Karen KJ Johnson Biz Story

Before I started my business, I worked full-time as an instructor for a major Senior Housing organization. During the first two weeks of the month, I conducted operational training for newly hired managers. The third week, I conducted sales training for newly hired sales directors and the fourth week, I completed administrative tasks, such as evaluations for each student/employee, led conference calls with hiring managers to discuss overall performance of their employee, updated curriculum as needed, participated in project meetings, prepped for the next upcoming training class and/or facilitated training sessions for an absent instructor. Overall, my days were filled with 8 hours of instruction, 2 -3 hours of coaching & administrative work. Even though my days were long, and I hit several “glass ceilings”, I stayed in corporate America as long as I did because I was working & operating in my gift of teaching which offered a sense of satisfaction, but I knew I was avoiding the calling on my life.

The catalyst for starting my business was a statement from one of my male students who was attending one of my two-week operational training sessions. One day during an afternoon break, he approached me and stated that my message was powerful, and I needed to be on a bigger stage. He stated that he was going to contact a friend and tell him about me. I downplayed his remark by laughing and advising him to get his snacks and not to be late returning to my classroom. My student made that phone call anyway, connected me with a world-renowned speaker, Dr. Ruben West (who had mentored under the tutelage of the infamous Les Brown). After a 15-minute conversation, Dr. West asked me to come speak at his next conference. NOTE: Dr. West had never heard me speak nor had he seen any of my training materials. Six months later, I spoke at the Black Belt Speaker Conference, received a standing ovation and afterwards, it was prophesied that my business would “blow up” in a year. After this amazing aha experience, I knew it was time to step out on faith. I returned to work the following Monday, advised my employer that in a year I would resign from my position. Six months after I made that declaration, my entire department was laid off. My transition into entrepreneurship was a thrust…it happened in six months instead of twelve months. I wasn’t mentally, financially or strategically prepared, but I was excited because I knew this thrust was pushing me to answer the call on my life.

The beginning of my entrepreneurial journey began in the Fall of 2016. I didn’t have a business plan, strategic plan, or business model, but I had commitment, dedication, heart and a few clients. These clients were secured from the speaking engagement a few months earlier. NOTE: I spoke at a conference for aspiring speakers, authors & coaches. These aspiring speakers, authors & coaches needed to establish their business and as a result my business model, name & target audience were defined. I launched KJ Strategy Design Studio, a business & brand consultancy helping new entrepreneurs establish their business structure and design a brand strategy. My mission statement was to “bring their vision to life”. I obtained my domain, kjsdstudio.com, hired Fiverr to design my logo, using only black as my brand color. I chose black because it represents power & elegance and that’s what I wanted my clients to feel about their business & brand. About a month later, I updated my logo by adding a trio of cogs to represent the many moving parts of a business but working cohesively. My brand colors were updated to include white, gray & burnt orange. This added sophistication, timeless & warmth as I believe these were key elements when building a foundation for a business. 

I had acquired business knowledge during my 25 years in corporate America, but I still had so much to learn about running a business. My initial learning plan included taking courses on business acumen and small business finance. I wanted to be seen as a thought leader & expert in my field, so I immersed myself into any class, webinar, book and/or resource on the business of speakers, authors and coaches. I also had the pleasure and privilege of working with Dr. Ruben West, (the world-renowned speaker who granted me the opportunity to speak at his Black Belt Speaker’s Conference) as my coach. The time and knowledge I gained from him was priceless.

The business had it shares of ups and downs. There was a time during those early years, I found myself without a single client, no cash flow & not being fulfilled as an entrepreneur. With no incoming clients but bills yet due, I found myself needing to return to corporate America. I made myself a promise that I would continue to work my business and enhance my professional skillset as an entrepreneur because I knew it was my divine destiny. 

The evolution of my business began approximately 8 – 10 months after returning to corporate America. I discovered (as a result of doing some serious soul searching) the true purpose of why my business existed. I was able to secure a corporate contract which afforded me the opportunity to leave corporate America again. And after returning to entrepreneurship full time, I rebranded the business as a personal brand consultancy, targeting the African American women leaders & entrepreneurs. I realized during my soul searching that my previous professional experience as an instructor, no matter the topic I was teaching, I was always educating the audience on the importance of embracing & owning the essence of one’s core. That discovery, along with my personal experience of working in corporate America & owning my business showcased another element to the “glass ceiling” syndrome. African American women are suppressed from being authentically themselves. African American women are advised and told the “proper” way of managing themselves in order to secure promotions, capital, partnerships, etc. and even then, there’s no guarantee of advancement or funds.

This aha awakening moment ignited a spark that evolved the business into what it is today. KJ Strategy Design Studio offers personal & business branding services to African American women leaders & entrepreneurs. We coach black women on how to fully own & embrace their cultural identity, rock their self-confidence & build a sustainable brand legacy for their families and community. Our logo was then updated to reflect a more upscale feel replacing the warmth (burnt orange) with bronze. In January 2020, we expanded our business model by launching an online school, The Brand I Academy.  The academy offers courses in branding, leadership, sales, communication & networking. These courses are centered around core, culture and creativity and built upon our foundational principles: Inspire, Impact, Influence & Imprint which transforms the black woman from a “default” to a “design” brand.   

During the last four years of my entrepreneurial journey I have learned the importance of operating and walking in the essence of my gift and allowing it to guide me toward my vision of helping and supporting African American women to stand up in their truths, to not allow society to push their biases onto them and to not adjust in behavior in order to accommodate others’ insecurities. I have continued to enhance my knowledge in branding, leadership & marketing and added diversity & inclusion as a unique differentiator which increases my intellect in elevating my targeted audiences’ brand to a higher business of purpose.  

My 2020 plan includes writing a personal brand curriculum for young black girls attending college and high school that will help educate and guide them to discover and fully embrace their personal brand resulting in making intentional decisions regarding their entrepreneurial journey or professional career. My future goals include expanding The Brand I Academy to a LIVE campus, secure accreditation and partner with historically black colleges to elevate our future women leaders to a brand of higher purpose.   

My word of wisdom for any future woman entrepreneur would be to hire a financial expert to help you understand and identify all of your financial categories & line items for your business BEFORE you jump into entrepreneurship. Develop a budget. Track any and all expenses and revenue. Take the appropriate steps to build business credit.  Protect your business - insurance, trademarks, copyrights, etc. It’s important to know when you are running a legitimate business, it takes funds to do so and it takes cash flow to sustain the business.

And finally, my business tip: Whether you know it or not, we all have a personal brand, but many times the narrative and biases of society dictates an image not reflective of the true essence of who you are as an African American woman. KJ Strategy Design Studio believes you are uniquely equipped with gifts, skills, experiences and purpose. We help you identify the essence of your core, package an image reflective of that core, and illuminate your brilliance through coaching and education, resulting in credibility, confidence & consistency. 

Join me in taking part in the One Million Woman Link Up to monetize LinkedIn. #SmartWomenPartnerGrowRich https://smartwomenpartner.com

Contact Info: cell: 469-734-4448; email address: [email protected], website: www.kjsdstudio.com, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin/in/karen-kj-johnson, https://www.linkedin/company/thebrandiacademy, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kjsdstudio, https://www.facebook.com/brandiacademy, & Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/kj_strategy_design_studio, https://www.instagram.com/thebrandiacademy