We recently connected with Lexi Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lexi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
In 2013, I decided to leave corporate. I always dreamed of starting and running my own business. Prior to this, I worked and had an event planning business that I co-owned with two amazing friends. I also enjoyed a few network marketing ventures. Now, it was time for me to do my own thing. I had a deep desire to help women (particularly single women) realize their own dreams of starting a business. Earlier in the same year, I wrote out a plan. I guess you could call it a business plan, though it wasn’t formally written up as one. I wrote why I was doing this, who I would serve, how I would serve them, what results they would get, how I planned to get my first coaching clients, pricing, etc. Taking a chapter out of sorority life, I decided I would have an informational meeting to introduce my business and get my first clients. My goal was get 8-10 women to become part of my group coaching program.
Reflecting back, I’d have to say, the way this event was laid out was nothing but God. I didn’t know the first thing about marketing, pitching services, pricing, etc. I just knew I wanted to share my story and tell the women how they could overcome the pay gap, be in charge of their time, so they could have the flexibility they desired for family and other important goals.
I rented space in a building known for serving people who wanted to start their own business. It was a plus that the building was located downtown and pretty chic. I advertised online, sent emails, and by putting flyers in places like the library, community centers, and in the hands of friends and influencers who wanted to help get the word out. That night of the event, the room was full of women who came out to support and hear what I had to say. I believe the room was full because of relationships and credibility I had built with many people over the years through work, church, community involvement and more.
Long story short, by the time the evening was done, I not only had enough women sign up for one small group but enough for two. Some of the women I knew well, some I knew of, and still some I did not know at all. It was a 6 month group coaching program that I charged $50 per month per person. I’m shaking my head laughing at the pricing. That was a huge lesson in and of itself. But…. that was how my brand made it’s first dollar of revenue.
Lexi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Money Mastery 4 Her Enterprises exists to change the face of wealth for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom. While we help everyone who desires to succeed in their finances, our target is primarily women entrepreneurs of color and faith. We specialize in providing an overall financial strategy to ensure your income is properly protected in your early years and you don’t run out of money in your later years. My business provides opportunities to create wealth through Life Insurance, Real Estate Investing, and investing in crypto. I am a naturally and spiritually gifted teacher. What sets my brand apart from others is that we make the Kingdom principles of wealth management easy to understand and implement. They are presented in a way that inspires and transforms.
We not only assist women of color in becoming successful money masters, we also have a Multi media arm. It is for the books I write and our Smart TV Network: LEX-Z TV where we provide a platform for emerging podcasts and shows with content in any of the nine areas of human activity. We are partnered with Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Android TV, and Google TV to present their content on smart TVs worldwide.
I am grateful for all of this but the most rewarding part of our brand is the missions arm. This past July, I took a team of 14 missionaries to Ghana We served approximately 5000 women and youth through the My Period Campaign, the Breaking Family Limitations Youth Summit, and the Becoming a Woman of Substance women’s conference. We also sponsored a children’s dance competition and were able to preach at 3-4 churches while we were there. In September 2023, we are taking a team of 18 to Kenya.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I have spent the quarter of 2022 pivoting. Part of my financial coaching/consulting business was backed by one of the largest financial marketing firms in North America. I made a tough decision to become completely independent so that I could offer products and services I felt were more in line with creating a legacy of wealth verses just being held to budgeting, eliminating debt, and retirement. I still teach all of these things as they are the foundation to creating wealth. However, I can now teach people more creative ways of creating wealth and sustaining it for generations to come. If I can be completely honest, I never saw this pivot coming in the way that it did. It has been challenging in that I had to (and still doing so) get my own systems and processes in place because I am no longer part of the previous network. Though it has been challenging, it has also been fun. I love to learn. I also love that this will allow me to help women entrepreneurs & career women in the way that is more personalized.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up I learned that you if you decided to do something, you needed to stick it out – for the long haul, even if it no longer served you. There were two places this came from. I watched my father work approximately 40 years at one place. I watched some other family members do the same. If we chose to get involved in something (sports, clubs, etc), we weren’t allowed to quit right away. We had to stick that thing out. Even though we learned some of this at home, this lesson was mostly taught at school especially as it relates to career.
I can look back over my involvement with many organizations (jobs and volunteer work) and see how I stayed in it way too long. I suppressed my dream of becoming a full time business owner for 10 – 15 years. I committed to my professional workplaces for way too long. I had to experience downsizing/re-structuring twice before I learned these places were not as committed to me as I was to them. I also learned that though my purpose is unchanging, my calling can change. When I learned that, I became free from the thought that I had to continue to stick something out event though it no longer served me or allowed me to freely walk in my purpose. Now, I fully understand that my purpose never changes but how I share it with the world can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelexijohnson.com
- Instagram: @thelexijohnson
- Facebook: @thelexijohnson
- Linkedin: @thelexijohnson
- Twitter: @thelexijohnson
- Youtube: @moneymastery4her54
- Other: Calendly: https://www.calendly.com/purposefullexi/30min
Image Credits
The 1st photo of me speaking at the podium in black photo credit goes to Matthew-Brandon Johnson