Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shemekka Ebony Stewart-Isaacs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shemekka Ebony, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?
When I first started out, I took a huge leap into an unknown industry. I started my own consulting firm after serving as a Community Champion Steward and serving as an advisor on several national Health, Race, and Economic initiatives. In a moment, I became for others what I didn’t have for myself. At that time, there were very few leadership coaches and engagement consultants making themselves available to non-executive or non-corporate clients. Realizing the power of my voice and lived experience expertise facing inequities and stewarding other Community Champions fueled my desire to start a firm that centered people with lived experiences facing inequities. I started my engagement firm as a first step in consulting organizations on the importance of offering leadership growth channels for community champions they were working with to solve community problems and inequities.
Starting up was hard being a new firm offering services that organizations don’t realize they needed or benefit from having consulting or coaching yet. It took a request from an institution to provide yearly coaching support for their leadership development program that gave me the confidence to hang out my “Open for Business” sign in the marketplace. My first contract agreement covered my dedicated time for coaching and leadership development programs and cohorts centering community engagement of people with lived experience facing inequities. I began offering this package to other organizations and grew my capacity by enlarging others’ capacity to lead with courage and confidence.
Shemekka Ebony, 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?
My name is Shemekka Ebony Stewart-Isaacs and I am an Author, an Award Winning Inspirational Speaker, and Leadership Coach. Shemekka Ebony is the name of my firm because I believe my industry needed a brand that sounded like change. We founded BlackGirlMagic.Market, co-founded of IAmBrilliant.Org, PLEInstitute.Org, and the CROWNCampaign.Org. My family and I were recently featured in New York Times Magazine Money Edition in 2021 as a case study on how we invested our pandemic relief funds. I am a community researcher, bestselling author of “While I’m Getting Naked” and soon releasing my next literary masterpiece titled, “Sanctuary Life: Reflections of A Homeless Missionary.” I offer thousands of top-level and grass-roots leaders academic peer-reviewed research, tools, programs, and books amplifying lived experience expertise and spiritual leadership development.
I Am Brilliant is my flagship for community organizing and engagement. We have crafted strategies dedicated to connecting the threads that weave through communities. Shemekka Ebony firm is resourceful at providing people equitable access to resources while honoring their experiences, and instituting better practices in stakeholder partnerships. We consult civic leaders and national organizations in better practices to authentically engage their communities. You will find us continuously sharing hope and inspiration through our mission-driven work of authentic meaningful engagement initiatives like #IAmBrilliant, Community Champion Certified, Black Girl Magic Market, PLE Institute, and the CROWN Campaign.
Through the work I learned that people better understand what resonates to their passion. Whether it was Health Equity that drew you to the works of I Am Brilliant and Community Champion Certified, or Economic Equity driven by the Black Girl Magic Market and Crown Campaign. We co-design the solutions your company/community needs for wellbeing. This along with lived experience evidence based tools and practices set us apart from other firms offering leadership development and consulting packages.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
“It always seems impossible until it’s done,” as declared by the brilliant leader Nelson Mandela. As founders, there’s much we learn that fuels our passions toward thriving and being successful. I have learned that sharing my brilliance with others helps them find theirs, which leads to growing your clientele. Whether you are seeking a Founder Reboot of your vision or seeking what it takes to grow your clientele, these 3 things will aid your journey:
1. Get your kitchen in order. In working in business and community, I soon found that all that glitters on the outside, is sometimes dysfunctional on the inside. In order for your foundation to be as solid as it needs, you must make sure you address the details of establishing your business. Establishing your business in theory and practice leads to opening business bank accounts and business lines credit over time. Taking your business seriously and organizing your affairs help grow your clientele because new clients can take you seriously.
2. Don’t discredit your power to self-fund your dreams in principles and practice. Whatever work you can do toward investing in your business, be sure you are maximizing. Sometimes, your friends and family end up being your clients too as they see your commitment grow. Acknowledge your own value, investments, and sacrifices you have made towards your successes. Tell your story. It all matters. Sharing your story is a great way to attract new clientele that are drawn to your services, products, and story. When others see you illuminating in business growth with your investment of time, tithe, and talents, others will align with your success path.
3. Fail Forward Fast. I learned this lesson attempting to build clients during one of my community assignments. I first felt empowerment from the “f” bomb called fail. FAIL in this case, means First Attempt In Learning. We learned how to pivot when needed and to be flexible to get results clients wanted. Becoming comfortable with failing helps clients learn from their own journey of challenges similar to what you overcame. It also reminds us that it’s all not glam on the way to the “top” while enacting your brilliant business niche. It’s ok to FAIL Forward in learning exactly what your clientele will be attracted to found within your services. The more comfortable I get at seeing the value in my services, positioning myself in places to tell my story, and sharing my fail forward moments, the more I am deemed trustworthy and authentic. This too improves your client growth potential.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
There are several resources that impact my leadership and entrepreneurial thinking. It was important for me to hold my firm accountable to making these resources accessible because I believe so strongly in lived experience expertise. There are several tools that I co-authored with other people with lived experience expertise facing inequities that support entrepreneurs and business leaders towards their successes. Our Community Champion Certified Library and YouTube Digital Library are two of our top preferred resources of our firm. We believe in the sustainable solutions within these tools so much that we make it free to access. You can find our recommended resources here
ShemekkaEbony.Com/CCCLibrary
Youtube.com/ShemekkaEbony
When considering books on self-help and wellbeing check-in, I recommend the wellbeing journal book I released, “While I’m Getting Naked.” This is a quick read that holds the reader accountable to stripping away layers of negative identity that isn’t serving their wellbeing growth. It helps leaders quickly check how they are showing up for others while discovering who they want to become. The book encourages journaling so that readers can reflect while reading. I recommend this as required reading for all my clients when working with me directly for coaching. Getting naked requires vulnerability and trust. For effective coaching strategies to stick over time, trust and vulnerability are two key components of authentic leadership.
The journal book can be found at WhileImGettingNaked.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobles for ebook and paperback copies.
Contact Info:
- Website: ShemekkaEbony.com, IAmBrilliant.org
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/IAmBrilliantUR2
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Iambrilliantur2
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/shemekka-ebony-firm
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/shemekkaebony
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@shemekkaebony
- Other: Linktr.ee/Shemekka
Image Credits
Michael Stewart-Isaacs, Brenda Kenneally, Red Angle Photography