We were lucky to catch up with Sika Lawson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
The term ‘legacy’ isn’t just a word that I associate with the impact I hope to make; it’s the foundation of my daily thoughts, motivations, and actions. In fact, during my first meeting with a business advisor, he asked me to choose one word that defines my identity. Without hesitation, I said “Legacy.” Little did I know that embracing this identity would awaken a deeper purpose within me – the calling to be a legacy builder for others. There is truly power in the tongue!
I call myself a ‘Legacy Builder’ and what that means to me is helping people bring their dreams and callings from theory into reality. Once someone has a strong grasp on what they believe their purpose is on earth, they become an unstoppable force. This will move them to accomplish their goals, business ideas, whatever it may be and in turn, create a lasting impact in their families and communities. My life’s purpose and mission is clear: to help people, especially within the Black community, achieve economic freedom and wealth through the power of entrepreneurship.
As a Togolese/Nigerian-American, I have always felt like a product of two worlds—my West African heritage and my American upbringing. Despite these “two worlds,” I couldn’t ignore one glaring similarity between them: the shared economic struggles and systemic barriers to capital and business growth. This realization led to the birth of Makolaa, a platform dedicated to helping members of the global Black community reclaim the wealth we’ve longed helped generate for other nations. The name itself comes from my Yoruba roots, the adage “Ọmọ ko ọla wọle,” meaning, “The child brings wealth home.”
My corporate career has been in the intersections of finance, business strategy, and technology, I have leveraged these skillsets to develop a platform designed to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into profitable enterprises that also serve as vehicles for building generational wealth. At the heart of this platform is Makolaa, a marketplace where shoppers can buy all their favorite items directly from Black creatives and business owners, each with their own storefronts that they manage. Complementing this is Makolaa Media House, which provides business education and financial literacy resources, offering entrepreneurs the skills, training, and tools needed to grow and scale successfully. Developing these platforms also inspired me to write “Now You’re the Boss: A Complete Playbook for New Entrepreneurs,” a comprehensive guide that equips business owners with a tangible roadmap, actionable steps, and the necessary tools to build, grow, and scale their businesses into wealth-generating assets. Ownership is the foundation of economic power, and I want to ensure that more people have the knowledge and resources to leverage it to their advantage.
Through my work as the Founder and CEO of Makolaa & Makolaa Media House, I am building a legacy rooted in community empowerment, group economics, and the unwavering belief that Black-owned businesses deserve to thrive on a global scale. After I’m gone, I hope to be remembered as a catalyst for economic growth and empowerment in this century. I want people to say that, through Makolaa, great strides were made in creating a trusted ecosystem for Black enterprise; not just in the United States, but worldwide. A platform that is both a sought-after resource hub for entrepreneurs and a powerful marketplace connecting Black sellers across the globe with an audience of all demographic backgrounds eager to shop and support quality, Black-owned brands.
My legacy will be that of a woman who dedicated her life to economic empowerment – one who helped rewrite the narrative of Black entrepreneurship and wealth-building, giving others not just inspiration, but a clear and actionable path to ownership and generational wealth.
Sika, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I would describe myself as a versatile visionary and an esteemed leader working at the intersection of finance, business strategy, and technology. Guided by my favorite word, legacy, I am deeply passionate about helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses into profitable enterprises that serve as vehicles for building generational wealth. I am the Founder and CEO of Makolaa and Makolaa Media House, a dual-platform designed to equip entrepreneurs with the skills and resources needed to grow and scale their businesses. Through Makolaa Media House, we provide a dedicated resource hub filled with tools, training, and guidance to help entrepreneurs succeed. Meanwhile, Makolaa serves as a marketplace where Black creatives and small business owners can create their own storefronts, sell directly to customers, and be part of a thriving global ecosystem of Black-owned brands.
Entrepreneurship is not just what I do—it’s who I am. I jokingly like to say I’ve been hustling since I came out of my mother’s womb. From a young age, I had a keen ability to identify my strengths and turn them into income-generating opportunities. First and foremost, I give credit to the Most High God for blessing me with multiple gifts, but I also owe so much to my parents, especially my mother, who was my first example of an entrepreneur. My mom was an exceptionally fast and talented hair braider. She started doing hair in her community in Kano, Nigeria at just 11 years old. I grew up watching her transform our basement into a mini hair salon every weekend, braiding the hair of up to six clients back-to-back—primarily intricate, time-consuming micro braids. Then, every Monday morning, she would return to her full-time job as an elementary school teacher and later, principal. She didn’t call it a side hustle, but that’s exactly what it was—long before the term became the popular term that it is now. Watching her inspired me to hone my own skills. Growing up with three sisters, I had plenty of hair to practice on, and when my mom saw that I had inherited her fast braiding ability, she nurtured it. At just 12 years old, she gave me the opportunity to do a client’s hair, assuring the woman that I was more than capable. Young Sika fully understood the assignment and delivered! That was my first time earning money from something I created with my own hands, and that feeling was intoxicating. From that moment on, I became obsessed with finding ways to turn my skills into income.
Both of my parents played a huge role in encouraging my entrepreneurial mindset. They became my first sales representatives, promoting my skills to their clients, friends, and family. Looking back, I’m eternally grateful for their support because it set me on the path to see the true value of entrepreneurship. I learned early on that when you create something with your mind or hands and monetize it, that’s money that you’ve earned, and no employer or external force can take that away from you. If you can make $10, you can make $100, then $1,000, and so on. That’s economic empowerment in its purest form.
