12 minute read
Laquita Brooks
Laquita Brooks ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE
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When I hear the name “The Motivational Maven”, chills run through my spine, not in a way to gloat but as a surreal feeling of being able to overcome all the challenges in my life. From a humble Christian Background, as a little girl in Louisiana, the need to always be there for people had filled me even at that youthful age. I was always passionate about people; from doctrines from the bible, the ways I was raised, and the interactions I had with people, it was evident that life was all about helping others around you. As a young woman, I thrived off motivation with the travails of being a Black woman in school and other areas. Of course, you hear many Black women say that it was not easy fending off racism and juggling school work or their professional life. But for me, it was particularly hard as I was a teen mom. You know the feeling where it is hard to figure out what you want to do in a particular field, but you know you are supposed to be there. That was me; I relished being an entrepreneur; however, I did not even know what I would do with my life. I would sell candy and sweets in my school and even start making air just to earn more money. As much as breaking free from the shackles of poverty was the mission, I enjoyed seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I made their hair or sold them candy. I have always been fascinated by having multiple streams of income, the thrill of having different areas through which I could pull money from was lovely. So, I invested in many things, from, Hair Salon, to Real Estate to Coaching, Public speaking and a host of other businesses. For me, following the trend and anticipating the future was my motivation. I like to study the times and envision where things are going. Hence, taking action for me is a carefully thought-out process that involves a series of meetings with influencers in the fields to get the best results.
As a visionary, I have seen many creative and talented individuals succumb to the pressure that they do not need to take on different things. The fear of not being able to manage responsibilities limits us as individuals. This is one of the reasons why I decided to coach people. To liberate them from terrible mindsets that set them back. I feel that with the right mindset, you can accomplish anything. Look at me today, a teen mom struggling to understand life to a 7 figure Real Estate investor, Mother, Wife and Mentor.
How did I get started?
Right from my early days in church, there was always an innate feeling to see people smile. I was great at coordinating and organizing people. It was just soothing to see other kids thrive, so it was no surprise how I quickly became a leader in the church. But aside from Church activities, growing up under the watchful eyes of my mother, she instilled in me an independent mindset. She would empower me to become a better version of myself even at a youthful age; bear in mind I still did not know what to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to work for myself. I knew I wanted to own businesses, which business? I had no idea, but the thrill of handling my affairs and making ends meet even at a young age felt so rewarding. So as a young school kid, I would go buy candies, sweets from the local store and sell them to the kids. I was the go-to candy girl in the school. I realized that after we had lunch in school, the kids would always want to munch on something. So, it dawned on me to invest my pocket money in buying sweets. From a few kids to half of the school knowing my name. I was still not satisfied; I did not want to be known only as the candy girl and so I started curling hair in my mother’s kitchen during the weekends. It was so exciting to be curing hair for $10 – $15 in my mum’s kitchen at a youthful age. I loved the independence it gave me, to be that industrious at a youthful age was something I took pride in. I am sure every woman, regardless of their color, can relate to the experience of being a mother. In the beginning, I was bewildered with so many emotions as to how my life will turn out. I mean, how was I supposed to manage being a mom, juggle with school and try to become someone in life. I was lost for a long time struggling with the constant reminder that I was a failure. But there was one thing that did not go to waste in my life even with the whole whirlwind of emotions, the enterprising spirit never died. As a young Black woman who had always had to find a way to fend for herself, even at a youthful age, it was all I knew. My passion for making hair propelled me to go into hair school, where I was able to master the rudiments of making hair. I enjoyed it but it was like there was something missing. I knew there was more to my life than making hair and so as the Universe normally orchestrates things, I got to know about stocks and real estate. I was fascinated by Real Estate, and I went to a school to hone my craft. Now, many people call me the Motivational Maven for many reasons, but I would like to point out one of those reasons. My ability to master distinct aspects of business in order to liberate people is what makes life so rewarding. The thought that you are crazy for doing many things never sat well with me; I wanted to master so much so I would never be stranded again in my life. Today, I thrive in different areas of life and want people to see that they can achieve even greater success with the right person or people behind them.
How did I disaster proof my business?
If anyone says that owning a business is easy, then it is for sure that they do not know half of what they are talking about. Starting and managing a business is one of the most hectic things to do as a human being and a woman. I get asked the question, how am I able to run multiple businesses. Aside from the norms of having a quality staff and being in the right niche, one of the essential factors of preserving your business is disaster proof. No one wants to be a victim of any kind of disaster, especially the one that affects the business. But you need to disaster proof your business to continue the legacy of your operations regardless of the outcome. So how was I able to disaster proof any business? I will show you five ways I was able to do this. The first thing I did to disaster proof my business was get proper insurance. I am no prophet of doom, nor am I expecting a hurricane, flood, or fire to engulf your business. But in any eventuality of any of these happenings, it is expedient that you have the proper insurance that will help you bounce back. I have seen folks that have thriving businesses but since they did not have good insurance, they were not able to continue their legacy. Secondly, I was able to pivot into other areas to up-scale my business. So, what that meant was investing in Online sales, free shipping, free delivery to ensure that I have a rich customer base.
