LinkedIn Goldmine: Explosive 6-figure business strategies with Lakrisha Davis

Akua Konadu
Have you been sleeping on LinkedIn? If so, it is okay, you are not alone. Today on the podcast, we have Lakrisha Davis, who is a LinkedIn branding expert and business coach who was able to build a six figure business using only one social media platform. As a branding expert, Lakrisha is going to be teaching us today how to gain more visibility leads and sales, all while using LinkedIn. Now, I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have absolutely been under utilizing this platform, therefore leaving money on the table. So I’m really excited for Lakrisha and this conversation, because I know that she’s gonna provide us with so much wisdom. So let’s get into the episode. Hey, everyone, this is your host, Akua konadu. And you’re listening to the independent business podcast, more people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve it too.

Akua Konadu
All right, Lakrisha, we’re just gonna get into it, because I am so stoked to have you on the show. We’ve been Kiki in a little bit. Yeah, yes, I’m looking forward to this conversation talking about LinkedIn, because I personally feel like so like myself compared to somebody other business owners, I’m under utilizing the platform, or I’m not you are there, some of us who aren’t using it at all. So and you have built a six figure business on one social media platform, which kind of goes against the general rule of thumb of really just being on multiple platforms to really get that visibility, and you’re doing it on one still, you’re still just on LinkedIn doing your thing. So my question for you is, is like from a strategy perspective, what made you decide to focus specifically on LinkedIn compared to like, Instagram, or Tiktok? Yeah,

Lakrisha Davis
well, I would say that my reasons are that personal and business, and I’ll kind of go through both. Number one, I don’t really care for social media like that, before I started my business, I wasn’t really on Instagram and Facebook like that, because I’m not into the things the culture. And so when I decided to start a business, I knew I had to get on social media. And so I started out doing all the platforms, right. And the one that I felt most aligned with was LinkedIn. Because number one, on the other platforms, when I have something to say something serious, or whatever you want to call it, people don’t really engage that type of content, right. But I noticed on LinkedIn, it was more in alignment with my core values, because when I get on social media, is usually to share a message. It’s when I have something to say, it’s not really to kind of get into the tea or any of that. And so I noticed that LinkedIn was the platform that was actually generating the leads the quality leads. And so number one, from the business standpoint, I looked at the numbers, right, I followed the numbers, and I looked at where most of my leads were coming from, and most importantly, the leads that converted, right, where did those come from, and it was primarily LinkedIn. And so I got to a point where I realized that Instagram affects my mental health. I’m not really into the reals, it doesn’t really fit me and how I want to do things. And so I decided that I don’t have to do all the things to be successful as an online coach, those are

Akua Konadu
the reasons Yeah, well, number one, I love that you shared that, that you don’t have to do all the things to be successful, because as I mentioned earlier, we hear all the time that we have to be on all platforms, in order to get that visibility in order to get more leads and orders to get more sales. And that could be true, yeah. And that works for some people. But that doesn’t work for everybody. And I love that you took something and really made it work for you. You really put your core values first of what’s going to bring me joy as a business owner, what’s that? What is something I’m passionate, like what platform I passionate about? Where am I going to get the most visibility? So I love that it was a balance of both it was the analytics and then also to it was like what you value most as a business owner and you merge the two in order to be able to like, okay, LinkedIn is the platform for me, and I absolutely love that. And so what what did you notice the major difference in the audience between Instagram and LinkedIn?

Lakrisha Davis
Well, I noticed that from an engagement standpoint, from a fun entertaining standpoint. I was getting that from Instagram, but I wasn’t getting the quality leads. In the sales, and I noticed that I was forcing it with Instagram. And that’s not good, right? So that is another reason why, like I said, LinkedIn is that platform for me, because I noticed that on LinkedIn, people were really serious about their personal development, and they want to invest in themselves. So it’s a easier buy in, right. And when they’re reaching out, it’s a different type of potential client that shows up, these people tend to know that they want to invest in themselves, they’re coming into the conversation with the intent to invest in themselves. And if they don’t invest, you know, for whatever reason, that’s okay. But they’re not just coming to the call to waste time or get free information or just to meet the person type of thing.

