episode you will hear:00:00 – Meeting Tanya & why Laura “inserted herself” into her life01:00 – Who Tanya is: Black Moms Connection, global village & nonprofit work03:00 – “Busiest unemployed person ever” and the childcare centre application story05:15 – The sunscreen story: how Black Moms Connection actually started06:30 – From 400 to 4,000 members in two months & realizing she’d built a ship07:40 – Why Tanya chose the nonprofit route over a for-profit community model11:00 – Advocacy, government consultations, and protecting the community’s voice14:15 – Reputation, values, and being careful about partnerships and optics16:00 – From Facebook group to nonprofit: learning structure, boards, and funding19:30 – Building a working board with intention (not vibes) and big-picture goals22:30 – Tanya’s vision: 24-hour childcare, global chapters, apps, and sustainable growth26:30 – Post-it walls, shifting priorities, and redefining “balance” as a mom in business31:30 – Grieving job loss, starting again, and letting new business ideas emerge36:30 – IOE Agency, Blackout Experience, and building offers from existing skills41:30 – The power of data, niche communities, and why safety + specificity matter44:30 – Where to find Tanya, Black Moms Connection, and why she’s divesting from Instagram Tanya's Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetanyahayles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blkoutexperience/Website: www.theioeagency.comWebsite: www.blkoutexperience.com Tickets for This Mother Means Business LIVE - Presented by CIBC Business Banking on April 1st, 2026 are available now! Get yours here: https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.co
