Meet Sonya Lane | Small Business Consultant & Artist Development Manager

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

Hi Sonya, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Both of my brands came from recognizing a need of making sure people in the state of Arkansas would have the resources to start a business. Communities Helping A New Generation of Entrepreneurs, Inc. (CHANGE Inc) began in 2005 after trying to help my close friend Mr. Antwuane Wilbourn start his own music production company.

During his start-up phase, I began researching entrepreneurship and realized that there were only a small amount of sources available that people could use to actually learn the business development process. Antwuane and I did a lot of brainstorming to come up with a resource to solve this problem and a few months later CHANGE, Inc. was up and running.

As I began to introduce the concept of CHANGE, Inc. I realized that most of the people I came in contact with had a desire to create music. I started to design a tool that could be used to help them get a better understanding of how to navigate the music industry and understand how to do business in that industry. In 2016 Change Entertainment Group (CEG) was created.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
CHANGE, Inc/CEG has been a constant learning process for me and it has not been easy. The business and entertainment industry is an ever-changing world. New trends are always developing and it can be difficult to keep up with these new developments. I have always been surrounded by professionals in the community that encouraged me to constantly research and attend business training seminars, workshops, conferences, etc. This has helped me to stay on top of things and make sure I am giving my clients the best and most effective tools needed to make progress and grow their businesses.

My motto is “Knowledge First”, I like to read and absorb new information. I am a firm believer that applied knowledge is power. I encourage each new entrepreneur I meet to make sure they learn as much as they can about the type of business market they are trying to develop.

I am very excited about the fact that since 2005 I have been able to establish an online network for Entrepreneurs and Entertainers, it has been a way of keeping them motivated and supporting each other; which is a key element to business growth and development.

I have also put together three small business guides

(Exec Grind) This guide helps an entrepreneur with writing their business plan.

(Boss Grind) This guide gives an entrepreneur the information needed to put together a winning team for their business

(Master Grind) Shows an entrepreneur how to expand their products into different markets.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out two very important people. The first one is Mr. Antwuane D. Wilbourn; Antwuane kept me encouraged during the start-up process of CHANGE, Inc. he never let me give up, especially on the days when I felt like nothing was going right. It’s great to have a true friend to stand by your side to keep you motivated and Antwuane was that and so much more.

My second shout-out is to my late husband Mr. Rodrick Deion Thompson who passed away in February. When I began to create Change Entertainment Group (CEG) he was very instrumental in the strategies I would create to help Indie Artists with their new music release process and developing their artist brand. I was up a lot of nights working into the early morning hours and Rod was always by my side making sure I was ok and had all of the support I needed to work.

There will always be a special place in my heart for these two. I would not have made it without them.

Website: www.cegentgroup.com changeincblog.wordpress.com

Instagram: @change_ent_group and @thechangehustle

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changeinc

Twitter: @thecegentgroup @changeinc05

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300028919