Lakisha Harper-Bradley.....I Took My Leap of Faith and Jumped

What is your background? Education, Work Experience

My name is Lakisha Bradley. When you see me, I won’t look like what I’ve been through…I currently live in Fayetteville, AR. I am honored to be the mother of two beautiful children (Xailyn & Troy).I am married to my best friend (Lymar) of 6 years. However, we’ve known each other since 1994. I have a Bachelor’s of science degree in Business Management from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University. I have over 16 years of Retail Business Management experience with Wal-Mart and Fred’s Super Dollar Store. I am also the Co-Founder of Emmaculate Image LLC – Mobile Detail that my husband and I started back in 2010.

In my spare time, I am actively engaged in serving communities within Arkansas in partnership with my sister’s nonprofit organization “Light House Solutions”. Several of our programs include Back to School Drives, Trails of Love Holiday Gift Giving, and the Dream Big Experience.

What’s your favorite quote!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture or to make significant changes in an existing business?

Have you ever been in a situation where you begin to hear the whispers from God, but you chose not to listen because you are comfortable? However, the whispers start becoming louder and louder until you no longer have a choice but to listen and need to react. Well, that was me.
August of last year, while on my way to work, the voice of God was so loud that I had to text it into my phone because I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose the message I was receiving. (Now, we all know that we shouldn’t text and drive, but that day I had to capture it some kind of way)… After receiving my message, I went into work that morning and placed my 2wks notice that ended up being 4 weeks 😊.

Here’s what I received…

“It's times to make that move my child. I'm going to place a new shift in your life. Trust in me and I will show you the way. I am the Lord thy God. The alpha and the omega. Do thy will and walk in thy purpose on earth and I shall reward thee. Trouble won't last always and joy cometh in the morning. 

Haven't I shown thee many times before? Walk blindly with me and I will guide your path. I will show my manifestation and glory. I will wipe the tears and darkness from your eyes. Do my will and watch me work. Now walk in faith and not by your sight. (Renewed and stronger marriage, financial blessings, immaculate businesses, restored children and family of faith and love, covered by the renewed mind and solid foundation of your husband) This is bigger than just one person, many will be effected with this blessing.Now go forth.”

I would have never thought that Sept. 16, 2016 would end up being my last day at Wal-Mart and the beginning of my next chapter. The definition of “Shift” means a change in position, direction or tendency. When driving a car, there are times when we have to shift gears or lanes in order to get to our final destination. During that moment, we’re trusting that this vehicle is going to help get us from point A to B safely. Sometimes, God places a shift in our lives for us to achieve our greatest breakthroughs. All we need to do is trust the process when it happens.

So, after I took my leap of faith and jumped. I really didn't know what to expect but I knew I needed to follow and trust Him. Right now God is opening doors that no man can shut and as He continues to lift me, I will lift those around me. I am humble and grateful for this journey.

Can you provide us with a description of your business?

During this transition, my new business was birthed. I am the CEO/Founder of MY-T-BY-DESIGN “Painting with a Purpose” mobile service where WE COME TO YOU. Our mission is to worship the Lord by helping restore families and lives, through the creativity of art. MY-T-BY-Design is a metaphor from the scripture

With 16+yrs. of retail experience previously at Wal-Mart Stores and Fred’s Super Dollar Store, I've been given the opportunity to infuse skill sets gained from Training & Development, HR, Operations, and Customer Service into my longtime passion of art and creativity.

Our workshops are unique that #1 We're mobile! #2 We combine technology, conversation, leadership/personal development training, painting and much more! At MY-T-BY-DESIGN, we're committed to providing southern hospitality and quality service all the same time. Our company is based on the belief that our customers'​needs are very important to us. Our services include workshops for children and adults of all ages, team builds, Sip-N-Paint events, and private parties.

If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Not much, because I am grateful for my life learning’s along the way. Those key milestones and days of joy/pain is what has helped to align me into my purpose today. The only thing that I would consider changing is walking more in “Fearless Faith” during that time and believing in myself first.

 What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

There have been times where I listened to other people’s opinions and acted upon it; which ended up being the wrong move for me. Instead, I should have listened to my own intuition and be confident in the decision I made. I’ve learned that sometimes, we typically already know the answer to a problem or challenge, but we tend to look outside of ourselves for validation and because of the fear of being wrong.

How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?

