We were lucky to catch up with Shameka LeCount recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shameka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Before I ever formally launch my business, I start working on it a year in advance. I put my business on the back burner because I let fear and uncertainty make me believe I wasn’t capable of doing it. When I brought up my cosmetic line during a goal-setting conversation with my best friend, she basically told me that I needed to stop letting fear stand in the way of something that I was actually passionate about and just get it done. I replied giving her every excuse in the book on why I couldn’t start my business. To be honest I was scared of failing. Well, covid happened, and I lost my job. Now that I had more time than I needed, I actually launched my business. I stopped making excuses and began product research and development. I’ve been in business for two years at this point. I’m glad I had that talk with my friend because I don’t believe I would have started my business otherwise.

Shameka, 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?

Who is Shameka?  I’m a mother to a 13-year-old daughter, an author, an educator,life coach, radio personality, certified make-up artist and the owner of Amoura Bella Cosmetics, LLC and My T-shirt Plug and Accessories. I was also named the Achi Magazine’s 2021 Makeup Artist of the Year and spoke about the Trials to Triumph in Shero Magazine.I had a significant number of issues as a child that made me feel silenced. I turned my pain into purpose. My main goal is to motivate people to live authentic lives. As a writer, I utilize my platform to share my experience and offer advice on how to start living free of the pain you are currently experiencing. I empower, inspire, and encourage others to know who they are and be comfortable in their own skin through coaching and my work as a radio personality. My T-shirt line features affirmations that encourage individuals to dress with  confidence. With everything that is going on in the world, many people struggle with confidence. I teach ladies how to use makeup classes and cosmetics in the beauty industry to help them realize that we are actually enhancing their natural beauty rather than hiding it. My ability to use my services to inspire others makes me stand out from the crowd. Money is nice, but the thing that makes me the happiest is when I can encourage others to accept who they are.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Being professional and marketing are the best methods for growing your clientele. You will deal with challenging customers, but as the business owner, you must also maintain your professionalism because as soon as someone promotes your business, they will also quickly demolish it with unfavorable reviews.   The best strategy is marketing. You must act as a walking billboard for your business. Always keep business cards on hand; leave them on restaurant tables, in restrooms, and hand them out to people when you are out running errands. Although it seems absurd, it actually works. Social networking is a fantastic marketing tool for letting people know who you are and the services you offer.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I manufactured all of my things when I first started my business so it might be cost efficient . I used job savings to buy everything I needed to launch my business. Once I started getting orders, I used the money to invest in my business again. I didn’t have much money for startup, but I  wrote a list of everything I needed to buy, and I crossed things off the list each time I received a check from my job. People mistakenly believe that you need a large sum of money to launch a business, but you don’t. Start with the resources you have and add to your business as you go.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tha_queendon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shameka.lecount
• Other: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Image Credits
Portia Hargrove (Ms PEAH”s Photograpy)