We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lenese Griffin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lenese thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
When I started LC Apparel Consulting it was just me in my tiny Bronx apartment in 2017. My business didn’t take off until the end of 2019. I hired my first intern in 2019 and it was someone I knew that actually asked me if she could intern for me to get school credit at FIT. In 2020, the business started to grow rapidly and I end up hiring as my first employee. 2 months later I hired another intern and 3 months later I hired 3 more employees and 2 months later I hired 4 more employees. Everyone I hired I knew or they were referred by another staff member. This was great when I first started out because we were like a little family turning nothing into something. However as we grew and progressed having people that know you and that are close to you can hinder your business and growth because they tend to get to comfortable. I also got to comfortable and my leadership and expectations were not on point, which caused the business to suffer. I was not training effectively, we were changing our operations often because I was taking everyone’s opinion and feedback into consideration. I would without have done this differently if I was starting today.
Lenese, 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?
Lenese Calleea, AKA the Fashion Fairy Godmother, is on a journey… Despite being 33 years young, Lenese Calleea has accumulated 2 decades of expertise in design, garment construction, and apparel production. Earning a BFA in Fashion Design. Lenese has evolved from a young skilled seamstress and adolescent entrepreneur to a designer, apparel industry expert, consultant, and budding Creative mogul. Lenese started her own brand entitled Calleea Vatein, creating Jackets, Jumpsuits & Jammers for the creative entrepreneur’s lifestyle. Her pieces are strategically designed to embody Classic, Color and Confidence.
Lenese relocated to New York in 2014, to pursue a Master’s in Fashion Management & Merchandising. Lenese is the creator and curator of BlackNFashion Podcast, a medium dedicated to the growth & enhancement of Black designers, merchandisers, stylists & their subsequent entrepreneurship.
Lenese is the CEO of LC Apparel Consulting and Founder of The Black Girlz Designer Club Nonprofit. She lends her knowledge to the next generation of designers via her services, courses, and mentorship packages. Her mantra: Bringing Dreams to LIFE. In 2020, Lenese was able to scale her business to $700K in revenue and went from working independently in her home to a commercial space with 10 employees in 7 months.
Lenese also hosts New York Garment District tours, workshops, and master classes in cities around the USA. She continues to be a resource to designers at varying degrees of the journey. Lenese is an advocate for education, unity, and inclusion for Black Creatives, in fashion. She has completed product development and production for over 220 emerging brands in the last 3 years.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I built my social media audience by being consistent and separating my platforms. When I originally started I used my personal IG to promote my business. The problem with this was that my friends and family were not my target consumers and that in order for me to build an authentic audience I needed to make all of my businesses their own IG accounts. I posted on all them everyday and lead my content with education instead of trying to sell something. I also posted at peak times 9am, 1pm and 5pm, so that I would capture my morning IG folks, when their on lunch and at the close of the business day. I recommend this same formula for those trying to grow their audience and don’t for to use hashtags!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn to get personal and business separate and to establish boundaries with your team. It’s ok to have a close relationship with your employees but there has to be boundaries. When I was 23-24 I managed a store in Chicago called AKIRA. I was the store Manager of the Hyde Park Location. I was very close with my team then, we were all in the same age group. I was actually the youngest manager in the company with the number 1 store from the day I got this store. One of my employees was out of line and had to take disciplinary action and because we were cool and hung out outside of work she was very upset at me, she sent an email to the district manger and company owner saying a lot of false accusations and I was let go. The lesson I learned is be leader at all times, so that your staff does not get too comfortable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lenesecalleea.com
- Instagram: @LeneseCalleea
- Facebook: Lenese Calleea
- Linkedin: Lenese Calleea
- Twitter: @LeneseCalleea
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRdn0vKPZCi0CPF–30JRFQ