Shut the front door and turn off the lights (lol)! Yes, that is a picture of me and Lisa Price, founder of Carol's Daughter. It's been about a week since I heard her speak at the Black Enterprise 20/20 Vision forum sponsored by Walmart and I still get the giggles every time I see this picture. I have to start off by saying I was a nervous fanatic when I met her. They were actually escorting her out of the hotel after her session and the "go getter" in me just had to say hello. Who knew she would invite me to walk with her and during that short time my mouth was moving faster than my mind, but it was a great experience.
For the last few posts I've been sharing my conversations with some of the wonderful women I've had the pleasure of speaking with at this Black Enterprise Event (all posts here) and had to close with this post on 5 Things Lisa Price Taught Me About Smart Business Success.
Lesson #1: Humble Beginnings are Just That ... Humble Beginnings
Lisa always talks about how she started her business making products in her kitchen and when I met her I couldn't help but tell her that I remember walking to my then High School - Brooklyn Tech and passing her first store. As I write this I can remember the first time I saw Carol's Daughters displayed in the Sephora on 34th Street. The first time I sold my self-published books at the Harlem Book Fair, I remember how excited I was to see her second store uptown. I've watched her on HSN, seen her products in Macy's and quietly followed her journey from a distance.
At the same time in my life, I would never have imagined the quiet little girl that I was; who used to take the 4 train to Brooklyn Tech would now be living in North Carolina with her son, hubby, and home grown business. I used to get so sad and frustrated in my little apartment, thinking no one would ever notice me. Then I stepped out on faith and went to my first networking event Blogalicious. Soon after I was at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur's Conference listening to Lisa Price speak and now I can say I have actually spoken to her in person. It's so amazing how humble beginnings can be and yet, they are only the beginning. Just as everything Lisa has done yesterday and today changes her life, so does everything that you and I do right now change our lives in the future. Who knows? Maybe one day I may get the chance to sit down with her and laugh about our first meeting. This is only the beginning.
Lesson #2: Working with Major Brands Requires Major Work
Whenever I meet someone well known or work with a major brand I can't help but quietly think, is this it? Will this one chance encounter turn into an Oprah Like Effect on my Business (smile)? It's a nice thought, but as Lisa explained at the BE Event things don't really work that way. Established brands are looking to work with businesses that can either help them attract a new customer or motivate their existing customers to buy something new.
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