I applied to the L.I.V.E program because I believed that it was time to breathe life into my dream. I’ve been dreaming about launching my LLC for years, but I knew that I couldn’t do it alone. Starting a business is hard and there are a lot of elements that you have to learn about to make sure it is executed effectively.  I entered into the L.I.V.E. program as a dreamer, but also as someone who was ready to move into execution mode. Being in the L.I.V.E. cohort #2 has provided a chrysalis for me to grow and develop in the butterfly that I know I must become to fly freely and boldly into owning my business.

Every single class has blessed me by giving me insight into some aspect of business that I didn’t have before. The energy and passion of each facilitator added to my desire to keep going even on the days when working on my business wasn’t the thing that I wanted to do.

My Activation Advisor, Dalijah Franklin has also helped me in so many ways. She has been an advisor and a life coach, listening to me vent about my frustrations and doubts, but then coaching me back to the place of persistence. Dalijah has given me many valuable suggestions about being an entrepreneur. She educated me about the importance of  revamping  my website and she has also taught me the importance of owning what I am worth and not being afraid to put a price on it.

My biggest aha moment was me accepting the point that at the end of each class, I must take the vision back to God, He is the one who planted this vision in my heart and when the program is over He will still be there leading the way.

My biggest challenge thus far is celebrating my moments of success and accomplishments. I really need to take the time out to celebrate the small victories, because if I can’t be happy in the small moments, what will I do when the big ones show up?

The L.I.V.E. program has created a question that all entrepreneurs must answer at some point. “If not now, when?” The Dream Center has become a place where you can go to inhale your future and exhale your past. I am learning daily the importance of working hard, while staying humble and I am working on celebrating every moment that I am given. It isn’t always easy to live in the present while launching yourself, but the L.I.V.E. program has created a space where you don’t have to do it alone, but you have to get it done.

Special thanks and appreciation to the L.I.V.E. ladies. You all rock!!!  Desiree Elder, Syreena Howard,  Alexis Henry, Sorayah Ferrer and Makeda Gershenson!
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IMANI WALLACE (Cohort 2): CHALLENGING THE ROLLERCOASTER
I’ve spent the last few months looking out from a ledge of safety, preparing to jump over into a realm of the unknown entrepreneurship valley. I’ve heard it has its highs and its lows, like a rollercoaster. I’ve felt them myself. It is the best feeling, however, to be in an environment that is filled with such support and dedication that it encourages me to stay committed to my own dream. This is what the L.I.V.E. program has done for me.

My name is Imani J. Wallace and my business project is a nonprofit corporation called Poetry for Service. Poetry for Service is a poetry and public service organization that uses the power of spoken word as a platform for marginalized groups to find their voices. Poetry for Service seeks to do this through infiltrating spaces where society has made individuals to believe that their voices don’t matter such as low-socioeconomic neighborhoods of color, incarcerated populations or programs with formerly incarcerated people. Poetry for Service hosts writers workshops, open mics and poetry events free of charge in these spaces to make creative expression accessible and serve as a form of restoration for the unheard.

Upon beginning this journey, I only had the budding idea for the organization and faith the size a mustard seed. But now, as we’re approaching the homerun of the program, I’ve been on a path to achieving actualization by pursuing my goals of initiating the paperwork process, creating partnerships with other organizations, and establishing a digital presence for the business. I applied to this program because I wanted to see a passion project of mine come to life, and L.I.V.E. has given me that plus so much more. Not only has the project been made tangible to me, I’ve gained a family in my Cohort 2 classmates along the way.

By far, the classes that have stood out to me the most were those taught by Cathleen Meredith and Ny Whitaker. Cathleen gave us a roadmap on how to establish everything social about our organizations and do so with personality and pizzazz. She gave valuable one-on-one tips on how to reel the public eye in with the way we present ourselves and represent our businesses. Further, she was hilarious! Ny instilled a sense of fight in me. From hearing her persistence and her struggles to knowing her accomplishments, it motivated me to work harder for what I want each and every day. It reminded me of the rollercoaster. It reminded me that none of this will come easy or become easier, but I’ll just have to work harder and get better. If you were to ask me almost three months ago what my biggest challenge was, I would’ve told you it was getting started. Since I’ve experienced the L.I.V.E. program, my biggest challenge is the idea that there will be people out there who think they can stop me.