We were lucky to catch up with Tiana Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tiana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.
For as long as I’ve remembered, my father has always been his own boss. He’s never worked for anyone else since I’ve been alive. That’s been 26 years now. From the dirt, he built our baby today, Urban Efficiency. This hits home for me because this is the life that I live now. Urban Efficiency has been instrumental in my professional development thus far. I was 18 when this company was started, so I’ve had the opportunity to leave my mark on it as well as the others who’ve had a hand in bringing it to what it is today. For me however, it motivated me to want to do more. I’m not just Tiana, Director of Administrations, at Urban Efficiency. I’m Tiana, owner and CEO of SxaJ. I’m Tiana CEO/President of Urban Students of America, Inc. I am a daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter, aunt and all of the like. I love that my parents have built something that can be passed down to my siblings and I for us to take the torch, but I’ve always had to remind myself to not allow the role that I play in the family business, to consume my identity. Yes, this is something that has pieces of me in it, but the truth of the matter is, it’s not all me, and that is okay. When you desire to branch off and do other things that are important to you and hold your interests and speaks to who you are as a person, it’s okay to do that. It’s okay to be who you are outside of any business matters that your family has. I think growing up in this structural family, it was a bit difficult for my parents to accept the fact that yes, we appreciate the opportunities that are available to us, but we don’t have to make that our entire identities. Working in family businesses, you must have balance. So as I continue this life’s journey, I aspire to take the torch from my parents so they can enjoy their lives, but I also look forward to building my own legacy to pass down to my children, when I have them, in the event that taking over the family business is something that they would like to be a part of.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name’s Tiana, like the princess. I am the owner of the parent company, ElitePro Lifestyle. EPL is the umbrella for all things creative that I wish to accomplish. We want to provide help to our black and brown creatives who are just as talented as others but maybe just don’t have the recognition or the resources to be recognized. In my years of working with various communities, I’ve realized that sometimes, all people needs, is a chance. They want to know that someone genuinely cares enough to give them an opportunity. I got into this industry because I saw all the talent that falls by the wayside because simply put, they don’t have the opportunities presented to them. That is how Urban Students of America, Inc was birthed. We saw the need of the children in the underserved communities and how they were not offered the same creative opportunities as the children in the affluent communities. USofA gave those children opportunities. EPL provides guidance and support to those who don’t otherwise have these in reach. We provide outlets for black and brown creatives to gain opportunities to be exposed and noticed for what they do. They don’t have to show their asses and embarrass themselves to get the recognition they’re deserving of. We eliminate those instances and instead, put them in a room with like minded individuals who have the opportunities to get them more recognition and more exposure. I’m most proud of the way the brand has engaged communities. Though we’ve hit a rough patch because of COVID and the lack of financial support that we receive from the communities that we service, anytime I go out in the area, I’m always reminded of the things that our organization has done and people still come up to me and just thank me for being patient with our people. Patient enough to give my time to a cause that I believe strongly in.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Genuity. Because of how genuine I am with my target audience, it’s very easy for them to relate to me about real life things. I’m never the one to try and hide the real and what’s going on. It’s important to me that while I am in position, I et people know that we too, are human. We have the right to good and bad days. We have the right to human error. I always make my customers or target audience understand that I can place myself in their shoes. At some point in the day, EVERYBODY is a consumer. It doesn’t matter in what way, shape, or form. So we all want to feel as though we are heard. Our questions, comments, and concerns. Being able to be related to, that’s what has helped me and my reputation.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn was, “Treat people the way you want to be treated.” Now, when someone says that to you as a child, your expectation is that if you treat someone good, they will treat you good back. However, that is not the case. Though I treat all of my personnel, anyone from the streets to the boardroom, with the same respect, I do not expect it in return. I do not expect me out of people. But growing up hearing the above statement, I thought as long as I’m a good person to these people, they will be good to me. I found myself disappointed and in plenty of sticky situations because of this. So though you do want to treat everyone with respect and you hope the treatment is reciprocated, I have learned that you cannot depend on that for a saving grace. You cannot depend on how you treat others to foster the mind set of thinking they will treat you the same way. That’s a lesson I had to unlearn.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: ms.anaj