Interview with Lisa K. Stephenson, owner of Video Streaming Platform Owned by African American Woman

Ms Stevenson is from the Bronx, New York. As the daughter of a single mother and daughter of a family devoted to African American studies, she identified early on that education, independence, and equal justice were important to women and men of all color. Lisa is currently a writer, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, magazine publisher, executive producer and philanthropist. 

We are honored to have a quick sitdown with Ms. Stephenson whom has extensive experience as a leader, public speaker, writer and business consultant, and she has led numerous successful business campaigns and book tours. She has been a member and has been involved in many civic and public institutions over the years. 

To start, Congratulations on all of your success thus far! We love to see it!

 From growing up in New York, and being involved in numerous avenues in business, how do you feel it has shaped the journey you took in your career? 

I think having had jobs and taking on business ventures of my own has most definitely had a positive impact on my business knowledge and career overall. When I worked for CVS at the age of 20 I remember retyping their company manuals to fit my business models for my own staff members to follow. This was something I never had knowledge of, but I constantly did this, I would take bits and pieces of information from every company and then apply it to my own. Working in sales for a college however was the best experience because I was able to learn the importance of lead building, marketing and pitching to leads - cold, warm, hot. I would then rewrite those scripts and start training my own sales team to sell ads in the magazine. This slowly grew the business. 

She’s Single Mag just had its successful launch. Congratulations! How does it feel to have your own publication? 

Thank you. I think owning a publication in this day and age is bittersweet. The legacy and value of a magazine hasn't changed much for consumers and celebrities, however, the backbone for survivor ship for any magazine is ad sales. The world has shifted so much that more businesses want to advertise digitally - this can make things a bit more challenging. But it was a learning experience and the magazine is something we are very proud of. 

As a multifaceted entrepreneur, what keeps you motivated despite a busy schedule? 

I stay motivated because one day I would like a family. I had a wonderful childhood, I come from a single parent household with two brothers and my mother is incredible. But there are things I would want to differently as a parent in terms of being able to give my children more and provide them with resources for them to be successful. 

Your brand new streaming platform is available on mobile devices as well as TV. What was it like diving from the writing, motivational speaker and consultant world into online streaming? 

We have to move with the times lol. As a writer I've always written my books using the same kind of structure as film so the transition was very easy. Dialogue, action and then build the story. Sort of like going from a script to a book. My imagination and creativity spans wide. I believe this is something that is needed when transitioning from one area to the next. However, I think they all still work interdependently with one another. As a writer - magazine, scripts, movies, shows. It's all a world I believe that works together. As a motivational speaker, I take pride in giving back and sharing knowledge. I did not have a mentor. No one to guide me on relationships or even business for that matter and I've seen how difficult it can be sometimes. If I can help ease someone's stress with providing them some knowledge on either or, I will do my part. 

What is the message you want your readers and audience to receive overall? 

Nothing is easy, if it was everybody would do it. And while it may seem like everyone is living life on easy street it is okay to take your time and focus on your personal and business goals to grow. Ask questions and don't think for one second you know everything, because there's always more to learn. If you're looking to become a business owner you should welcome having to be a student for the rest of your life. 

If you had to give one piece of advice to someone who is attempting to follow your footsteps towards success, what would it be? 

Ask yourself what you're doing it for...I had to ask myself that question because it was so many moving parts and so much ventures that I was getting overwhelmed, even with a dedicated staff alongside me. It is going to be a challenge, but if you have a good reason for doing it besides money then the challenge will be worth it. 

Check Out Lisa K. Stephenson's businesses for more information and support: She's SINGLE Magazine She's SINGLE Media: Public Relations CERKIT TV