We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adelia Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Adelia, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I host an amazing event called the #SisterHypeSquad Celebration. During this celebration, I bring women together to connect, be encouraged/motivated, and celebrate one another’s wins. When God gave me the vision for it, my first question was how am I supposed to pay for this? God told me that if he gave me the vision, the provision would follow. If I may tell the truth, trusting God is risky because you don’t always feel or see it working out. I decided to take the risk of planning and executing this event without knowing where the funds were coming from. The event budget included the Venue, Photographer, Band, Caterer, Gifts, Event Coordinator, and other miscellaneous items totaling around $10,000. Tickets were $50 and I only opened it up to 50 women. Even with ticket sales, the most I would clear was $2,500. Even with this knowledge, I didn’t back out. I maintained the integrity and excellence of the event and I took the risk of coming out of pocket for what I believed in and trusted would make a difference. Did I have moments of anxiety and doubt? Certainly. Did I have moments of going without financially? And did. Did I have moments where I wanted to pull out of this event? Oh for sure. Did I stay the course and trust the risk? Yes, I did. Then the invoices started coming in. The venue gave me a significant discount, which cut back on the budget. The photographer gave me a special price because a friend recommended them. The band invoice was sponsored by a stranger. The caterer gave me a discount because this was their first catering opportunity. The vendor for the gifts provided a discount and attended the event. The event coordinator sent me an invoice with a zero balance.
What God showed me was when people see you’re invested in your vision, then they will invest too. I had friends, family, strangers, and angel donors all invest in this event and I cleared a $10,000 budget with no debt.
October 8, 2022 51 women showed up to a beautifully decorated venue and were provided a delicious brunch, motivational speakers, and a live band, and they left with a gift of love and appreciation. I received such amazing feedback from the event. We did it again in October of 2023 with 101 women. We are doing it again in October 2024 with 200 women. We have gone international and will do it in Uganda in January of 2024. That one risk opened up doors to more donors, funding, and opportunities and it took this event international. That risk in 2022 couldn’t have prepared me for the overflow that resulted from it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Adelia A. Johnson from Atlanta, Georgia (born and raised). I attended Clark Atlanta University and graduated with my BA in English and a Masters in Social Work. I worked 10 years in ministry as an Executive Assistant to a Senior Pastor and as a minister. I have worked 10 years professionally as a Social Worker. This background prepared me to launch my business I Am My Morning Coffee, LLC ®. My background has a common denominator and that’s people. I created I Am My Morning Coffee, LLC® as a means of promoting positive mental health. I curate events, products, written works, and growth cohorts that promote transformation, create charges for people to execute their visions, and provide a community of connection. I also provide consultation on life decisions as it pertains to self-growth, business, and education.
I solve the problem of isolation, lack of support, and guidance. We often have great ideas, but what good is an idea without a plan to execute and bring it to fruition? No one can get things done alone, and we are better when we take a community approach to our lives. I use my administrative skills to help bring together the details of a huge vision and I serve as a grassroots solution to help create strong foundations for visionaries. What sets me apart is that I care about people first, and everything else later. I truly believe that if a person is at their best then they can give their best. I want to work with people at their most vulnerable level because that’s the sacred place and that’s where the point of growth and change can set a trajectory of success.
I am most proud of the community that I’ve gathered along the way. I am honored that they trust the work that I do and they have real results and encounters from what I’ve built. Trust is something that I take very seriously because it’s the most fragile and valuable thing someone could ever give you. I want you to know that when you engage with anything I Am My Morning Coffee, LLC®, you’re getting something that will always grow you, challenge you, change you, and celebrate you.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The brand is built on the foundation of the person/team behind the brand that decides to always seek to learn and build their character. I have been very intentional about reading books/articles, listening to videos, and attending events/conferences that speak to where I’m taking I Am My Morning Coffee, LLC®. The books that I’ve read include The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Undefeated: Prayer Never Loses by Dr. Matisa Wilbon, and Disruptive Thinking by T.D. Jakes, and The Power of Character in Leadership: How Values, Morals, Ethics, and Principles Affect Leaders by Dr. Myles Munroe to name a few. I read books that focus on building integrity and character.
I attend events such as The Solutions Summit which was hosted by The Moore Group Enterprises. This event shares insight and strategy as it pertains to being exposed to the level of thinking and solutions that I’ve been looking for. I learned about sponsorships, team building, building community, and what funders are looking for.
I watch a lot of YouTube Videos by Dr. Myles Munroe, Mark Moore, Jr., Dr. Anita Phillips, and Craig Groeschel just to name a few.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is to spend only for your needs and that you can’t take it with you anyway and not be consistent with tithing. This thought process had me living literally from need to need. At one point in my life, I didn’t budget, I didn’t desire more income because I felt that I would never have enough for anything else. I was too carefree with spending and didn’t manage money well. I recall being behind on bills, and facing eviction (several times). I was always on the borrowing end.
I realized that getting a budget and being intentional about money was the game changer. When others saw that I was serious about how I used money, they became more willing to share resources. My family didn’t have a strong foundation on how to manage money and how to budget. It has helped me to know that every dollar has an assignment. I tell my money what to do and it has an assignment. When I pay an invoice for a vendor then that’s telling my business to grow. When I pay for a venue then it’s me telling my money to provide a safe space for those that I’m hosting that day. When I pay my car note I am telling my money to get me from point A to point B. I had to unlearn what I knew about money to learn how to properly manage it. Tithing has also become a critical principle in my finances because there isn’t a need that I have that hasn’t been met because I’ve shown God that he can trust me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://poplme.co/hash/oK9WbnGR/1/s
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammymorningcoffee/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iammymorningcoffee/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iammymorningcoffee4806
Image Credits
Event Photos by Brandon Rashad