Meet Latonya Hicks

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Latonya Hicks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Latonya below.

Latonya, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

My grandfather is 97 years old as I write this story. As a black man who was born and raised in southern Tennessee, you can imagine everything that he endured as someone who sat in many rooms with people who didn’t look like him. Despite this, he had a very successful life. He integrated a hardware store by being the first black man to work there. He went on to become the first black police officer in the city we lived in. And he became the first black mayor of that same city we lived in for 17 years.

Watching my grandfather navigate his life has always fascinated me. I know building his life and career were much harder for him. But he always kept a smile on his face and and even temper even though I know he had been bullied, harassed, called names and even assaulted before during his life time.

If you’re wondering what the secret is to his success, even when he was the only one in the room that looked like him, it is pretty simple. Don’t give them what they want.
Don’t be the stereotype that they have about you.
Treat everyone with respect, but don’t let people walk all over you.
Stand your ground when you know you are in the right.
Keep God at the center of everything

You would think that it would be more of a magic formula to his success, but it really is just basic common curtsey, treating others with kindness and respect, and being who you are despite what others think of you. These are the things that I keep in mind when I am in a room where no one looks like me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m Latonya, a Business Vision & Implementation strategist and founder of Latonya Renee Coaching. With over 9 years of experience, I specialize in supporting women coaches and service providers streamline their operations, systems and processes, so they can free up their time to scale their business while still aligning with their vision.

My goal is to help you streamline your operations so you can break free from the constant grind and build a business that aligns with your authentic self. Together, we’ll create the structure you need to multiply your presence, free up your time, and scale your business in a sustainable way. This means less burnout, more freedom, and the ability to spend time with your family or enjoy the things you love while your business continues to grow.

I am a soon to be wife and bonus mom to a son and god mommy of 5. When not helping clients with creating their business vision and systems, you can find me in my garden, at a winery, crafting with my Cricut or spending time with my loved ones.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The ability to be flexible, thinking outside the box and trusting my intuition. The advice I would give to those who are early in their journey would be to definitely trust their intuition. There are a lot of different strategies, methods, and coaching programs in the online world that promises big results in short amounts of time. You have to stay true to the vision and goals of your business to determine what’s best for moving your business forward. In the end, it’s your business and you have the final say of how you want to serve your client’s in the best way that you can.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

“10x is Easier Than 2x” by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy has been a game changer on how I have moved my business forward. They talk about how making a 10x jump in your business is easier than making a 2x jump. 2x is very linear where you have to master one thing before you get to the next. 10x is not linear at all. It’s where you focus on the 20% of activities that will move your business forward instead of the 80% that keeps you stuck. It’s in that 20% that you make greater leaps and jumps in your business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Latonyarenee_consulting
• Facebook: Latonya Hicks
• Linkedin: Latonyarenee
• Other: Email: Latonya@latonyareneeconsulting.com

Image Credits

Brianna Buchholz Photography