Akua Konadu
I agree with that. Because I listen, I’m not on LinkedIn, a crazy amount. But that has been my goal for q4 is like, let’s let me start investing in the platform. But the few times I have been on there, I have absolutely gotten a leader to where the person just goes straight to the point. They don’t want to they don’t even care to know my name. There have been people like, look, this is what I’m looking for, can you do it or not like that is truly they are looking, they are looking for help, they’re looking for their solution to be solved. And if your content is speaking to them, they already know they want to work with you. It moves a lot quicker. I found a client who were literally I’m still in touch this client to this day where he’s like, he’ll hire me here and there whenever he needs me. But yeah, like, we still keep in touch. But he found me on LinkedIn just sent me a random message was like, This is what I need help with can you do and I was like, Sure, he signed with me the next day. And and we’ve been able to build this relationship. So I sorry, what were you gonna say?

Lakrisha Davis
I was gonna say, I’m sorry, I got overexcited. So I probably interrupted you. But I was gonna say that. When I started going on to LinkedIn, when I was initially starting my business, my intent was to look for a job. I was really just thinking about Facebook, personal Facebook business page. Thanks, look, ads and Instagram ads, that’s a whole nother story, another conversation. Instagram, right? And then when, when I noticed things were kind of slow on those those channels. That is when I was like, Okay, let me just get something in, you know, while I’m building this business, and that is when I was exposed to the Creator world, on LinkedIn in 2016, because it’s a lot more popular now. But even back then it was still popping for the creators. And so I didn’t even know that that was a thing on LinkedIn, I paid attention to my feed for the first time. And I stumbled upon my first creator that I became a fan of, and her post was just so authentic and rambunctious. And I’m just like, oh my god, they do this on LinkedIn. And I was like that, let me start repurposing. Say less, and see where this goes. And then I saw where, what, where things were going. And I was like, oh, yeah, I’m not going to work. I’m just going to use this for a job. And that’s literally how not for a job but for my business. And that’s literally how it happened. First,

Akua Konadu
I love that story. I had no idea that like, literally you started you were just there. And that’s that’s something that a lot of us think that’s what LinkedIn is used for. Right like it is to be able to search for a job. A lot of times for me personally, I always thought LinkedIn, yes, extremely serious. But also like very braggy not in like a brand new like, Ooh, yeah, Brady, like, Oh, here she goes, she got her driver’s license. So now she excited you know what I mean? Like, you like it was like, it’s a total difference where every single thing it was talked about, in a way where I felt like, Okay, this is excessive. So I just didn’t look forward to being on the platform. And then honestly, with Instagram, it’s like shiny, nice, right? It’s very visual, and video and all these different types of things. So you kind of compare the two. I think the misconception is that LinkedIn may be a little bit boring. But the reason why I feel like people are sleeping on LinkedIn is because especially now where it’s so hard, much harder to get reach on various platforms. LinkedIn has still been pretty consistent from my understanding. So what what do you think what is also some of the common misconceptions that a lot of business owners have especially like for a photographer, for example, we you know, a lot of photographers are on Instagram, because it is a very visual platform. And yes, I know, like a lot of people get booked on Instagram stuff, but I feel like again, LinkedIn is an untapped platform that can really serve graphic designers. People that work in marketing like myself, photographers. But first, what are some of the common misconceptions that we have with LinkedIn?

