We recently connected with Alana Parker and have shared our conversation below.

Alana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My parents divorced when I was 8, which left me and my mother homeless for three years until we could get back on our feet. My father was never abusive but after he was released from prison he had some anger issues that he needed to work through. Through all the bad that I witnessed and went through in my life, both of my parents did a great job at teaching me to never let anything stop me because hard times never last forever. That lesson is what pushes me to keep going through whatever bad situations I have encountered both business and personal because if I would have given up, I would have never been able to see how strong I am, how far I can go in life, and the impact my story could have on social change.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m 28, born and raised in Norfolk Virginia and moved to South Carolina shortly after my father passed away in 2008. I am the mother of one beautiful little girl named Kehlani; I am a South Carolina Notary Public; and I am also a doctoral student at Walden University; next year I will have my PhD in Forensic Psychology. LiftedWithLana was created in 2021 after I was fired from my job due to my disability. I currently specialize in making candied fruit, cupcakes, chocolate covered fruit, and cookies.
What am I most proud of? How far I’ve come based on all of the odds stacked against me. I want my supporters and current customers to know that they are appreciated, and for my future clients to know that every treat I make is made with love. Although my business has been open for almost 5 years, I am still taking classes on the side with my mentor to make my business even better each year.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Word of mouth goes a very long way. A lot of my recent followers found me from TikTok. I used to mail cookie samples to content creators with millions of followers. Within the last two years I’ve gotten 3 of those big creators to make reviews on their platforms and tag my page. Another way I built my platform is by always handing out my business card. I literally have business cards everywhere: in my house, in my car, in my mom’s car, and my boyfriend even keeps a stack in his wallet to pass out to people as well. Advice that I would give to anyone just starting to build their social media platform would be to find your niche and just keep posting, post everyday and consistently.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Self discipline. When scrolling on social media, I’ve seen a lot of business owners going viral for talking down other business owners or just being rude in general. I personally do not believe that talking down on another business will make yours superior. I’ve had customers tell me that I stand out because I’m not argumentative and never had to be rude to get the blessings my business is receiving; being kind goes a long way and is always noticed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/liftedwithlana
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liftedwithlana?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiftedWithLana
• Other: TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeRV28cT/