Meet LaKenya Kopf

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

Hi LaKenya, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I could be the poster child for risk aversion. For me, risk is tied to trust and acceptance. In order to take a risk, you must trust the information you have to make the best decision and be willing to accept the outcome – come what may.

For example, if you take out a business loan and use your house as collateral (just the thought of that makes me break into a cold sweat), you are trusting that your business venture will succeed. At the same time, you are inadvertently accepting the possibility that you could lose your house. That is simply not something I am capable of doing.

In both life and my career, I have always been overly cautious. I don’t trust easily, so if something feels even remotely risky, I take a step back to safer ground. Does this mean I have missed out on tremendous opportunities in my life? Possibly. But it also makes me immune to the pull of FOMO. Without the fear of missing out, I am less likely to take risks that I cannot recover from.

Every step forward I took in Corporate America was well thought out, and the same applies to my second career as an entrepreneur. The choices I make for my business are data-driven, analyzed, and extensively thought through. I don’t take a leap unless I know exactly where I’m going to land.

Am I willing to dip my toe into the pool of risk as I get older? I would say only time will tell.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have never cared for the question, “What sets you apart from others?” Truth be told, a quick Google search will show hundreds of thousands of individuals who do what I do and probably do it better. So, for me, the only common-sense answer to that question is that they are not me. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You’d have to ask my clients.

I am very excited that Kopf Consulting is entering its 18th year this June. Becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t birthed out of a dream to own my own business, a vision to be my own boss, or the drive to create something that was solely mine. It came out of the necessity to have a career that accommodated the ever-changing demands of being a military spouse. Having a technology background, getting started was the easy part, but the confidence to branch out on my own wasn’t there. I worked for a plethora of VA and marketing agencies while growing my clientele on the side until I was confident enough to go all in.

Imagine a balancing scale: once Kopf Consulting outweighed independent contracting for others, I knew it was time. Research helped me avoid several common missteps that those starting a new business often face; however, I did have a few lessons I had to learn the hard way.

The first lesson is the importance of boundaries when creating new business relationships, as well as setting precedents. If you tell a client you do not work nights and weekends but occasionally respond during those hours, you nullify your boundary. If, in the future, you say you are not available, you will inevitably hear, “In the past…” or “You did it before…”

Another lesson is the “Power of No.” Whether it is declining a potential opportunity, saying no to something you’d prefer not to do, or simply reaffirming your boundaries, it is okay to say “no.” If it causes you to lose a client or miss out on an opportunity, it or they were not the right fit for you.

The most important lesson is that you are the owner of your business, not your clients. There is absolutely NO reason you should endure a toxic work environment when you are your own boss. It’s okay to fire a client. No one has the right to treat you poorly, and no amount of money is worth any form of degradation, abuse, or sacrificing your peace of mind.

As for who we are: At Kopf Consulting, we provide technical support for those frustrating programs that help the customers of small businesses move through the Customer Value Journey. From websites that house their blogs to squeeze pages for opt-ins, from client relationship management systems that manage their pipelines to email marketing systems that deliver their messages, we’re here to build, guide, and support.

The beauty of our services is the diversity of our clientele. No matter where a business is located in the world or who that business serves, the basic tech is relatively the same when building an online presence for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, mompreneurs, small businesses, partnerships, or corporations. We have helped coaches, accountants, therapists, doctors, trainers, authors, celebrities, and everything in between. As long as you have a website, CRM, or email marketing system, you are our customer.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would love to say that if one of my best friends came into town for a week, I would show her the best time and visit all the sights! But if that were true, I wouldn’t be talking about my best friends. The main reason I love both of them is that they are as much of a homebody as I am. If we were to get out and stretch our legs, we all enjoy people-watching and trying mom-and-pop places that we find along the way. Both of their interests differ, but in either case, we would still end up in a locally owned bookstore or a museum of some kind. We tend to avoid touristy hotspots and crowds so sticking to the unbeaten is always the preference.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My late mother deserves all the credit in the world! That woman was a force and an inspiration. She taught me that it’s never too late to accomplish your dreams.

Having gone straight into the military from high school, she proudly served 20 years in the Navy before retiring. Afterward, she went back to school and didn’t stop until she earned her Master’s degree. One of the proudest pictures in my possession is of me standing with her at her graduation.

I was on the fence about whether I wanted to get my MBA, but after seeing her graduate, I immediately enrolled! She never let anyone tell her she couldn’t do something. If you didn’t believe in her, it only motivated her more.

The best part was that, somehow, she balanced it all while being one of the kindest, most giving people in the world. If she could give the shirt off her back, she would. No matter where we went or what we did, people were always drawn to her and just loved her.

Growing up with this, seeing this, and emulating it to the best of my abilities has contributed so much to my success. Whenever I have doubts, I remind myself: if my mom could do it, I can do it.

She was my sounding board when doubt crept in, my cheerleader when I was frustrated and burned out, and my sanity – armed with the ability to make me laugh no matter what mood I was in. I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for her.

Website: https://kopfconsulting.org

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