Lakrisha Davis
Yeah, well, there are a number, but I want to first begin with the one that you just put out there. And I totally agree that someone who is a creator creative a photographer, or something like that, there is a place for them on LinkedIn, as well, because some people think that it’s only the business industries or the professional industries and what have you. But there are people on LinkedIn, who have clothing boutiques that are taking pictures in their outfits every day, similar to what the Instagram people do right. Now, obviously, I think these people are very smart, that are on LinkedIn, versus like, being you know, assimilating to all the noise on Instagram, but any type of business, there is a place for you on LinkedIn. So definitely, that’s one misconception. The other misconception is a big one is people think they can’t be authentic on LinkedIn. And it’s so funny when I’m doing LinkedIn trainings, and I display profile examples of people that are just so authentic in their content. And people just can’t believe their eyes, because I showed them that like, it gets real on LinkedIn, just like the other platforms. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the term professional shade. But that’s kind of like how I describe LinkedIn, LinkedIn gets a little messy and shady in this world. But it’s usually advocating for something standing up for something, it’s tied to some type of mission. But you can certainly be authentic on LinkedIn. And I would be inclined to say that it’s a misconception, but also a fear because people also create stories on their own, because they just really want to avoid their co workers and their job and their boss seeing what they’re doing. So sometimes, it’s a misconception. And sometimes it’s more of that. Another misconception, obviously, is that LinkedIn is a job tool. And really, it’s it’s becoming more of a dual platform that is just as powerful and effective for job seekers as it is for growing an online business. So that is another misconception about LinkedIn. It is definitely a platform created a space for entrepreneurs, and online, whatever service provider coach Creatives or what have you, it’s definitely a strong marketing tool.

Akua Konadu
Yeah, absolutely. I love it. You said too, that you can be authentic on LinkedIn, because I feel like a lot of times we feel as entrepreneurs, especially in the creative industry, a lot of us are on Instagram, and Tiktok. Because we feel that we can be ourselves, we feel that we can be unedited, and just kind of free. And I feel like LinkedIn, many of us feel like you have to be a lot more buttoned up. And it was so funny what you said earlier, too, about, like you saw a creator, this is how behind I am because you were that creative. I was like they can do that on here. You know what I write in 2020. And I was like, oh, like, so that’s how behind I am that I had been robbed, like, oh, he really seen a whole bunch of creators. And I have now I’ve been seeing a lot more creators now who are just successful and thriving on LinkedIn. But that should already tell you, I was barely on platforms. So yeah, but I love that you address some of those misconceptions. And so for you, what have you seen in your what major milestones have you hit in that like, has been thanks to LinkedIn in your business? Yeah.

Lakrisha Davis
Number one, I have not had to go back to work. And it’s been seven years, almost in January, coming up. When I started my business, I had just lost my job, my corporate job, and I was in a spot where it’s like, Okay, I just dropped a bag on a coach. And I thought I was gonna have all this income in my disposal to be able to take my time and grow this business and, and I wasn’t even thinking about full time entrepreneurship ever. It was just wanting to do something else, you know, for myself on the side. And so I haven’t had to go back to work. I didn’t even know where my next dollar was going to come from honestly, during that period. And so within eight months, I was able to put myself on track to make six figures the following year, and so I did a little bit over 80k And then in the following year, I did six almost 200 100,000 on LinkedIn. And that was my first business, I’m now in my second brand on LinkedIn since pivoting. So that has been a wonderful full benefit of LinkedIn. I’ve also been able to become a speaker. And really tap into that, because I love teaching and instructing and sharing information. And I have been brought on stages in front of a lot of people sharing my story, and just be me and sharing what I know and getting paid for it. So that has been wonderful partnerships, you know, being flown out and being treated like royalty doing during partnerships with companies, of course, make an impact, I have impacted 1000s of job seekers in my previous brand. I have impacted hundreds of entrepreneurs personally within the past several years. So that has been a blessing. And I’ve been able to afford myself a decent lifestyle in terms of, you know, making the money that I want, obviously, I have more goals, but also just be able to just have a balance in life. You know, I get to work out every day, I’ve been able to really focus on my mental health. And, and now let me be God is the first couple of years of business, it gets a little, it gets a little crazy gets a little busy. But if you have a coach that’s guiding you, then you won’t have that issue. Yeah, LinkedIn has changed my life. Yeah,

Akua Konadu
I love that. I mean, it just it truly, if you’re listening this, I hope this is helpful for you. Because I mean, $200,000 income within your second year of business all on one social media platform, I mean, and it’s truly just hearing you speak, and just watching them like this is somebody who is truly walking and doing something in their business where they’re feel so aligned. And so you can like see it and you can feel it. And the impact that you make, honestly, because you’re doing business in a way that works and fits for you the strategies and things that you I think that’s sometimes to where we get caught up in marketing is that you have to do these exact things in order to get this amount of income or XYZ. And with social media, we’ve seen time and time again, that that is just not the case, you have to be able to it’s all about experimentation, you have to be able to take things, try things, what works for you is not going to work for what may not work for the next person. But you take that and you modify it and adjust it for your own business in a way that feels good and is aligned to you. And just hearing you talk about just how impactful LinkedIn has been for you. It’s just such a great reminder, as business owners that we don’t always have to follow a trend. You just have to go against the grain and do what’s best for us at the end of the day. Right? Look at you look at them. And that’s no, that’s not being shady. That’s Instagram still, that’s still Instagram, but I just know just base even like you’re living proof of. There’s an untapped market in LinkedIn that so many of us can benefit from. And so I just love loves hearing just how much it’s impacted, you