The third thing was to ensure that there was more than one channel of communication between my business and the customer base. You need to provide different outlets through which your customers can reach you. Therefore, investing in quality customer relationship management through digital marketing, text messaging, and email integration software is key to saving your business. There are many forms of disaster that can occur in a business; one of them is going bankrupt. During the first wave of the pandemic, there were many companies that closed because they were not able to keep up with their operations. However, if you have multiple streams of income, you can easily find ways to salvage the situation when an economic meltdown happens. As a business owner, you should have multiple streams of income so that you can be free from any unexpected issues. Finally, having a business comes with unexpected situations that will require some amount of money. As a business owner, you should have some money stored somewhere in your reserves that can be labeled as emergency funds. This was one of the ways I was able to disaster proof my business.
Helping Others to Pivot
There is one thing I always tell people that I coach and others in general, your ability to thrive in life rests on how well you can change with the times. Imagine
someone still using the typewriter to send a message when there are Emails. It sounds absurd, but that is how being fixed to one spot can look ridiculous. But all my life, I was never afraid of pivoting, of changing with the times, and becoming a better version of myself. As I grew up, I realized that through my interaction with people, many feared pivoting. There are distinct reasons why people might be scared of pivoting. One of the major reasons that hampers people in changing with the times is the fact that they feel they should be doing so much more with their lives, but unfortunately, they do not know what to do. I need to put it out there; it took a long time to figure out what to do with much life, and even the successful people are constantly finding themselves as they go through life. So, it is okay to keep finding yourself; you do not have to be hard on yourself. Take your time to follow what you believe in. Another issue is when people follow what their parents want them to do. Many parents want to live their lives through their kids, so if they did not have the opportunity to play basketball, they would want their kids to do so even if their passion is being a musician. So, one of the ways I help people pivot is by making them understand why exactly they cannot move forward? Is there a fear that is stopping you? As much as I want to help people pivot in their business personally, they need to understand where they are going, so that translates into their business.
Another way I help people pivot is by making them realize that there are seasons to whatever you need to do. The most important thing is gaining the knowledge and the application of the information you gathered at a particular time of your life. For me, I have been able to do different businesses, from having hair salons to running a logistics company to even managing an online store. I always understood that there are seasons that define your life, not all seasons will work out in your life, but that is okay. They all have a way of shaping you to become better. As a business owner or even anyone in general, understanding that the seasons match distinct aspects of you is one way of pivoting. The world will constantly tell you that you do not have a focus, that you are all over the place. But what if your definition of being scattered was exploration. I did not know what I was supposed to do for a long time, but I sure did explore. Now, I know what to do and what not to do for my business and life to excel.
Also pivoting in life and business requires you to have the right coach that can motivate and put you on the right track. I had to find a coach that was able to align my creativity and channel my abilities into areas where I could excel. So, it is only normal to reciprocate the favor my coach did for me by helping others whom I knew were stuck in that same situation of being stuck. It is necessary to have someone in your corner to encourage you and let you know that you are not alone, that your dreams are valid, and that you can achieve what you want. As a business owner, you need to be forethinking, and knowing the distinct aspects of your life will help you find ways to break free from any issue relating to your business. Therefore, some companies are still standing even after the pandemic because they have incorporated latest ideas into their business that have helped them grow.
5 tips every business owner should know to disaster proof their business
Disaster can come in any shape in a business, it could be a natural disaster, a death of a colleague, financial struggles or any other unexpected occurrence. One reason business crumble is that their owners do not have sufficient information on how to prepare their business when disaster comes. However, here are five tips you should know in disaster proofing your business. First, have good property insurance. I know that it might have been emphasized before, but there is nothing like being absolved of major incidents that have to do with the disfiguring of your building. No one wished for it, but you do not have to spend a huge amount of money trying to rebuild. Another tip that business owners need to have been figuring out the essence of the community. Remember that you are serving the people in a community. If there is an issue or a disaster that affects the community, you need to find ways to ensure that you are a brand that people can always rely on. Your brand image must resonate peace even in the storm through your services, communication, and products. Find ways to alleviate their problems easily. You can provide free shipping, discounted prices, and free coupons. Thirdly, you should always provide emotional support to your employees, clients, and everyone that is connected to your business. Check on your employees, provide better working conditions and ensure that there is a smooth work/life balance. Plus, the customers are major stakeholders, so you should check on them, send them messages on their special days and always make them feel great. Another way to disaster proof your business as a business owner is by creating strategies that will suit the season you are in. Whatever business climate you find yourself in, whether you are in the awareness stage or you are looking to convert the leads that you have. Different strategies must be employed to ensure that your goals and objectives are achieved. Finally, always have money in your reserves for any unexpected situation in your business. You need to keep some money aside so that you do not get stranded when the need arises.
