Lisa Janay shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Lisa, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
All three are important to me but I would have to say integrity is the most important but intelligence is literally right behind it and then energy. Integrity is the most important because I carry myself with morals, genuineness, honesty, and loyalty. A lot of people can have intelligence and don’t have integrity…. which is like most people of today. Some people find ways to outsmart others with their intelligence so they can do something that’s dishonest or deceitful to people with integrity and genuineness so that is why I say integrity is the most important in my opinion.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a 19x Published Entrepreneur/Fashion Model / Celebrity Interviewer. Cold Piece Boutique (women’s fashion boutique) was the start of my entrepreneurial journey. In 2021, Heavy Flexin Apparel (men’s clothing brand) was created which ties in to my magazine company “Heavy Flexin Media” the platform where I host my celebrity interviews. I’ve interviewed Clifton Davis, Shamari DeVoe, and Deon Cole to name a few. Then came along “Heavy Flexin Eatery” and “Heavy Flexin Sports Network”. Through the five years of my entrepreneur career, I’ve earned partnerships with VoyageATL and VoyageMichigan, Cold Piece Boutique co-sponsored a HBCU scholarship for a Chicago Public High School student in 2023, and I produced/co-wrote my first song for the singer “Michelle Marlisa – “When U Need Me” in 2024. My brand “Heavy Flexin” is so important to me because it represents what it is like to start from scratch and FLEXIN your accomplishments. Everybody FLEX about something they have done in life! Heavy Flexin symbolizes how determination, consistency, dedication, motivation, the hustle/grind brought YOU this far to be successful! I am most proud of providing employment for myself when I didn’t know where life was going to take me after being laid off, creating multiple businesses that are now being recognized for my hard work, and being able share my blessings/opportunities with others by starting my own media platform I just created. Stay tuned for more new projects!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
Honestly, I would say myself. I did everything for myself… I got everything out of the mud. I’m the hardest working person I know personally, I always find a way to get some work done and make something happen. I feel like being a woman you have to have that drive and ambition to get stuff done because most of the time women are overlooked and nothing will always be handed to you. During this entrepreneur journey, it was only me that got me to where I am today without any prior experience in business… I just knew what I wanted and went after it.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there was a lot of times I thought about giving up. In these last 8 months, I was going through a rough period of my life. I was questioning if I wanted to do anything anymore but I realized I came too far to just stop. I thought about all of the things I accomplished and that kept me going. There will always be mistakes made along the way but you have to work through those mistakes and learn from them. Another thing, I would definitely say surround yourself with likeminded individuals who are on the same path as you because it’s good to have support when you’re going through something.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to think that you can’t be successful unless you went to college. I always heard a lot of people say that and I really believed that at some point in my life. I’m the perfect example of that not being true… I was able to co-sponsor a HBCU Scholarship, became a 19X Published CEO, and never even went to college . In this day and age, you can be successful without having a degree depending on what you are pursuing but it’s so many avenues to get yourself out there just being consistent and networking.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I would hope people would talk about how I was a great person. No matter what trials or tribulations that happened in my life I conquered it all. I would want my legacy to be remembered as an inspiration for young African-Americans to chase any dream(s) that they might have especially African-American women. Being a young black woman jumping into becoming an entrepreneur/model and being successful so far with the opportunities I have had, I want to show and be an influencer that anything is possible. Everything I accomplished was EARNED, nothing was given to me. I want to let others know that whatever you decide you want to achieve/accomplish just know YOU CAN DO IT. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS. I believe that my legacy will go down as an inspiration.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @itslisajanay @heavyflexinmedia @heavyflexinapparel @coldpieceboutique @heavyflexinsports @heavyflexineatery