Lakrisha Davis
know, social proof I’ve been able to build, I go places and people are like, hey, Lakrisha, I love your content. And they’re like, I’ll be in random places. And I really love that my content is just impacting people so much. And it’s doing something with my own personal confidence. Because I’ve been I’ve always been that person that keep my head down work hard people compliment me. And I’m like, Okay, sure. Yeah, thank you. And I never really like own it, or take it in. And so it’s kind of doing something for me when people kind of when they tell me everyday how much my content is impacting them. But I also wanted to touch on something that I didn’t touch on, which was your first question on why did I choose to focus on one social media? And one thing that I neglected to mention is that the the reason the core reason why I eventually arrived at focusing on one platform is because when I first started building a business, obviously I was a novice, and I didn’t know what marketing was, I thought it was just creating graphics, and posting everyday on social media, posting quotes and, you know, general tips and whatever I could find to post about related to my niche and disseminate that on all platforms. I didn’t have a sales process. And I actually had a client recently have a real have a revelation and I’ve been trying to drill this into her and she’s finally got it because she was so focused on the social media aspect of it and the vanity metrics of it. But I told her yes, that part is crucial, but was also crucial to building a business is having a sales process strategy. where you’re not just waiting for people to come to you, and you’re not just waiting on people to come, you know, knock down your doors from your social media content. But you also want to have a system for nurturing and tracking and managing the leads, you also want to have a process where you’re going about starting conversations and converting people into sales calls, you also want to be able to successfully close sales calls. So that is what I feel like people need to work on in the beginning of their business for the first one to two years is number one, an effective positioning strategy number two, a really good offering, that is going to work for the intended audience, focusing on one platform and learning how to convert your audience into sales calls and learning how to convert sales calls into revenue. And then taking care of those clients and providing a really good service. So you can get repeat business and have good retention. Once you nail those core areas, then, past year two, you could start focusing on expanding to another platform adding more cool and fun and complicated strategies to the mix, creativity and all that if you want to. And so people really don’t understand how to go about building their business besides getting their website done, and creating their tagline and posting graphics and stuff on social media. So that is a big, big, big part of it. As to why I could say I focused on one platform or arrived at focusing on one platform.

Akua Konadu
Yeah, I love that. I think that I mean, number one that is so important. Because again, your focus is not popularity, it’s being able to pay your bills, right at the end of the day. And so you those are very key foundational things I know so many of us as entrepreneurs, still struggle with sales selling and you know, but I think that’s so important, because also to when you focus on one platform, it can really take the pressure off, honestly, really as well as you’re building your business just focusing on that one, especially if it’s one that you’re enjoying. So I think that’s so so key. And so even speaking of sales strategy, because you are now mind you, y’all Lakrisha growth on LinkedIn, it’s all organic, though, that that was like that’s what I also want to share with you. This is all organic, this is not paid. And so even hearing that, what were some key strategies that we can implement as business owners to see some growth, some growth, like similarly to LinkedIn obviously is gonna take work. We know that but like, what, what some, what are some key strategies? Yeah,

