We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lewana Kidane a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lewana , so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
Taking Risks, is risky and not easy when first starting! Furthermore, taking my first risk was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, not being secure & safe in my decision making always sounded quite scary at first until it’s successfully done.
Additionally, typically we’re afraid because we want to see the outcome of something before we start to know we’re headed in the right direction, but a risk is the complete opposite, you never will know the possibility nor fully know of your headed in the right direction, it’s always a 50/50 decision nothing less or more.
When I took my first risk, I was nothing but afraid, it was a foreign concept to me and I didn’t understand it, but I later then learned taking a risk isn’t something your suppose to understand or feel secure in, you just do it and hope for the best outcome, and accept whichever one you get.
Once I graduated College in 2020 the year of the pandemic, I had no choice, but to figure which route I wanted to take after graduation, moving back home where my family was the safest option for me, or stay in the DMV where all my new friends and the new life I’ve created are! Additionally, I felt as if it was more exploring to do, I decided to take my chances and stay in the Dmv. I later then took a Body Sculpting Class which was the a huge risk for me, because I never invested in myself before, and didn’t understand the importance of it. I remember praying heavily on my way to the course, and felt more confident knowing I started this journey with God, and that what’s for me is meant to happen, which put me at ease, although I majored in Health Sciences, had no previous experience in marketing, branding, customer service or all the necessary skills to starting a business I decided to take that risk & do it anyways and learn along the way, and that was the scariest, biggest risk I’ve ever took there, but little did I know that was only the first step to fully stepping into my career.
Additionally, I chose a career where risk is highly necessary, with me taking that risk, I had a goal of having 20 clients per month and having a suite I didn’t know if I was able to afford, but I decided to take risk and what pushed me was my passion and drive for completing my goals and ideas the way I envisioned! My first month I ended up being fully booked with over 200 clients. I worked all 31 days leaving all my days open working from 7-10pm, because I didn’t think I would get book, so I left all my availability open. Once I saw the outcome, it was a different feeling, I never would’ve ever thought such a risk could ever led me here, the outcome opened my eyes to a new world, a new mindset, a new perspective of life in general.
Once you take your first risk the rest come easy, and you continue to grow mentally, physically, financially you start to learn it’s the only way to get better, to learn, to grow your business and make the most out of any situation. A risk is a win either way or you’ll either learn or gain, and that’s an opportunity to grow and become better in whatever it is you do! Furthermore, I received business advice from a fellow colleague and she notified me to be prepared to fail your first 3-6 months of starting, and with that message I still felt motivated to continue whether I fail in order to succeed, in order to succeed you have to be okay with taking risk, failing, picking yourself back up and starting over again, not competing or comparing, loving your personal experience and journey. Within two months I opened up a shop with 8 suites, built it from the ground up, this has been the biggest of the biggest risk I spent A lot to build this space, just for a possibility I could receive no employees or tenants, for me I was willing to take that risk, because I trusted the process and believed in myself and did it, I’ve been successfully running this space and my personal business and the suites have never been empty. it’s highly important to not complicate things and just go for it, and continue to strive for your goals. Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid to take that risk, don’t be afraid of what’s next or calculate each step, life and success is all about the unknown, be positive and always manifest for the best and things will always work out if it’s coming from your heart. Xoxo 💋
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?
My name is Lewana K. I am The CEO & Owner of The Body Contour Clinic & Sculptedbylu and BCU Academy! Born & Raised in San Francisco, California First Generation Eritrean- American, I am 25 years old and started this establishment at the age of 22.
At The Body Contour Clinic & Sculptedbylu we offer plenty of resources & services for our community. Currently, we offer Courses, Mentorship Courses/ Calls, Sell Machines, Products & more, Beauty Services, and Memberships to our Spa! At The Body Contour Clinic, We provide Lifestyle Professionals with beautiful salon suites in a spa-like setting and so much more! Find out how affordable independence and professional growth can be.
Our Salon Suites has developed an innovative approach to small business ownership by inviting Lifestyle Professionals to operate their business in a beautifully designed suite. In addition, Our Beauty Bar provides uniquely designed development tools and complimentary education to ensure individual’s success.
We provide while you concentrate on growing your clientele and income all in a upscale, professional setting. Decorate your suite in your own, creative way. Show your clients the real you through your imagination and decor.
BCUAcademy, Our mission is to remain the #1 training institute in Washington DC Metro Area! Finding the right trade and a fitting training program might seem like an impossible task in an ever-changing market. Ever since opening our doors, we’ve helped countless individuals achieve their career and life dreams. We are committed to providing excellent education, training and resources so that our students will thrive in today’s competitive world. With flexible program options and great instructors, we’re sure you’ll be satisfied with your education at BCU Academy!
Something that is so special about our space is our ability to be able to provide a space for women to grow, learn, thrive and feel beautiful in, we are really big on customer service and continue to make this our top priority! Personally, I love how I’m able to become my own boss and customize the space to my liking, customize the courses and calls to each person and meet great amazing people everyday! We have students who fly from out of state to visit and take courses with us and that is the biggest honor, some of our students have their own space after taking our courses and succeeding and this is a pleasant thing to watch our students learn from the best and thrive!
We plan on expanding our space in 2024, we plan on growing our team and having another location to continue to make an impact. Lastly, we also plan on dropping A new product line coming very soon!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, I would say the three qualities/skills that were the most impactful during my journey as a Business Owner would networking, and taking risk , having a team! Additionally, these are extremely important in elevating your brand and to grow your business . Networking is key when starting any new venture, it’s important to know people who can advise you and have in your corner, secondly taking risk is the only way you can grow, and better your brand and business overall, Having a team is crucial in order to grow having organization, and someone who is on top of things is the only way to gain and succeed in this industry where you have to keep up with trends, graphics, budget sheets and marketing etc. it’s highly recommended to have someone who keeps tabs on these things as you can’t do it all yourself, you need room for other things and focus on what your best at and allow the team to do what their best at!
My advice for anyone who is early on in their journey to success is that you be passionate and have the drive for anything and everything, be ready for ups and downs, write all your goals down, be organized and hire a team for the things your not best at, don’t wait, don’t complicate things just go for it you won’t regret it, taking a risk is the first step, and everything else afterwards will be the start of your journey! Lastly, do your research on whatever it is your interested in, and memorize it, sleep it and put it to work, prepare money and save it for these goals, and take your time on your craft.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
“The Secret” is a book that has played an important role in my development. This book has shifted my mindset, and perspective towards life overall. The Secret has so many gems and great wisdom. Furthermore, this book is all about manifesting your goals and shifting your mindset towards the things you want, it’s a life changing book and is the reason I gain everything I manifest, I learn it and apply it to my everyday life and the outcome never disappoints.
The Law Of Attraction is real, and those who use it will see themselves, the power of positive thinking can help you do anything you want. A nugget of wisdom I received from this book is positive thoughts can bring good things your way, and this bestselling book explains the secret to a joyful life which I’ve been living and I apply it to everything not just my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sculptedbylu.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: @sculptedbylu @thebodycontourclinic @bcuacademy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewana-kidane-a75b0b132
- SoundCloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/lulew-banks/showtime?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=6EF9E673AC6C42DABDE2A31411456FB4&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
