We had the good fortune of connecting with Latrisha Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Latrisha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I started my business, VISIONful Solutions, LLC in 2015 I was definitely taking a risk on myself. As I would go into my 9-5 every day, I kept feeling like I was created to do more and created to be more. From that point, all I had to do was build up the boldness to let my supervisor know that it was time for me to go in a different direction. I had a Director level position and I had raised almost $1,000,000 in grants for the organization in less than 9 months. I had the desire and passion to do so much more and to also extend my expertise to other organizations and non-profits that were having trouble receiving grant funding. The easy part was realizing that I was willing to walk away from a premier position to start my business development firm. The hard part was letting my former boss know this. I went into that meeting confident and sure about that life-changing decision. During this time it was critical for me to use wisdom and strategy as I ventured into the world of full-time entrepreneurship. At the meeting that day I asked my employer to become my first client. Five businesses later, they are still my client today!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the Founder/Co-Founder of 5 VISIONful Businesses (VISIONful Solutions, VISIONful Communities, VISIONful Productions, VISIONful Records, and one I am not yet ready to mention). In all aspects, VISIONful is set apart even with its trademarked name that can not be found in any dictionary. At the core of the brand, the purpose is to equip individuals and organizations to “Be VISIONful”. We have defined VISIONful as meaning a vision fulfilled. So through all the businesses under this unique brand, the goal is to partner along and support other visionaries in fulfilling their vision, dream, or big idea. VISIONful Solutions is my business development firm that initiated this serial entrepreneurship journey. What makes me most proud is that the work that is taking place is supporting so many other entrepreneurs in taking a leap of faith and launching beyond their comfort zones to build the life they desire through entrepreneurship. I have supported over 250 “dreaming entrepreneurs” from across the nation on launching successful businesses and non-profits and helped them become “VISIONful entrepreneurs” who are actively achieving, pursuing, and fulfilling their vision! I have even connected them to over $30M in grant funding! Many of the individuals supported have been minorities, young professionals, and women who experience barriers that would historically immobilize them from ever starting the business that they have been dreaming about for years. My new mobile app eConsultMe (www.econsultme.com) is a free app-based platform that will break economic barriers for thousands of marginalized entrepreneurs by bringing startup resources, live conversations with professional business experts, and access to funding right at their fingertips.

As a young millennial black woman, I have experienced challenges along this path that wasn’t always easy to overcome. My own experiences and lessons learned are what makes me uniquely qualified to support new, rising, and aspiring entrepreneurs. It is my goal to launch their vision into a for-profit or non-profit while advocating for and connecting them to grant funding (that doesn’t have to be paid back). I don’t want people dependent on me or someone else along this journey so it is critical that each person I encounter be empowered in some way to be a VISIONful Entrepreneur. The hardest part is always starting especially when we wait on perfect conditions to launch. One thing I will always encourage people to do is to resist fear and take an initial step towards their desired end result.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would have to take her to the best restaurants. I am admittedly a foodie and enjoy delicious food. I love exploring new restaurants. The type of places we would visit would be the best sushi spots, pizza parlors, and seafood/crab shacks. We would probably spend most of the time eating, talking, and relaxing. A few of the places I would probably want to go would be the aquarium, the botanical gardens, and my favorite store, Costco.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The person I would have to shout out would definitely be my husband, Raymond Anderson (aka Ray Knowledge). In the moments when I feel like shrinking back, he consistently pushes and encourages me to keep moving forward instead of throwing in the towel. He also helps me to move beyond phases of strategy and planning modes towards execution and implementation. He is my life partner, prayer partner, and the best business partner a girl could have. I also must shout out my support system and vision carriers including my family, friends, and the entire VISIONful team!

Website: https://visionfulsolutions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latrisha.anderson/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latrisha-anderson-27264a42

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latrisha.anderson.3/

Other: https://econsultme.com/ https://visionfulcommunities.org/ https://solo.to/latrisha.anderson

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