Lakrisha Davis
obviously. Yeah. So I love this question. Because, number one, what we just touched on as far as like, trying to like navigate all these different platforms, you have to understand that there’s different rules of engagement to every platform, we know, Instagram, it’s really this, then the third, LinkedIn, it’s something else, right. And so what I can say, are the things that helped me grow quickly on LinkedIn. Number one, being extremely valuable. That is Chief and foremost. Because when I say value, I don’t mean just sharing content. Right? LinkedIn is that platform that fortunately, but unfortunately, requires you to bring it with your content, and think more deeply about it, and really be mindful of the way that you’re packaging it. So it’s kind of like learning copywriting you have to learn how to become a copywriter, you must learn headlines, right how to write great headlines, you must nail providing value that people actually want, not what you think they want, but actually doing research and, you know, thinking about your, your, the calls you’re having with real people when all of that. So when I say value, I’m not just saying value in the way that people think about it, but you got to really be value. And what takes that value to the next level is not just great headlines and all that stuff. But specificity, right? So not just telling people, here’s why you’re struggling with content. You don’t know what to post you this then the third, specificity leans more towards not the what, but the how, right. So on LinkedIn, you have to really dig into that actionable stuff that people can actually walk away with and implement, like today or tomorrow, or when they attempt something again the next time so it needs to be very tangible. And it’s a skill that takes Take some time to develop. Because in addition to becoming a copywriter, I kind of think of it like becoming a teacher or a school teacher, because not only do you have to worry about, or concern yourself about what it is you’re going to share and what’s valuable to share, but it’s also the packaging of it, how can I make this tangible to my reader, and that is, and that those all all revert back to principles of copywriting. So that is one having to hone that skill, something that people avoid, they revert back to their old ways, and they never grow because they run away from it. Because it’s not an easy task. We’re taught in school at work to write a certain way. And on LinkedIn, it’s just really a different tone, having a conversation talking, being authentic, which is what some people just don’t think they can be on LinkedIn. So that is one thing. And then the second, I would say, outside of being extremely valuable, is authenticity. Right? How ironic is that people think that they can’t be authentic on LinkedIn. But that is actually the number one surefire way to grow very quickly on LinkedIn is authenticity. The reason for that is because a lot of people believe they can’t be authentic on LinkedIn, so they don’t show up authentically on LinkedIn. And people don’t really connect with that. So the small set of people that are being authentic, and they’re bringing this different energy to LinkedIn, they love it. And they get behind that I can say, for myself, step one is, I had to figure out the right value to provide and how, but step two, for me to get to that next level was being comfortable to allow myself to be authentic, because it’s gonna take time to conquer both. Because when I end the beginning of things when I was kind of learning, like how to add that value and stuff, once I learned that now I’m at the stage where I gotta learn how to be authentic and delivering these messages, because now I see some potential there, I see me growing, but what’s going to take it to the next level is that authenticity piece. So when I, I really, really grew when I started being authentic and delivering the right value, if that makes sense. And that’s when everything changed for me, because I remember one time I just got fed up. And I used to be so polished on LinkedIn or whatever. One day, I got fed up. And I literally hopped on my phone and recorded a video, I did not script it. I literally had a messy bun and a hoodie. And I posted it and I’m like, I’m probably gonna delete this, but I want some, I want some certain people to see this. So let me post this. And then literally, that was like, the best engagement I got to date. Because people was like, Oh my gosh, like the fact that says get on here with a messy bun. I am here for it. You know, and it just like, came full circle. Here we are. Here we are. Now, but there we go.

