Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ebony Cooper. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ebony , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
After 5 years of working on the best job I’d ever had, I’d reached my mental ceiling of the capability to continue. All of the hard work had been done and things were running on autopilot. Although, I had plenty of freedom, I was not being micromanaged at all, and the work was so easy that I could do it in my sleep, i literally cried everyday. The time came to complete the budget for the property that I managed. The numbers were just not coming together that way that I needed. I knew, that because of the size of the property, I’d pretty much reached my salary ceiling. It was that moment that I decided that I wouldn’t be there when the new budget went into effect anyway. This was a risky decision. I had a kid, mortgage, a new car payment and other financial obligations. But, to make my budget numbers work, I lowered my own salary. The news spread like wildfire through the company. Of course upper management was very impressed to say the least, they’d never seen anything like it. 6 months later, the new budget goes into effect and I am in deed still there. Well, because of my performance, I still received the highest increase and remained the highest paid manager company wide. 4 months later I took the leap. I submitted my 30 day notice of resignation and the formation of Body By Ebony began. I also marketed my property management services throughout the Real Estate Community and things started develop.. a little. Thank God the company paid me for another 3 months. That was 17 years ago. It was a huge risk to take and things got hard and stayed for hard a long time. But God was faithful and I am free. Body By Ebony is still thriving, as well as, Organized Biz Management Solutions.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2001, I was diagnosed with an fast growing cancer in my uterus. As I prepared for surgery, there was still due diligence to be done by the doctor and myself as well. I prayed to God, I told him, that if he’d deliver me from this, I would get it right. Well, HE did just that. During one of the visits leading up to my surgery, the doctor performed a scraping of the uterus and ran more tests. 2 nights later, he called me at home. He said that he’d never seen anything like it in all of his years of practicing, but there was no cancer, it was completely gone. I hired a personal trainer! I worked out 3 times a week. Although some things had changed, there were still other components left untouched, such as, my nutrition. My trainer, a former body builder, spoke very little about nutrition. I was spending so much time in the gym, he said to me, “get certified!” I did! I got certified in Personal Training as well as, Sports Nutrition. Getting educated and implementing the proper nutritional laws, changed the game for me and my clients. I am now a wholehearted Vegan. I practice and promote wholistic and plant-based healing. I work heavily in natural herbs, I have a line of detox beverages that I sell on my site and a book on Amazon, The Detox Healing Elixers, a book of herbal tea recipes. My work is whole, meaning, I work with my clients physically, mentally and spiritually to achieve the whole results desired. I am proud of the transformations that my clients have made through the years. Achieving the results that they desire and living a better quality of life. Changing my relationship with food not only changed my life but of others. In 2022 I created IVegan Catering. The food is whole, fresh, and delicious! I am proud that lives have been changed, weight has been lost and healing has been achieved by the food I prepare. I am still holding strong in the Real Estate Industry. Organized Biz Management Solutions, LLC, offers Property Management services, Inspection Services and organization services for single family homes, multifamily homes and commercial businesses. My work in health, fitness, wellness, food services and management stands out from the rest because I am believer, I live it and a complete product of the lifestyle I promote.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Undoubtedly, the biggest reputation booster for my businesses in every market, is being a product of the services. Word of mouth picks up right after that. I live the lifestyle that I sell and I am an obvious product of it.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Life is a constant pivot. Over the last 10+ years, I learned that in life, you have to move differently or maybe go in another direction sometimes, especially in business. COVID-19, hit everything hard and changed how most of the country moved, including my businesses. Fortunately, Body By Ebony added 6 new in person training clients. in addition, I pivoted to the “Everything Goes Viral” land! I held 2 online classed, 3 days a week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bodybyebony.com
- Instagram: bodybyebony
- Facebook: bodybyebony
- Other: https://www.theivegan.com
Image Credits
n/a