Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LaKenya Kopf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
LaKenya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?
When I began this journey in 2007, I wasn’t aiming to become a full-time entrepreneur. Unlike most people, I enjoyed working in corporate America and being part of the rat race, particularly the anonymity it offered. I only started taking on side work to supplement my salary and to assist when I had to leave a job due to switching duty stations (as my husband is in the Marine Corps). I always worked with an organization while keeping my own set of clients, but I never trusted (or truly believed in) myself enough to go “all in.”
In 2017, I decided to rebrand my business and launch Kopf Consulting as a full-time support company. I also wanted to “practice what I preached” by creating a better online presence through search engines and social media.
Using the skills I had acquired over the years, I built my first stand-alone website using WordPress (with Hostgator as the hosting service). I created social media accounts on all the established platforms at that time, including Google Plus. I applied for my first business credit card and updated my business checking account to my new business name.
My goal was to keep overhead costs low—this is what I wanted to teach other businesses as well: how to establish a business without breaking the bank. I had a modest marketing budget using Google Ads, added my business to online business directories, regularly posted on social media, and continued to find work using sites such as Freelancer, Guru, Hire My Mom, and Elance.
After rebranding and launching Kopf Consulting, it took eight months for my part-time side hustle to grow into a full-time business. During those eight months, I quickly learned to fine-tune my business presentation, recognize signs and flags when interviewing potential clients, and ask the right questions to ensure a mutual fit for both sides—as well as establish boundaries from the start.
I also learned the value of bartering and volunteering, as well as their limitations. The biggest lesson of all was the importance of SEO. Switching names and branding without making a direct tie between DEK Consulting and Kopf Consulting cost me all the SEO and notoriety I had built over the past ten years. I was essentially starting from scratch.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a seasoned Virtual Tech Manager with over 16 years of expertise in transforming small businesses across various industries through innovative tech solutions. As the founder of Kopf Consulting, I have become a trusted partner for entrepreneurs and organizations seeking to optimize their tech stack and streamline their operations.
My passion lies in harnessing the power of technology to drive efficiency and growth. I have extensive experience encompassing a wide range of services, including CRM (Customer Relationship Management) implementations, email marketing systems, WordPress website management, and the implementation of automated sales funnels.
With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements, I have earned a reputation for my ability to tailor solutions to the unique needs of each client. My hands-on approach ensures that businesses not only adopt the right tools but also leverage them effectively to achieve their goals.
My dedication to helping small businesses succeed in the digital age has made me an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Whether it’s optimizing customer engagement, enhancing online presence, or streamlining business processes, my expertise has consistently delivered tangible results, making me a go-to Virtual Tech Manager for businesses aiming to excel in the digital realm.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Research helped me avoid several common missteps that new business owners often make; however, I did have a few lessons from the corporate world that I had to unlearn. The first lesson is the importance of setting boundaries when creating new business relationships and establishing precedents. If you tell a client you do not work nights and weekends but occasionally respond during those times, you nullify your boundary. In the future, when you say you are not available, you will inevitably hear, “In the past…” or “You did it before…”
Another lesson is the “Power of No.” Whether it involves declining a potential opportunity, saying no to something you prefer not to do, or simply reaffirming your boundaries, it is okay to say “no.” If it causes you to lose a client or miss out on an opportunity, then it or they were not the right fit for you.
The most important lesson is that you are the owner of your business, not your clients. There is absolutely no reason you should have a toxic work environment when you are your own boss. It is okay to fire a client. No one has the right to treat you poorly, and no amount of money is worth any type of degradation, abuse, or loss of peace of mind.
One “oops” I would advise against is not collecting emails from the beginning. I never thought I would care about email marketing or creating a newsletter, and it took me years to implement this strategy into my business. When I did, I realized I had missed out on a decade of collecting emails and the opportunity to provide new business solutions to past leads.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Starting out, I was clueless! Without an MBA, concepts like business plans, objectives, goals, and SMART Analysis were way outside my wheelhouse. Like many newcomers, I dove into the deep end not knowing how to swim, somehow made it to the surface, and treaded water as much as I could (and let me tell you, that’s not the way to go!). My career had always revolved around administrative work and IT, but translating those skills to the online world was a foreign concept. I had plenty of experience with hardware repair (as a PC Tech at Circuit City) and operations-level software support (as a Desktop Support Analyst at LBP), but the worlds of digital marketing and e-commerce were uncharted territory.
While I was getting interviews, virtual work wasn’t the norm back then, so competition was high, and I was severely lacking. Feeling defeated but recognizing a gap I knew I could bridge, I took a detour and dove into property management. Being my own guinea pig, I designed my website, embraced MailChimp for email marketing, got familiar with Google Ads, and tackled social media head-on—performing all the tasks for myself that I’d eventually offer to clients starting their ventures.
That shift lit a fire, driving me to take on an e-commerce project that required me to become familiar with programming for the open-source CRM OpenCart. Fast forward, I made the leap to WordPress and transitioned from MailChimp to ActiveCampaign so I could build more complex funnels. With each new software I mastered, I offered those skills to clients, sometimes in exchange for the chance to sharpen my abilities further. Simultaneously, I went back to school, pursued an MBA with a concentration in Information Technology Management, and earned my Six Sigma Green Belt. The accumulation of knowledge, skills, and sheer willpower has kept me in the game, and nearly 17 years later (this June), I’m still powering through!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kopfconsulting.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kopfconsulting
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/kopfconsulting
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/lakenyakopf
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kopf_consulting
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kopfconsulting
