We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sheena Morgan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sheena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
During my professional career I always worked with minority and women owned businesses. I had the opportunity to hear the stories of success and witness the closure of many businesses. While the success stories were intriguing, I was more interested why businesses were closing and what types of gaps and missteps were present. Honestly, there was one story that resonated with me. A business owner had a great business and had won several large scale contracts. They bid on this one project and won the services related to site clearing. What they didn’t do was prepare themselves for the type of removal was required and they tried to do it themselves to “save money”. Well, the job they did was so bad that they lost the contract and over time their business was the ultimate casualty. I always felt so bad for them, because I knew had they built a project strategy and understood the requirements of the contract they could’ve averted the perilous outcome.
Fast forward about 15 years and I decided to open my business to solve two issues. One was to improve organizational performance and the other was to enhance client experiences. See, I found that most minority businesses did not have a formal SOP in place and had no idea how their processes truly aligned with their clients’ experience of their brand.
I was so tired of hearing companies complain about not being able to keep clients, staff being disengaged, unable to meet contract demands and scheduling deadlines. I knew that it only took planning, something that most owners don’t like.
My take on process and system automation strategy is that it has to align with the brand. Automation strategy goes beyond just implementing technology and turning on a process. It has to speak to what the intended experience brand should be. The strategy must take into account the cadence of communication and how the brand communicates with customers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Sheena Morgan, I am a business strategist, focusing on process and system automation strategy to improve organizational performance and enhance client experiences. My story started during my second year of undergrad, while I was attending Stephen F. Austin State University, my life took a detour and I found myself back in Dallas and working alongside my dad at the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency. That is where I cut my teeth in the minority business world. A world I honestly had never heard of before then.
After working there for several years I decided to take a leap and was offered the Executive Director position for the South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency, in San Antonio, TX. I enjoyed working with the wonderful people of south Texas and developing my non-profit management skills. However, I started noticing patterns of underutilization, limited work-ready firms, and a huge disparity of minority businesses not being given a fair shake at local government contracting.
I took the next 10 years and developed strategies and techniques birthed from my experiences consulting business owners on the just simple things that can set them up for success. I designed the FUNdamental approach that drills down to the nuances of a business, revealing all the keys necessary for success!
I decided to launch LENGO STRATEGIC PARTNERS (LSP) in 2016 with the mission to help minority and women entrepreneurs improve their organizational performance and enhance their client experiences.
LSP is a consulting firm that understands entrepreneurs’ labor at different levels of the ownership spectrum. So we have developed ebooks that provide step-by-step guides to obtain some immediate change within their organizations. We also have one-on-one consulting services which are all curated based on our clients’ needs.
I am most proud that I have created a brand that removes the pretentiousness of being an entrepreneur and speaks to the language of the everyday owner trying to build the legacy and bring to life their dream.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In 2019 my business was taking off. I knew that this was going to be the year for me. I had a couple of potential projects with a winery lined up and was excited about launching these projects. Well, in July, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and everything came to a screeching halt. I didn’t know what to do and knew that the winery project would lose. So, I contacted clients and prospects and informed them of the news. I decided that I had to shift that business to other colleagues, and while I knew that my business would take a hit, I couldn’t and wouldn’t risk my brand’s reputation by taking on the project with so much unknown. I made it through after a double mastectomy and follow-up surgeries and can announce happily today that I cancer-free. I learned a valuable lesson: not to be afraid to speak the truth, even when you are scared of the outcome. Some of the prospects sent clients my way once I was back at 100%, and I was genuinely grateful for that. If I had chosen the other route, I would have tarnished relationships and my brand.
In February 2022, I lost my mother unexpectantly, and it happened right before I was due to go on IG Live. I struggled to get back into a state of mind that allowed me to perform and support my clients. I was amid projects, missed deadlines, and tried my best to keep people updated. At this moment, I believe that a VA would have been a great asset to handle daily communications. But, after months of trying to grieve, I decided to return to it. So, I went head first and still had trouble connecting to the joy of my work. Then, one afternoon my son suggested that we reorganize my office. Simply moving my desk to the window and rearranging my peloton and bookshelves made all the difference. I hadn’t realized that walking into the office as it was the night that I lost her was affecting my ability to be present in my office.
Redefining resilience is a necessary capacity that everyone will develop. As life changes daily, we must learn to navigate life and business. We must strike that balance and remain emotionally intelligent and in tune with ourselves.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The key word is strategy! The first thing I had to do was identify my ICP or Ideal Client Profile. Once I had this nailed down, I had to determine where they existed and what platforms they were on? What were their engagement and buying habits? Then I created content that was simple, to the point and had a CTA.
After establishing my clients, the best method of growing my clientele has been word of mouth. Yep, people talk. When I complete a project, people post about it; then they tell people to call me, email me and get on my calendar. From there, it is all on me, and the engagement begins.
The key is understanding and accepting that you cannot be everything to everyone. Everyone is not your customer or client. Once you have a clientele or customer base, CURATING those relationships is vital. You have to spend as much time after the project as you do during the project to make sure they know how important they are to your business. Client experiences build your future clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lengofocus.com
- Instagram: @lengofocus
- Facebook: @lengofocus
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheenadmorgan
Image Credits
Tre Suber