Today we’d like to introduce you to Lakeisha Henderson.
Hi Lakeisha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well a short synopsis of my life, i was born and raised in Memphis Tennessee where I attended Delano Optional School, Kingsbury Middle School, and graduated from Cordova High School. I then went on to receive my bachelor’s degree in an Accounting from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta Georgia, graduating in a May 2014 , and lastly I received my MBA specializing in Accounting. Currently 30yrs old and working in corporate America and entrepreneur in real estate!!
Can you tell us how you got started?
I always wanted to make money. I know it sounds so blunt but when I was in middle school at Kingsbury, I said no matter what I decide to do, I want to always make money. Meaning I knew I had to find a career that would always be in demand so I would always have a job because I wasn’t too sure if I wanted my own business or not. Now to start, both my parents are entrepreneurs. My dad is the owner of Elite Signs and Graphics in Olive Branch and my mom works for a CPA firm in Bartlett and the former owner of BeYOUtiful Salon Studio. She has now retired from cosmetology. But I grew up having that entrepreneurial mentality. When I was in the 9th grade I took an accounting elective. I’ve always been great at math but this was a bigger challenge and I loved it!! Not to mention my mom works in accounting, and just like any daughter, I wanted to be like my mom. So when I graduated high school, I went on to attend Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta GA where I received a Bachelor in Accounting. From there I went on to work for a corporate medical device company and my career took off. 2yrs after college, I decided to get my master’s and in July 2018, I graduated with my MBA specializing in accounting and purchased my first home. At this moment, I figured maybe I should get my real estate license as a backup plan. Now here is the funny part. I was an accountant but I didn’t really get a chance to interact with people and I’m such an outgoing person. It sucked to always be just behind the computer and not actually communicating with others. I slowly started to transition from accounting to operations and HR.
I began working in compensation which opened the door for me to actually communicate with sales teams and still utilize my accounting skills to do my job. That’s when it hit me!! I’m settled in my career now let me get started on my passion, which is helping people get the best out of what they have. It wasn’t until the pandemic happened that I finally gave in and got my license to sell real estate. There aren’t many African American homeowners and I wanted to help change that narrative. Not to mention, I knew if I got the chance to help my generation to become owners of their property, they would take what I taught them not just related to real estate but all the encouragement and pass it along. This would grow to build a generation of owners, not renters!! I got my real estate license in Oct of 2020 and I’ve been active since. Some look at me and ask if will I ever be satisfied lol. I’m always looking for the next thing to work on. Truth is I just want to be as successful as God allows me to be. I work for an amazing company as an SR Sales Compensation Analyst and I am a licensed real estate agent in Tennessee under Weichert Realtors SPM. At 30 I know I have a ways to go but I have accomplished so much in my career. In the near future, I hope to continue providing real estate needs not just to my community but to everyone that wants to be a home or business owner.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Man, it’s been tough!! Remember I got my real estate license during the pandemic. I was actually hoping to get my license sooner but because of my career, time just wasn’t on my side. So I noticed so many layoffs during COVID so I said hey, get your license just in case you get laid off.
And guess what!!! I DID lol! I had never been laid off before but I was sooooo thankful I finally took the time to get my license because it took care of me!! 3 months I was without my full-time job and I got deeper into real estate. Now that both careers booming, I’m enjoying my decision to balance them both. I’m still able to do 2 things that I love, math and helping others.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Outside of real estate, I am an SR Sales Compensation Analyst for a shopping and logistics company. I’ll sum it up the best way I can without sounding so nerdy lol. My job is to help the company identify what product or services will drive sales and brings revenue to the company and use those factors to create incentive plans to pay employees. So the more our sales team sells, the more commission or incentive payment they receive. If that’s too confusing just google what a sales compensation person does lol. Within real estate and my corporate career, I’m known as a person who always brings the fun. Life is hard as it is so I just love to show my personality even in dark times. I am very silly and outgoing but I can be in a serious mode as well. What sets me apart from others is my ability to make people laugh especially when they just want to cry and give up.
What are you most proud of?
I’m just reminded that trouble doesn’t last always. Overall I’m most proud that at the age of 30, I’ve been able to assist in the change of my generation. You now see more young adult homeowners than ever before and I’ve been able to be part of that. I’ve also been able to help many recent college grads get corporate jobs right out of college. I really pride myself on using both my entrepreneurship and corporate career as a drive for others. I always tell people, if I can do it, so can you. But let me show you how to do it better than I did. I reach others not only by teaching them what I did but also teaching them what I learned on the route so that they can advance further than I.
What matters most to you?
Peace and Prayer!!! You can have all the money in the world but peace, mane peace can be jeopardized due to the greed of money. I’ve grown to learn that money really isn’t everything, peace is. As long as I got both, I’m good lol. I never realized how important peace was until I started to get deeper in my career.
You have to understand that in my field I deal with what people get paid and when they get paid so I’m always a target. If I miss payroll or for Real estate, if I don’t drop earnest money off on time, my clients are pissed. So if I’m at peace I’m able to get things done and keep the peace for them as well. Now prayer, I can write a full book on why prayer matters to me. Just know through all the good and the bad, without prayer and my relationship with God. I wouldn’t be able to tell you this story!!
Contact Info:
- Email: ownit901@gmail.com
- Website: http://lakeisha-henderson.thehomebuyerschoice.com/
- Instagram: @Igotthekeys_901
- Facebook: Lakeisha Henderson, MBA
Image Credits
Melissa Harris, Harry Spore, and Lakeisha Henderson
