Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiesha Lamb. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Kiesha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Thanks again for this opportunity. Whenever I hear the word underserved I think about the power of euphemisms. In the world of Equity, it’s imperative that we honor that language either upholds power structures or abolishes them. Underserved usually means Black and Brown communities, or communities with high poverty rates and of course all the layers of intersectionality that goes along with our communities. Language can be a guide to getting to the root.

My work is root work. It’s not looking at minoritized groups as merely underserved, but as humans who inherently are brilliant and whose humanity needs to be restored and reconciled to one another. So, how do I serve my community? I make sure to invest in them directly through Affinity Groups and Thought Partnerships, while also investing in the institutions that have a responsibility to employ, educate, and eliminate barriers for them. This might look like an Equity Audit, coaching, or ongoing partnerships that elevate learning and leading with an Equity lens.

As Founder and CEO of Seek Equity Consulting we call people in and leverage people’s brilliance to seek and center equity at all cost.

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

I’m an educator, a thought partner, writer, and transformational leader towards equity, in its truest form. I’ve deeply studied Reconciliation studies both in the U.S. and South Africa. My B.A. is in Educational Equity and the Arts from my alma mater, Metropolitan State University (Saint Paul, MN.). I take pride in leading from a non-traditional career path which informed my perspectives and approach towards equity. I’m also a new business owner of Seek Equity Consulting LLC, which is extremely exciting as it is humbling.

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

Funny thing, I’m actually new to social media and I’m building my community in the most authentic way possible, by being myself, appreciating all intersections to my work, and being open to continued learning. I’m always avoiding the mess… and it’s not always easy. My advice to those who seek it is simple:

1. Partnerships are progress: Authentically connect with people and remember that building partnerships is not necessarily about feeling a lack in your expertise, but valuing others’ and believing that we’re wiser, stronger, and more whole together.

2. Business Plan or No Plan: Make social media a part of your business plan, not to be confused with something that suckers you in as you avoid doing your work to simply talk about your work, or worse, to defend your work and beliefs.

3. Digital Rolodex: Use social media to build your “rolodex” and do your best to be connected with these folks in real life, as possible.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Equity has always been the center point of my work and career, however, private consulting was the side hustle since forever.

For years, I’d be finding opportunities to continue building my curriculum or build new relationships, or support those interested in furthering their learning, until one Equity Audit helped push me into the work full time.

I believe it was both the rigor while having a full time job, and the desire to want to invest more in the community, again, all while having lots on my plate from my full time position. I had been toying with the idea for some time and the circumstances at the time were ripe for me to take the leap.

It’s still early, but the clients are rolling in and I’m grateful for the sense of liberation. I went from two side clients to the power of word of mouth.

Contact Info:

• Website: seekequity.org
• Linkedin: Kiesha Lamb
• Twitter: Seek Equity