ENTREPRENEUR Lisa Aidoo GENERATES
Beautiful
Business
The multi-hyphenate reflects on creativity and spiritual confidenceWords by Tierney Finster
Photos by Kofi Dua
Lisa Aidoo (@lisaaidoo) is a Ghanian-American entrepreneur who formerly held the title of Miss Ghana U.S.A. A lifestylist who loves sharing information about hair, skin and beauty on her social channels, Lisa doesn’t let her promising career as a real estate agent in Los Angeles prevent her from creating new opportunities for herself in other spaces. This is exactly how she became the creator and CEO of Laidoo Beauty, her own line of luxury mink lashes (which donates part of its proceeds to the Odoben Hospital
Lisa tells TRASH about how she starts her day, how she edits her photos and how putting her phone down once she posts is a crucial part of her content creation process.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A TRASH ANGEL. WILL YOU TELL US ABOUT A MOMENT OF CREATIVE TRANSCENDENCE THAT MADE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU “EARNED YOUR HALO?”
I creatively transcended when I took a chance to do things my peers hadn’t started doing yet. Despite fear, I did things out of pure interest and that has never steered me wrong. Competing in a pageant, creating videos on YouTube and starting a small beauty brand that markets itself purely online has all contributed to the consultant I am today. I love that I continue to challenge myself in so many different ways.
Each challenge brings their own difficulties that I’ve grown from, providing me with some valuable lessons:
1) What you want is attainable, it just requires sacrifice. We tend to see the results and want that but don’t acknowledge the necessary work it takes to get there.
2) If you’re going to do it, be willing to humble yourself and learn from those who are the best. You will forever be a student because there will forever be room to grow.
3) Create a detailed or specific plan. Where do I want to be by this time next year? How much do I want to have made? Take that number, divide it by 12 and look at that, there you have your monthly goal. Determine things you have to do on a monthly basis to get there.
How has social media impacted your experiences as an entrepreneur?
Social media is a great tool to connect and push forward you agenda to anyone in the world who happens to stumble across your page or post. Used correctly, it can be a crucial aspect of your business. Abuse it, and you will waste precious hours missing the point.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned from becoming a creator?
Turn off the noise of the world. When I don’t take a social media break, meditate, journal or read, I start to crack. These things are crucial for my development as an individual. If you’re going to post you work, post and put the phone down. Walk away.
What is one trick that always improves your shoots?
Outside of brightening images overall, I love to detail the not-so-obvious accents of a photo. Usually things like my hair, jewelry or the background to really make the picture “lift”.
Also, having a clear “why” for the photo helps. Having vision saves a lot of time and provides direction creatively.
What do you love the most about sharing with your digital community?
I love that I actually make an impact through sharing my tips and experiences, no matter how big or small. Helping others brings a satisfaction and purpose in my life.
What do your days really look like off of social?
I start my day as early as 6 a.m., thanking God and getting in a daily devotional. My devotionals entail reading scriptures from the Bible or the Bible app, meditating on the words and praying to God about those words, as well as other things like clarity, peace and discernment.
I then get ready for work and might squeeze in a work out before heading out the door. My career as a real estate agent keeps me busy responding to emails, driving all over LA and meeting with clients and strategizing growth. My day starts to wind back down around 7 p.m., when it’s time to spend quality time with my fiancé and schnauzer. We eat dinner while streaming a show or movie and end the night responding to emails, reading or writing in journals.
How do you overcome creative anxiety or self-doubt?
Breathing and reminding myself daily that I lack absolutely nothing to obtain all that I want in this life. This helps keep the anxiety at bay. Biblical scriptures like 1 John 4:4 are saviors in correcting your mindset: “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.”
What’s a song that gets you dancing lately?
“Mahke” by DJ Maphorisa & DJ Shimza ft Moonchild Sanelly
What’s a question you’d like to ask a creator?
What are ways in which you find motivation and inspiration when there seems to be a creative drought?
Get the TRASH app and make edits of your own.
Cargo Collective 2017 — Frogtown, Los Angele