Akua Konadu
Oh my gosh, no, this is I think there’s so much valuable things that you shared with him that you know, I think number one it is true, like, compared to Instagram. Well, one thing I say because right now Instagram, Tik Tok, it’s all very video heavy. That’s all we hear all the time with content is right. If you want to be successful, you have to be investing in video, you have to be investing in video. LinkedIn is not a video center platform. It’s not still you can literally be fine with a simple photo. But it’s the copy. And it’s true that headline, that first line is so so important in LinkedIn, it’s literally will determine whether people will continue reading your content or scrolling. And so again, it’s a different it’s a different way of thinking with Instagram, of course, like captions and stuff are important on Instagram, but I just don’t think it weighs heavily as much as video does right now on on social on Instagram. And so it’s true, like you really do kind of have to shift the way that you’re thinking but it is not as heavily video centered. So if you are somebody that maybe it’s like still struggling to get in video, LinkedIn could be that option for you just to kind of play around and honestly experiment and to see if if you’re especially if you’re more so wanting to hone in more on your storytelling. So because storytelling is taught on LinkedIn as well, like it is very important, like storytelling is very, is one of the biggest things that I’ve seen on LinkedIn consistently. People sharing a variety of stories really weaving their products and services in storytelling to get people to care to get people to spark conversation. And so I love that and also to that specificity piece that you said just being very specific because it’s true, like, you gotta come correct or don’t come at all on LinkedIn. So really making sure like, it’s really easy to see people who actually know their stuff and people who don’t. And so really just being confident in your services and confident, what is it that you offer, and honing in on that of just like trying to understand, okay, what is the one thing I want people to walk away with, with this piece of content? Get specific with it, and utilize that lean into that? You know what I mean? So there’s like, so you should you felt like you were talking about it, but you shared so much wisdom and gold within that. But I love how you said, Okay, I did this first. And then okay, like, I felt good about it. And then and I love that that’s what worked for you. So yeah, again, really thinking and just being specific, and really asking yourself, what is the one piece of content that I want people to take away from consuming my content. And so I love that you said that, but I also love how you didn’t overwhelm yourself also to in the process, you were like, Alright, I’m gonna work on this one thing right now. And once I feel confident within that, I’m going to work on the next thing, I think sometimes we every you know, we open up like a fire hose and feel like we have to do everything at the same time. And some we just don’t, it’s not necessarily all the time. And so I love that you did that. And then you were like, Alright, now I’m going to work on being more comfortable with myself and being more authentic with myself, because that is truly what makes you stand out. Right? Like, we’re not the I’m not the only storytelling strategist, but my story and my experiences and who I am as a person, my authenticity is totally different the person next to me. And so I love that that is such a core piece of LinkedIn. And it’s, again, just taking LinkedIn at face value, you wouldn’t think that but like hearing just your experience and how successful you’ve been, it is a very core and key part. So I absolutely, absolutely love that. And so I had another question that just popped into my mind, because I really kind of want to lean into a little bit more to even with your sales strategy, because it’s true, a lot of us struggle with sales, and then also do not have to do that on a whole other new platform. How are you selling essentially, on LinkedIn, especially as you’re getting some of these leads? What does that look like that workflow,

Lakrisha Davis
my sales strategy with LinkedIn includes three different layers to it. So the first layer is content marketing, right? sharing content, on LinkedIn, at least four to five times a week. And I would be inclined to say that two to three times a week would be sufficient if the value is really good, but you know, more is definitely good when it’s, if it’s quality. So that is one layer to it content marketing, showing up for your audience building that, like know, and trust factor with your content, taking that value based approach, and that you are focused on adding value to your audience and less on selling because LinkedIn is not a very self promotional platform in terms of selling things. That is one thing that LinkedIn still has not kind of like opened up for us. And so the way or culture of LinkedIn is that you want to add more value than you want to ask for something. So what this would look like is say your posting four times a week, then one of those posts would be an Heart, heart sale, right, inviting people in to work with you. So my approach is, number one, sharing value content during the week, sharing my story, sharing my original thoughts, and in terms of like, motivation, or disruptive content that resonates with my ideal audience, sharing case studies, screenshots of testimonials, video testimonials, and getting that up there as often as I can, every week or every other week, just to kind of show that you know, proof of your transformation, and that is effective. So that is one way social proof content marketing. The second thing is making sure that you understand that just posting content is not enough. And that the people that are engaging your content, such as sharing your content, liking your content, commenting on your content, following you, asking you to connect, sending you DMS raving about your content thanking you about how it’s helping them viewing your profile all those people those are your prime warm areas. So start conversations with those individuals and have a goal. Starting out I like to direct my clients to book one sales call with one qualified person per day. And what that looks like is those people or that are in those, you know, hot areas this would look like, you know, asking them, Hey, why are you viewing my profile? Or what led you to my profile? Are you interested around content around growing your brand? And then depending on that response, you would, you know, keep the conversation going to figure out what are their goals? What are their problems? What are some of the solutions that you can offer? And you know, getting them on the call? So essentially starting conversations with your warm network, and then another layer of it is your, your sales system in terms of how are you managing and tracking these leads? Some people just, you know, if they get a no on the call, they just kind of like, okay, all right, and just keep it moving. But there’s a lot of money in the follow up, right? Just because the person isn’t ready right now. Don’t treat them any differently, or any of that. So, maybe circling back and, you know, letting, asking them, When can I touch base with you and sending them a resource and staying in contact with them and nurturing your leads? And not just like, all right, are you ready to go? Okay, all right. Well, let’s see what the next person says tomorrow, right? taking him seriously. Yeah. And if I can add in a fourth, marketing? No, I would say list building and deep platforming, getting people off of LinkedIn database into your database. So that would call for you to share free resources, and maybe host live webinars periodically and do things to get people added onto your list, so that you can get more close to them. And if you’re doing things correctly, you would be sending out value to your email list every week. And that is what I would focus on in the kind of like the first one to two years.