I hate giving up, but I learned that sometimes you have to know when it’s time to make a change. If an idea hits me and I have that “gut feeling” that this is something that can help someone or myself in a positive way, I will go “all in” until it comes to a point that I know I’ve given my all and it’s time to move own.

 What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

My greatest fear is not being able to provide for my children and family. That is why my husband and I hustle hard in our businesses to build a solid foundation for our family. I want my children to grow up and do better than us and continue to build on the foundation that was laid even before us. This may sound crazy to some people; however, to help keep myself focused today, I even painted my right pinky golden as a reminder for me to continue to walk in “Fearless Faith”.

 If you could talk to three people, who would they be and why?

• My Great Grandmother “Big Momma” (I miss hearing her sweet and loving voice.) 
• Tam Neal (I miss our laughs, reminiscing about our college years, and sisterly talks.) 
• Oprah (Come on… it’s Oprah! lol)

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Both my mother and father are my greatest inspiration. They’ve taught me so much about hard work, respect, and love for family.

What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)

My favorite book right now is my journal. It has allowed me to reflect back over my life and see how I have grown. It also provides me an outlet to share my thoughts on a blank page and have no judgment against me.

What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur can be rewarding, but it also takes hard work, persistence, and dedication. One of my favorite aspects is that I have more control over how I plan my time and I am able to be more available for my children when they get home from school.

 What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

My most satisfying moment is hearing my participants say “I can’t draw or paint” and then see that smile come on their face when they discover that they just created a masterpiece on a canvas and suddenly they have a story to share behind it. That’s the moment when God reminds me that I am in alignment of the purpose He has designed for me. Now that’s my sweet spot!

"I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME." (PHILIPPIANS 4:13)

Finding Peace with Uncertainty

Fear of an uncertain future: it can stop us from doing great things, and it can keep us holding onto things that are hurting us. 

For example: you might be holding onto clutter for reasons of comfort and security, even if the clutter gives you anxiety and costs a lot of money.

And: you might be staying in a job you don’t like, because you’re afraid of taking the plunge, because you’re afraid of failing.

And again: you might not travel to a country that feels very unfamiliar because you don’t know what will happen — and miss out on an amazing life-changing experience. 
This is just the start of how fear of an uncertain future affects our lives.

How to Get Good at Uncertainty

And so we see that the answer is becoming good at change. If we are good at dealing with new things, with things as they come no matter how different they are, then we don’t fear it. Then change itself becomes comfortable.

If we become comfortable with change, it’s not scary. We can then embrace it, find joy in it. You can see this in people who we call “adventurous” — they seek new experiences, because they know they’ll be fine, and that it can be amazing. (Note that this is different than the “adventure-seeker” types who have turned excitement into their form of comfort — when the excitement is taken away, then they feel the pain and loss of this change.)

So how do we get good at change? Some suggestions that are working for me (I’m still learning):

·                                 Try something new, but small and safe. New things can be scary because we’re afraid we’re going to fall on our faces. But if it’s something small for example listening to a language-learning podcast, for example — it’s not as scary. There’s no real risk of getting hurt. And the more we do this, in small, non-scary steps, the more confidence we’ll gain that new things are not painful.

·                                 When you mess up, don’t see it as painful failure. When you’re doing new things, there will be times when you make mistakes, mess up, “fail”. But these words are associated with negative things, like pain … instead; start to look at mistakes and “messing up” as something positive — it’s the only way to learn. Messing up is a way to get better at something, to grow, to get stronger.

   The choices we make, and the chances we take, determine our destiny.- Unknown

·                                 See the wonder and opportunity in change. Change might mean leaving a comfort zone, and losing something (or someone) you love, but there’s much more: it’s the bringing of something new and amazing, a new opportunity to explore and learn and meet new people and reinvent yourself. When change happens, look for the wonder in it, the new doors that have opened.

·                                 Ask “what’s the worst-case scenario”? If you’re exposing yourself, getting out of your comfortable environment, leaving behind security … it can be scary, but when you think about what is the worst thing that is likely to happen, usually it’s not that bad. If you lost all your possessions today in a disaster, how bad would that be? How would you cope? What opportunities would there be? What new things could you invent from this blank slate?

·                                 Develop a change toolset. Learn how to cope with changes, no matter what they are. Have a fallback plan if things collapse. Have friends and family you can call on. Develop some skills where you can get a job or start a new business no matter what happens with your current job or the economy. Learn ways of making friends with strangers, finding your way around a strange city, surviving on little. With a toolset like this, you can feel confident that you can handle just about anything that comes.