Meet Allistar Banks... Author and Motivational Speaker
Feb 26, 2020
My name is Allistar Banks and I am twenty-eight years old and I was born and raised in McCormick, South Carolina. I am a graduate of Lander University in Greenwood, SC and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications in 2013. I have been featured in the Index-Journal, The Press and Banner, McCormick Messenger, Lander University’s magazine, and interviewed on WZLA 92.9FM. I was recently a featured author at the Palmetto State Literacy Association Conference this past February in Hilton Head Island, SC. I am best known for my personal development books that teach young women how to have healthy relationships with others and food and also children’s books that teach new concepts and kindness. My five books I have now published are Girl Rise, Cracking the Happy Weight Code, Spring Brings Summer, A Colorful Balloon Ride, and Lenny the Lizard and His Green Scarf. I am now honored to be on a future broadcast with the CBS Sunday Morning Show for my children’s book called A Colorful Balloon Ride, which teaches one to five-year-old’s their colors by using objects of carnival food and nature on Mary and Emily’s hot air balloon ride around the County Fair with Mr. John. Besides writing, I love to read, hike, do yoga and Pilates, hike, go bowling, watch comedy movies, see plays, go to the mountains, and spend time with family and friends.
What kind of work do you do?
Author/Motivational Speaker
What inspired you to become an author?
I was in the fourth grade and I was nine-years-old. Our school had a story contest and my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Jones at the time saw my ability to do storytelling and loved my fun and wild imagination I had for story book characters. I decided to write a picture book at the time called The Sorcerer and the Magic Pond where Henry learned to use his powers for good and not for evil. I loved fairy tale books at the time and how magic in Cinderella was used for good when Cinderella was given the chance to fall in love with prince charming.
What’s your favorite aspect of writing?
I love that writing is therapeutic and others can relate to my work.
What inspired you to get started as an entrepreneur?
Back in 2015, I was a Social Media Intern for At Your Service and I saw how April Morris was very passionate about helping the elderly and working class stay organized and get daily tasks accomplished without feeling burnout. She inspired me to turn my hobby for writing into a business and in 2017 I began writing my children’s stories and inspirational stories that centered around love, life, and overcoming my eating disorder of orthorexia and body dysmorphia. I battled with being overweight for most of my childhood and into my teen years due to financial stress, my estranged relationship with my dad, my mom going through heartbreak from her three-year long relationship, my disabled brother’s seizure ongoing episodes, being bullied and picked on for my shy and withdrawn personality, and much more. I published my five books Lenny the Lizard and His Green Scarf, A Colorful Balloon Ride, Spring Brings Summer, Girl Rise, and Cracking the Happy Weight Code over the course of two years and here I am as an Authorpreneur.
What was your biggest struggle to get things going for your online business?
Developing a following on Instagram and Twitter.
Was there a time you thought about giving up? What kept you from quitting?
There was a time I thought about giving up and it was a couple of months ago because I was seeing a dip in sales. By reflecting on positive reviews from my children’s books keep me going and recently a friend of mine from Facebook told me, “Because people like you inspire me and I appreciate people like you who do what they love and help me and guide me indirectly to do what I love and I wish more people would stop during their busy day to tell people they love that they appreciate them.”
What have you learned since beginning?
I have learned to join Facebook groups and contact Facebook pages that centered around my target audience for my children’s and young adult books. I have learned to use searchable hashtags and keywords for people to find my books on Amazon.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
What does your target reader want to hear from you?
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
Attend free networking events that certain around what you do.
What’s the professional win you’re most proud of?
Being on a future broadcast with the CBS Sunday Morning Show for my children’s book A Colorful Balloon Ride.
Is there a book you’d recommend to help with success and personal development?
Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be
By: Rachel Hollis
Do you have a routine that you attest to your success? If yes, what is it?
By getting up every morning and praying. I have found a channel on YouTube called Boho Beautiful and she takes you through a nine-day challenge of meditations. Day 1 Guided Meditation for Being Present, day two is called Guided Meditation for Gratitude, day three is Guided Meditation for Peace & Contentment, day four is Guided Meditation for Self-Acceptance, day five is Guided Meditation for Letting Go, day six is Guided Meditation to End Your Day, day seven is Best Guided Meditation for Inner Strength, day eight is Easy Guided Meditation for Manifesting Dreams, and day nine is Guided Meditation for Healing. Acceptance of the Present Moment is a great meditation of where we see our life going.
“Resisting does more harm to you.”-Boho Beautiful
How has social media played a factor in your success?
Online referrals
What are the biggest social media mistakes you see commonly made?
Not being consistent, post overload, and inconsistent branding.
What is the business tool that’s been most helpful?
Thumbtack, The Fussy Librarian, Welcome to Ms. Yearby’s Reading Adventures, Story-time Facebook pages, and Women’s Entrepreneur groups.
Is there something you wish everyone knew?
No
What’s coming up for you in the next few months?
Working a book called Sarah’s Story which about a girl named Sarah Crossroads who comes to a crossroads in life to chose the stable 9-5 of being a Sports Psychologist like her parents want her to be or became a professional women’s basketball player. While choosing career paths, she struggles with a binge-eating disorder after her sister dies in the same car accident they were involved in with their friends after prom. She is ashamed to let her friends Kim, Hannah, Anna, and Kevin in on her problem with emotional eating. She copes with the death of her sister by eating food to comfort her. She goes out with a boy from school named Joshua to take her mind off of her sister’s passing, work, and school. Her weight steadily creeps on and she shouldn’t take a notice until she goes off to college and discovers that she has put on forty pounds or so.
My coming of age poetry book about love and life for young adults.
My book called For Better or For Worse which is based on the divorce of my parents.
Doing virtual book tours with the Martinique Show.
What has been successful taught you?
It has taught me to trust the process and being successful means that you are inspiring others to go out and take their passion and turn it into a business.
What are some fun facts about you?
I met Former President Jimmy Carter when I was in the fifth grade because I wrote a paper about him and my mom and I got to attend one of his church services and we got our picture taken with him.
I went on a mission trip to Rhode Island in 2007 with my church.
I raised three liters of Shih Tzu puppies from the age of 12 up until the age of 15.
Connect with Allistar:
*Some clickable media, usually the book recommendations, are affiliate links, and should you choose to buy through using those links then The Infinite Power of You Inc. may earn an affiliate payout commission. This is at no additional expense to you, and helps keep this blog going.
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