Akua Konadu
Yeah, absolutely. I think I love to that. Again, it’s like a lot of systems that you already had in place before. And I think it speaks to the fact of really having these systems in place for like, when your business does take off, you’re able to sustain the success, right. And you did, like prime example that you did all of that to be able to create an effective sales strategy, whether that’s creating some type of opt in whether like be a quiz, or a webinar, like you mentioned, but it’s the constant nurturing, and relationship building that you have done with your audience consistently. And you still continue to do right, based on like, pretty much your sales strategy, based on what I’m hearing and how you said you just there’s money in the follow up. I love that because that is so true. Just because they said no. Today, that doesn’t mean that they’ll say no tomorrow. And so again, it’s consistently building those relationships consistently providing value to your audience. And you did bring up some of your content cuz I think thought leadership content, what are your thoughts on that on LinkedIn? I feel like, especially right now on example, Tik Tok and Instagram thought leadership content. And if people don’t know exactly what that is, it’s just more so like content and when that’s original, but also you can be polarizing of like, I like to say I like to describe it as like your intrusive thoughts that are taking over. And just a really honest, really honest about where your thoughts are, how is that on LinkedIn is that much more of a prominent I feel like it is where it’s much more prominent type of content that can help you like move forward,

Lakrisha Davis
you know, what the way I view that is, people use introduced interchangeable terms to describe this. So what I have observed is that LinkedIn is the term for that fit, that the term that fits that culture is thought leadership. What I’ve noticed on Instagram is building authority. Right? So it’s kind of like tomato tomahto. Right. But yeah, definitely on LinkedIn, thought leadership is just an umbrella for so many different things and ways that you can add value to your audience. So it can be original thoughts. It could be helpful content, such as step by step processes, again, taking the approach of original thought and not just like the stuff that you find on Google. And that is what LinkedIn is really prides on original content. And that also factors into the value piece, because when I talked about providing value in a specific and different way, it’s a part of that because with value on LinkedIn, it’s not just like, what it is you’re saying, but it’s how you’re communicating it.

Akua Konadu
Yes, absolutely. And I love that I think I think that’s super helpful and just so important, especially if you’re if you’re one wanting to expand more on LinkedIn and content create, you kind of have a deeper understanding of how you really truly want to show up on the platform that feels good to you. But also to will help you connect with your audience and build that community to help you grow your business

Lakrisha Davis
with LinkedIn, I mean sky’s the limit, quite honestly, it is about the value piece, but also finding your authentic way that you enjoy showing up. I mean, because there’s so many different ways you could, you could do it, like you mentioned earlier, which is a favorite of mine, incorporating storytelling into the helpful content that I’m sharing to make it more relatable and taking them through my experience with this and what have you. There’s a lot of choppy content on LinkedIn, where it’s just like, a really good headline, a couple of lines, and then boom, it’s done. So value is just really something that adds value. There’s so many different takes on our LinkedIn. And I love that because you can find the style that works for you. And you just keep repeating it. Eating that formula.

Akua Konadu
I love that. And I noticed you as well, just to add to that, that the algorithm to is like the longevity of your posts are much longer on LinkedIn than they are on Instagram. I sometimes when I pop in there, I’m seeing some stuff from two weeks ago. And I go, You know what I mean? And then I’m like, Oh, well, what else are they up to, you know, where you like, then go search their profile and whatnot. So yeah, even the longevity is just it’s such a different game. But it’s such a can have huge rewards if you choose to invest in the platform, which I love about it. And this conversation, Lakrisha, I have absolutely enjoyed it. It has been so wonderful, lots of great tangible tips of how we can grow our business. And I’m excited now to invest more into LinkedIn. And so final question that we ask every single guest is what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the businesses that fail?

