The woman helping women build wealthy businesses

Lola Tomorrow is founder of Faith Figures, a company that hosts conferences and provides mentoring for women of faith to build prosperous businesses. Lola was in London recently to encourage, motivate, empower and inspire Black women to reach for the stars where their business is concerned.

This Chicago native has travelled the world as part of former First Lady, Michelle Obama’s events team. She then set up her own events company and worked on the Grammys, Oscars, and other major events. Her desire to see Christian women succeed in business led to the establishment of Faith Figures.

During her time in London, Lola spoke with Keep The Faith about her work, her mission, and her desire to raise up a new generation of successful business owners who are also excited and passionate about their relationship with God.

KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): You were recently in London to share how Christian women can build thriving businesses and retain their faith. Why was it important for you to share that message here?

LOLO TOMORROW (LT): It’s a God thing for me. I believe there have been women praying for the solution that Faith Figures brings. In my company we say all the time: “The world has been waiting for your arrival. People are praying for the solution that your business brings.” When those prayers go up, God then commissions a person like me, who had no plans of coming to London, to come here because He’s answering the prayers of His people. I’m excited about helping women do big business but doing it in partnership with God.

KTF: Following your first-ever event in London, what impression do you have about the Black business community here, and how would you describe your mission?

LT: It’s very different to American - in a good way. Women are hungry for something new. They are hungry for someone who can speak to their spirit and speak to their business at the same time. I am a business mentor to women of faith in business who desire to do big business, whilst honouring God and the wealth legacy on their life.

KTF: You have a great resumé, which includes working on the events team for former First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as on the Grammys. How did that come about?

LT: Through serving. Serving connects you to destiny, which connects you to purpose. Every major opportunity I’ve walked into, I’ve walked in through serving in the right environment at the right time. With Michelle Obama the story is simple: I was right out of college and working for an organisation that Michelle Obama was a part of, and from doing an event where she was the guest speaker, I was offered a job. Two weeks later, I was travelling the world with the First Lady. From there, I was in the right rooms; connected to the right people; doing the right things; and then the Grammys and a lot of other major contracts came.

KTF: How has your faith impacted your approach to business?

LT: I’ve learnt to do business in partnership with God. If the client or money don’t feel right and something in my spirit is not right about it, I have learnt how God leads and guides me on what project I should do, and what I have peace about. And it’s not to confuse the peace of God with just a challenging client. The way God shows up in my business is that He’s leading and guiding me in every decision.

KTF: How have you interpreted the phrase ‘the love of money is the root of all evil’ as you build your business and encourage others to build prosperous businesses?

LT: I really believe as believers we’ve misunderstood the core value of that saying. What I really believe is that without rulership of the Holy Spirit, money has the potential to be evil. If the Holy Spirit is your ruler, money is your resource.

KTF: Can you tell me a bit about your family background?

LT: My father is American-Nigerian. My mother is American. She was a teenage mum; she had me at 17. One thing my mum did, was to instil God and faith into me. Faith has been a core part of my upbringing. My father is less on the faith side. He’s a traditional Nigerian parent who wants me to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. What Dad instilled into me is the drive and the passion I have to do what I do.

Up to the age of nine I went to church because my mum told me to go to church. But something happened around that age where I fell in love with church. I laugh about it now but my punishment as a kid would be “You’re not going to church tonight!” and I’d be crying! Looking back, I just loved the presence of God. Church was a core foundational piece of my childhood.

KTF: What inspired you to become a Christian?

LT: I’ve been doing church all my life and thought I was a Christian. It was when I was in college, aged 17, where I had every plan on living my life, being wild and free. The two things I wanted to do in college were to get drunk and have sex. I was on the college campus probably nine days before I gave my life to Christ. God literally came and found me. I got saved at 17 - with no pastor, no worship band. I had an encounter with God like I’ve never experienced in my whole life. I just so happened to be a virgin at that time; I’d never drunk alcohol or taken any form of drugs and, since that day, my life has been consistently based on Jesus Christ’s teachings.

KTF: How did you find your purpose?

LT: The cool thing about purpose that I’ve learnt - and that I help women to embrace - is that you actually don’t find purpose you walk into it. I think I’ve spent eight or nine years of my life looking for it, asking: “Where it is, God?” I’ve got to find my purpose. I meant well, but I exhausted myself searching for something that just needed me to be present in the now. I have learnt that purpose happens through being present in the now.

Faith Figures is a global organisation and regardless of what I want, the world will know my name and the work I do on behalf of helping women partner with God to scale.

KTF: What are your key successes to date?

LT: Two of my key successes, which most people wouldn’t expect me to say, is this: 1) my emotional well-being as a woman - I’m very proud of the work I’ve done with myself; and 2) the level of healing and wholeness between me and my mother when we’ve had what I consider a toxic relationship. Those are key successes for me. I did an interview and the woman said: “I thought you were going to say because I made a $1million in a day.” That doesn’t equal success to me because what happens when you’re not making money? You’re now depressed because you’re not successful. I’m looking at my evolution as a woman and as a believer. I am really proud of the woman I’ve become and am becoming.

KTF: Anyone who follows you on social media cannot accuse you of not being real, especially as you share insights about your dating experiences. Why is that?

LT: I’m not very public about being a virgin, but when people hear that you date a lot, they automatically assume I’m having sex with all the men. I believe dating is healthy and there’s a way to date that honours yourself and still honours God. Every time I date a guy, I get clarity on what I need.

So many women are afraid to date. I had one woman tell me that she felt online dating was demonic. I don’t have any understanding how she can rationalise it as being demonic. I feel it’s because we’ve over-spiritualised this relationship process. And I think Christians think we shouldn’t have to date.

I think sharing helps me connect, and helps people to relate to me more.

KTF: What does the future hold for Faith Figures, in terms of developing further links and building your business here in the UK?

LT: I feel that my large Faith Figure Conference that we do in the States will come to Britain, at some point, in the next 2-5 years. There are Americans who need to enter this land to see something new, to see something different, and there are women who are here who need to be exposed to something new and different. I believe the UK will be the second largest market for us outside of America. We had women who travelled from Scotland, Birmingham and people from France to attend the Faith Figures London launch. I was pretty impressed that London is not just for the people in London; it’s a hub for people in this part of the world.

KTF: What message do you have for people who run businesses here in the UK?

LT: More than anything, when it comes to business you need divine partnership with God. That is the secret sauce to success. I can’t echo that enough. The other part is relational currency. The right relationships will bring the right resources to your business, that happens by being led by the Holy Spirit on what relationships you need to foster. If nothing else, when people think of Lola Tomorrow, I want people to think of the woman who partners with God to do big business whilst honouring Him.