From Public Assistance to Going Public: Motivational Guru Lisa Nichols- Part One

Spring is here and Chicagoans are looking forward to another seasonal change. One of the things that we look forward to on our social calendar is the Black Women’s Expo, an annual event that has taken place for the past 20 years at McCormick Place, attracting a predominately African-American attendance of women from all walks of life.
In the tradition of the three-day event, the Phenomenal Woman Awards Gala is hosted the night before the first day of the expo. This year’s gala honored some extraordinary women in community, business, health and education. As guests gathered in the ballroom of the upscale and elegant room, a group of women seemed to gravitate to one particular table. Obviously, there had to be a celebrity in the room — a singer, a dancer or even an actor? In the center of the group, there was a fiery, red-haired, petite woman greeting people with a radiant smile and taking the time to shake everyone’s hand. Someone asked, “Who is that woman?” and another person answered, “You don’t know who Lisa Nichols is? You better recognize — she’s the ‘truth’!”
In town as one of the featured speakers for the Black Women’s Expo, Nichols was also the dinner’s keynote speaker for the awards ceremony. After the acknowledgements and honors were bestowed, the audience of approximately 300 people patiently stayed to listen to the best-selling author and motivational teacher speak.

Lisa Nichols
Lisa Nichols

As she told her story to the room of high powered and educated women with a handful of men in attendance, Nichols took full control talking about her personal journey. The journey that began in the heart of South Central Los Angeles to now prepared her for a potential multi-million dollar public trade of her company – Motivating the Masses, Inc., – on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange this fall. Towards the end of her keynote address, Nichols did something that was unique – she invited everyone to her hotel suite the following evening for a one-on-one. She happily made sure everyone knew the suite number to her hotel before she departed.
A couple days later, the Chicago Defender had a chance to catch the transformational guru over tea as she was preparing to present her workshop later that morning. Her role in the global phenomenon, The Secret, as one of the featured teachers as well as one of two African-American motivators in the film has contributed to her recognizable face. Since writing her first bestseller, No Matter What, and leading to her soon-to-be released book, Abundance Now, Nichols has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show and the Steve Harvey Show.
 
CD: How did you begin your journey to become a publicly traded company?
 
LN: That was the reason for me even writing this latest book, Abundance Journey, because I realized it is a major journey. The joke I would say when I first announced I was going public was ‘from public assistance to going public.’ I guess I probably should write the story. I said this for a year, announcing that I would go public. I decided to go public for two reasons.
 
First reason, I was complete with building my business with duct tape, bubble gum, band aids and shoe strings. That’s how I built my company. I’m not a Mom & Pop company; I’m a Mom and Son company. I was funding the company and funding my son. So, it’s even smaller. I wanted to have a company that attracted big capital, that attracted Wall Street but also attracted people that weren’t exactly Lisa Nichols fans but were fans of ‘good business.’ The idea of going public made me have to really lean into my CEO muscle. It also made me have to grow up. It’s scary but for the last 20 years, I found the edge of my comfort zone as much as I could. I would go outward instead of inward. This is the next level.
 
The second reason is for true capital infusion to really build a solid business. I want a business that has a legacy. I’m building a business that is going to take care of my grandchildren’s children. I wanted to go public because of the inspiration that it would bring to people that look like me and to women and to small entrepreneurs. I was very clear. I wanted people like you and people like our grandmothers to say, ‘That baby did good for us.’
 
It’s so much bigger than me and I’m clear that the way that I choose to move in the world represents more than me. I wanted ‘us’ to have this victory. African Americans, people of color, children of God, women or us as small entrepreneurs. All of us is rich!
 
CD: Why is it important for you to remain connected with your audience and create this grassroots movement?
 
LD: I’ve always been grassroots. My life and journey started as a grassroots advocate, as a community advocate in South Central LA. I was the person after the 1992 civil unrest that led the march down Western Ave. for them not to open the liquor stores that had been burned down. I also led the march to have peace in South Central after several gang affiliation events. So, I’ve been ‘a feet on the ground’ kind of girl. That’s who I’ll always be. No matter how tall I become, my feet will always stay on the ground. I am a community advocate and I mobilize communities.
 
My brand is in 162 different countries; I’m still a grassroots advocate. I allow people to get close to me because I want to stay close to them. There is no amount of titles or awards or zeros behind my name, bank account or business that would change the fact that this is my mobile ministry. This is what God has asked me to do – a marketplace ministry.
 
Last night, I had 15-20 beautiful Chicagoans in my suite for about 3-1/2 hours. I sat around and they could ask me any question. We laughed a lot, we cried some – just had that healing sister time. I believe my life has taken this journey. This much growth and brand recognition, just so that people can sit and listen. Sometimes, it doesn’t come from me, but if I’m able to convene the community then I’m just doing what I was doing back when I began.

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