Lakrisha Davis
Because I just wrote a post on this. And there’s like, there’s like eight things that the trace the character traits of people that are in this for the long haul, and the people that it’s just not for them, nothing, nothing wrong with that, if I could just dish out a few things. Number one would be Ego. I have observed that ego stops a lot of people from succeeding in business. And when I say ego, not ego that we think about on a daily basis, like oh, this person’s got a big ego, they think they’re all that it’s not bad. It is having the ability to have a healthy ego and business which will help you sustain means to understand that it’s okay to listen to someone’s guidance, whether it’s your coach, consultant, or even know, have the humility enough to know that you do need help. So that is number one. And when you get in those settings, actually being able to trust someone ego in terms of not getting so offended or frustrated that your content isn’t growing like overnight. And being like the heck with this because I’m not I don’t like not being good at stuff. That’s one of the biggest things that I deal with with my audience because they’re brilliant people. And they are so used to getting things right and in a quick turnaround time, and it just does not happen like that in business. And so when they don’t get the quick result, then they’re just like, Oh, this isn’t for me, or Oh, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t you’re not teaching it right. Or, oh, you know, it’s this and it’s everything else and everybody else but but me. So I would say that is another thing that holds people back and ego in the sense that you don’t have that level of empathy for your audience where you’re continuously trying to find ways to improve the value of the service that you’re providing them to ask for feedback and not get offended. And actually take that feedback and think like a business person and be like okay, I’m gonna consider this take notes on this to continuously improve my stuff. I will say ego is a real big one that separates people that have humble confidence. See, like, you can do this like you know, you know your stuff like I’m good at this I can I can change the world I can make an impact, but humble competence in that okay, but now I need help putting the frameworks in Place and actually watching this and getting counsel on how to make this grow and work. That’s not my goal of genius. This is my zone of genius, and I’m comfortable with that.

Akua Konadu
Yeah, 1,000% I love that I think ego plays such a huge factor, right? Again, like what you said, having the humility to ask for help having the humility to be able to take constructive criticism. And learning from that instead of getting super caught up or upset or offended. Right I that is I feel like that is such a key thing. Because that opens us up to more possibilities when we put our ego aside and put our guards down and be open to receive whatever it comes our way because it can lead to such amazing, amazing opportunities and directions that you never thought was possible for your business. And so at times, it can be hard. But I love what you said to even just like having dropping your ego to consistently refine the services that you’re offering. Right? Because I think a lot of times we put stuff together we put services and stuff together and we think it’s one and done. No, we are consistently changing the things that we offer and fine tuning. And so I love it. That’s such an important important reminder. And so appreciate this conversation was wonderful. Thank you so much. And where can people find you to connect the?

Lakrisha Davis
Well, we did? Yes, LinkedIn. My name is spelled la k r i s h a last name is Davis. That is da bi s. And you can also find me My website is www dot lakrishadavis.com. If you go on my Instagram, I am there but there’s probably like pictures. And I’m rarely ever get on there. But now I’m watching Love is blind to kind of catch up with what’s going on. So now I get on Instagram to look at the look

Akua Konadu
at the lie of the clubs. Oh, so guilty of that I’m cracking.

Lakrisha Davis
Well, yeah, that’s where you can.

Akua Konadu
Oh, I love that. Yes, yes, every please connect with Lakrisha on LinkedIn, because truly her content is fantastic. And she gets such valuable, valuable content. And you’ll also kind of see heavily with how she’s implementing some of the things that she shared with us today about providing value first content about being very specific, really leaning into refining writing skills and stuff like that. So thank you so much, Lakrisha. I have absolutely enjoyed this and everybody listening until next time. That ends our episode of The Independent Business Podcast. Everything we’ve discussed today can be found at [email protected]. Head to our website to access for show notes, relevant links and all the resources that you need to level up. And if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss our future content. Drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social and thank you again for listening.