That early lesson shaped my journey, leading me to successfully establish businesses across multiple industries, including design systems, real estate, RetailTech, and educational services. Over the past 20+ years, I have experienced firsthand what it takes to properly set up, grow, and sustain a business. This foundation led me to write “Now You’re the Boss: A Complete Playbook for New Entrepreneurs” —a guide designed to cut through the noise and provide aspiring business owners with a clear, actionable roadmap for building a business that thrives. There’s so much conflicting advice out there, and I wanted to create something tangible that equips people with the right steps to transition from an employee mindset to ownership, and ultimately an investor mindset. True financial freedom comes at that investor level, where you have money coming in passively, whether you’re there to clock in or not. Creating Makolaa was a natural progression of my life’s mission. This platform is more than just a marketplace—it’s a dedicated space for Black businesses to thrive and grow their revenue. This is especially crucial now, as the rollback of many DEI programs is negatively impacting Black entrepreneurs, but even on a broader scale, nationwide layoffs are affecting countless individuals. I strongly believe that in today’s landscape, establishing a business or securing additional income streams is not just a fun or catchy thing to do, but it’s essential for long-term stability and success.
My brand is built on three pillars: culture, commerce, and community. Our mission is to bridge the global Black community through economic empowerment. Unlike other platforms that primarily serve as intermediaries with a Western focus, Makolaa is a truly global marketplace, connecting Black business owners from all over the world with a worldwide audience eager to support and invest in their success. As someone with extensive experience in the tech sector—primarily in UX design—I’ve had the unique opportunity to build a platform that effectively serves this mission. This has been one of my proudest achievements. There have been many attempts to create a platform of this nature, but none have successfully brought together Black businesses located worldwide in a way that fosters unity and shared economic growth; allowing people to shop directly from the sellers themselves.
Bringing Makolaa to life has been a long, costly, and many at times, frustrating five-year journey. There were countless setbacks, losses, and obstacles, but I remained committed to the vision. I accredit the Most High God, who I believe gave me this mandate. His guidance is the source of my perseverance, even when the road was difficult. One of my favorite quotes about entrepreneurship, which I often share with others, is from Aliko Dangote: “To build a business successfully, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme.” This quote has been a daily reminder to stay the course, no matter what challenges arise. At the end of the day, I want to be remembered as a woman who championed economic empowerment—not just in words, but in action. I want people to look at Makolaa as a groundbreaking platform that played a pivotal role in advancing Black entrepreneurship worldwide.
But beyond business, my legacy is also deeply personal. I am a mother, and my children are the fuel behind my passion. My greatest hope is that my ceiling becomes their floor—that they build upon what I’ve created and reach even greater heights. I want them to know that there are no limits to their potential. To every entrepreneur out there: Your dreams are valid. Your ideas are valuable. Your business has the potential to create lasting change. And I’m here to help people turn those dreams into dollars.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Keeping in touch with clients and fostering brand loyalty is all about building meaningful relationships, not just making sales. In today’s competitive landscape, a strong brand differentiates you from competitors and gives customers a reason to choose you again and again. A well-established brand fosters trust, builds emotional connections, and ultimately leads to higher customer retention and revenue growth. To cultivate brand loyalty, business owners first need to truly understand what a brand is. Your brand isn’t just your product or service—it’s the way your business makes customers feel. It’s your tone, messaging, colors, visuals, and, most importantly, the experience you provide. A compelling brand story helps customers connect with you on an emotional level, giving them a reason to support your business beyond just one transaction. You’ll know that you’re really making waves when you continue to have repeat customers, and people view your business as the go-to source for their needs. They will be your walking billboards and loyal advocates, helping your business to grow organically – which is powerful.
Consistency is key in maintaining visibility and engagement with your audience. This means showing up regularly across multiple touchpoints—email, social media, and community engagement. Email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools for lead generation and customer retention. While social media is great for visibility, the real conversions happen when you move your audience into an email funnel where you can consistently nurture relationships, provide value, and showcase your offers in a way that drives sales – so don’t get caught up in the vanity metrics of your followers. The real question is if those followers are converting and generating your dollars. A brand that fosters loyalty isn’t just selling—it’s building a community. When customers feel like they are part of something bigger, when they see their values reflected in your mission, they become emotionally invested in your success. Show up for your audience, engage with them, provide value, and make them feel seen. A brand that does this well doesn’t just have customers—it has a loyal family of supporters who will stick with it for years to come.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
At first, I wanted to be the person behind the camera, running the show. I had no desire to be the face of Makolaa or even its leading spokeswoman—I figured I could always hire someone for that. My strengths have always been in management and strategic leadership. But in today’s world, people crave connection. They want to feel a sense of community with the businesses they support. Personal relationships are everything when it comes to fostering business.
I had to learn to step forward and be more vocal about my business; becoming the visual mouthpiece for my brand. The more I engaged, the more people were able to interact with me directly. And as the founder, no one can exude the same level of passion and excitement that I have when talking about my business. That energy is tangible and something people feel when they connect with me. They see my dedication, they hear my “why”, and that is incredibly important when selling others on your vision. Investors, sponsors, and potential partners are looking to connect with you just as much, and even at time arguably more, than with the business itself. My consistency in advocating for the importance of supporting Black businesses and emphasizing how entrepreneurship is a gateway to economic advancement and wealth generation has been key in building my reputation in my market.
My advice to entrepreneurs? Live, breathe, and practice what you preach—unapologetically. When you show up authentically and consistently, people will recognize your expertise and passion, and before you know it, you’ll be sought after as a leading voice in your space.
Contact Info:
- Website: makolaa.com (marketplace), makolaamediahouse.com (resource hub)
- Instagram: @makolaa_official (marketplace, @makolaamediahouse (resource hub)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Makolaa-The-Marketplace/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sika-lawson/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@makolaamediahouse
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