A Rockford businesswoman is using her skills to help other small businesses thrive.
Brandi Morris is the owner of LADIWORKZ. This is the parent company of many subsidiaries. Some include Storm’Z Entertainment L.T.D., Keen Eye Visualz and a few others.
“This is the Ladi’z Lounge. And the businesswomen come in here and we talk we discuss business -- what is going on in Rockford -- what should and should not be happening,” Morris explained while showing her establishment.
The location includes a conference room that is used for seminars, an event space area, a soon to be music studio and other rooms.
Morris grew up in a family that was rooted in the entertainment business and the future studio reflects this. She pointed at pictures on the wall. One was a photograph of Lena Horne.
“That was my grandmother on my father's side best friend,” she said. “And then this is Willie Bryant. So, Willie Bryant is my great, great, great uncle. And he is the opening voice to the Apollo theme music. So, he worked with people like Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Sarah Vaughan.”
She said these memories are a reminder of her childhood, one that cultivated her life in entertainment and in business.
Morris said she started out working at her grandmother’s group homes in Chicago. During this time, she developed a strong desire to help others. One way she did this was by making sure the staff had access to the right resources to do their jobs. One of those resources was the Illinois Department of Human Services.
“Some of the nurses will come in and they wouldn't have certain certifications,” Morris explained. “But they were good at what they did. So, we would reach out to DHS to figure out how they could get the certifications that they needed.”
She had that same desire when she started working in the entertainment industry. Morris explained that she saw a lot of people get taken advantage of and she wanted to help. She said most of the time people are swindled because they are in a hurry and don’t read through contracts, are anxious to receive money and they don’t do research.
"And people get so wrapped up in somebody being kind to them, ‘Oh, were they so nice, they wouldn't take advantage of me.’” she said. “And literally, a person will sit right in your face and be nice and be taking advantage of you at that moment, like scheming on you – plotting.”
After starting her own business, being a resource for others became less of a focus for her. Then, five years ago, she found herself supporting another small business owner.
“I was helping her get some things together,” she stated. “And when I came into her shop, she said, ‘Why didn't you tell me that I needed a retail license?’ And I'm like, ‘Well, you are opening up a shop. I just assumed that you knew that.’”
Morris soon noticed that other business owners started wanting her advice, so she decided to create a course. Last year, she started the Know Your Business Class.
The class offers insight on trademarking, business finances, business etiquette, marketing and branding and many other things.
The sessions also give participants the option to set up their own pop-up shops to sell and promote their products and services. She is currently working on a book that has the information that is presented in her class.
Morris services all business owners, but she does dedicate time specifically for women, outside of the class. One way she does this is by bringing some of the women together monthly at Ladi’z Lounge.
“Everything that we do is in a mostly male-dominated field. So, we have to be aggressive. And when something is going wrong,” she adds, “it's important for us to be able to come together so the ladies know that they do have somebody that's there for them.”
Morris suggested that women should celebrate each other because so many others don’t understand their plight.
“Celebrating means being there for one another in our downtimes and in our uptimes. And we can celebrate each other by sitting and listening to each other,” Morris explained. “Because we need that.”
Morris is giving women another opportunity to network during the LADIWORKZ Women Empowering Women Spring Conference that takes place Saturday April 9. The next Know Your Business class takes place on Saturday March 19. This class is offered in-person and virtually.
The company is giving back to the community by hosting its third annual “Kutz for Kidz.” Master Barber Kevin Marks will provide the services. The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday March 12 at LADIWORKZ. Haircuts will be $5, and children will receive lunch, along with a gift bag. Haircut and snack donations are being accepted. Details for all LADIWORKZ events can be found on their Facebook page.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
