We were lucky to catch up with LaTonya Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

LaTonya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I would have started my business sooner than later. My grand parents were Entrepreneurs. My grandfather was a Carpenter who built the house I grew up in. My grandmother was a beautician. All of their 5 children had a talent that allowed them to have a second income alongside of their regular job.
I started a business when I was 40 years old. I could have started a business in my early teens but so many distractions, peer pressure and wrong decisions delayed my progress. Looking back now, I would have had the help and motivation I needed to incorporate not 1 but up to 3 businesses. I would have had strong minds in my corner and I would have been so much farther than I am now.

LaTonya, 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?

Be-Jeweled Vessels story begin in 2013. James & LaTonya Johnson applied their vision of encouraging others; mind, body and soul by providing customers with quality retail merchandise and other inspiring services at a reasonable cost. The name ‘Be-Jeweled Vessels’ came about out of a casual conversation. One night while at Bible study, Holy Spirit presented a Bible before me with it opened to Malachi 3:17,18. This confirmed the company’s motto – ‘Catering to God’s Special Treasures’.
Malachi 3:17, 18 – ‘They shall be mine’, says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him’. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves the Creator and the one who does not serve Him.
Our products and services:
Puppet show that caters to children and the entire family
Meditation books
Inspiring books
Black History books
Notebooks
Pens
CD’s
Mentoring for the youth
Essential needs to the Elders and Students
Etc.
What we believe is our motive. We use what God places in our hands to give hope to someone who may feel hopeless.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There was a time when I realized that those who I had invited into my circle was not supporting me the way I was supporting them. My business struggled. I had to shut down, close the door and detox my mind from the old. I began to reach out to others who didn’t look like me, didn’t sell what I sold and I had to research groups who were passionate about humanity the way I was but was not trying to compete with me.
It took time and my circle is still few but I’m happy now.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Because of hardship, some years ago, my two small children and I moved outside of the city where I grew up, with family. There were no bus stations nearby and it was frustrating to get employment. I kept saying to myself, ‘If I can make it to the city, things will get better for me’. Little did I know that the word ‘City’ is symbolic to God. I filled out an application to get into Star of Hope. I was accepted.
After being there for 7 days, family and friends would come by and take me to look for a job and a place to stay. I was nearly 2 months in my stay when on this particular day went to fill out an application for an apartment and was asked to come back the following week. The day I came back to the apartment, the manager who was there last week was no longer there. This new manager wanted to decline my application but because I had signed it with the previous manager, she had to let me move in. No application fee, No security fee, No first and/or last rent and first month rent free. This same day I received a phone call , I was hired at a Call Center.
All things are possible, when you believe.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.be-jeweledvessels.com
• Youtube: LaTonya Johnson
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
LaTonya Johnson