We were lucky to catch up with Lakiesha Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lakiesha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

When going into business, in any industry you have to come to terms with the fact that just because they’re your friends and family, doesn’t mean they’re obligated to support you. Just like with anything in life but most importantly in business, you have to strip people of their titles and take your emotion out of it. Nothing is personal, it’s just business. From a consumer point of view, you don’t go out and unnecessarily spend money on things you don’t need, want, or will never use. It’s the same for them, more often than not, your friends and family aren’t your target audience, and that’s okay! Understand that no buying from you doesn’t me they don’t support you. There are plenty of other ways to support, like sharing a post, word of mouth, or just checking on your mental health while you’re tackling your business. Realize that some people aren’t supporting you because they just don’t know how. I can tell you that a lot of change a support happened when I just spoke up and asked for it. Most people are going to assume you got it all handled. Sometimes all you have to do is ask and tell them HOW you would like their support.

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

Tea has been an Integral part of my life since I was younger, when I was sick, when I had cramps, when I was sad or tired , literally anything I was going through tea was there to fix it. As I got older it was just something that stuck with me. My friends would laugh when they saw me drinking hot tea in the middle of summer, but tea was never a seasonal beverage to me, it was more of a beverage to get me though the seasons of my life. I knew I wanted to create that feeling for others. That’s when the seed to create a tea company was planted into my head. Even though I had the dream to start a tea business for YEARS, nearly a decade. I didn’t actually launch until July of 2020 mid-pandemic, nearly 8 months pregnant, and I haven’t looked back since. Today The Melanated Cup has over 10 different blends that can express, change or amplify whatever mood or season you may be in. In a world full of loose-leaf tea, we remain rooted in keeping your teatime simple and gadget-free. All you need is a mug, hot water, and our tea bag. What set us apart from most tea bags you’ve had in the past, each and every one of our teas are purposefully curated and hand-blended. We do not grind our leaves and serve you tea dust; we keep them full leaf, full body, and full of flavor and benefits. You can also double brew most of our bags without compromising the strength or the flavor of the tea.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Whew, honestly this is something I’m still unlearning First and foremost. I’m a Capricorn and if that doesn’t say enough, I also hold an MBA. So, I’m a perfectionist and going to school for business basically create the idea in my head of what a “professional” looks like. I had to unlearn what was taught to me in terms of what a professional should look like, steps I had to take, things I couldn’t do or say. It was the hardest thing I’ve done or still trying to do while starting a business. Those perceptions paralyzed me and effected mt brand voice to the point where I didn’t even recognize my brand anymore. It caused me to take step back and reevaluate why I started The Melanated Cup, who I started it f, and remember it had to be some that I was proud of and can stand behind.

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

GET A SOCIAL MEDIA COACH! People think running your business social media is just as easy as running your personal one, and that can’t be further from the truth. Starting out, I used @iamwaliyahcapri on Instagram, and she literally provided me with a road map. She got a sense of what my brand voice was, who my target market was (in depth) and she developed branded templates for my feed and stories. She went over my analytics and mapped out the best days and times to post to get new customers. She was literally a god send. Since then, I’ve had a few changes in my brand, but as soon as I can do it again, I will. Don’t be afraid to outsource the things you don’t know how to do or things you just don’t enjoy doing. Being a business owner can be enjoyable too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.themelanatedcup.com
• Instagram: www.intagram.com/themelanatedcup
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/themelanatedcup
• Other: TIKTOK: @themelanatedcup

Image Credits
Mike Shealey / Shealey Boyz Production LLC Cassidy Cartwright Photography April Holmes Victoria Carswell