Morgan Chavis is strategic about her choices. Whether making the jump to entrepreneurship or pouring back into her community, this CEO and Business Coach hasn’t made a wrong turn yet. Let’s meet her.
Let’s take it back a minute. You are from Detroit and attended college at Hampton University. What drew you to the university and what were your future career goals at the time?
I was drawn to Hampton University because I knew I wanted to attend an HBCU. It was just a matter of finding out which HBCU was the perfect fit for me. Upon visiting all the others, I found Hampton to be the most welcoming. I visited Howard University before Hampton and all the student tour guides told me why I should not choose Hampton. When I went to Hampton for a tour, I was told why they chose Hampton and why they loved their school so much. That’s what sealed the deal!
How would you summarize your HBCU experience and how did you embrace the local area as your new “home”?
My HBCU experience was full! I took every opportunity possible to get the most of my time at Hampton. I was in various organizations and held leadership roles. I managed a business and made lifelong friends. Hampton has a slogan, “home by the sea”. I truly embraced that and made it home.
When you finished college, was there any debate in your mind about remaining in the area or returning to your home state to begin your career?
I still live in the area to this day but that was not initially my first choice. I talk about this decision in my book, Leap Off the Ladder. I was very conflicted on where to live and start my post- graduate career. Now I am raising my daughter and growing my business in Hampton Roads.
When you started The Lusso Brand, you initially continued in your corporate role. What year did you start? What lit the entrepreneurial fire in you and how did decide on what niche/market you wanted to venture into? Did you have a family history of entrepreneurship?
I started my business in 2019. My book, Leap Off the Ladder, talks in detail about many reasons I chose to pursue my own path. Ultimately, I felt I needed to do something I love every day in order to feel fulfilled. My father is an entrepreneur and I do have an entrepreneurial spirit but my ultimate choice to leap off the ladder was fueled by chasing my passion.
Where is your brand based?
The Lusso Brand is national. I am a business coach, author, speaker and podcaster for which I travel and work virtually. Lusso Salon and Lusso Suites are the brick-and-mortar business of The Lusso Brand and are both located in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Did you do any extensive research before starting? Were you networking with other entrepreneurs at the time? Any mentors?
Absolutely! I say in my book, “no one should fall into entrepreneurship”. Pursuing your path should be strategic. I did research to understand the market and what things I needed to get started. I also had a mentor in the industry. I networked by reaching out to other professionals and asked them questions about how they got started as well.
Is there a specific business challenge that you incurred that looking back you would have handled differently? How did you solve it?
Leap Off the Ladder is a book full of lessons learned. My biggest lesson was around mismanaging startup capital. I had to learn how to assess critical needs prior to making purchases.
Tell our readers about the services/products offered at Lusso Salon, Lusso Extensions and Lusso Suites.
Lusso Salon is a full-service hair salon offering all hair care services hosting Lusso Extensions our luxury virgin extensions line. Our diverse team has a stylist to specialize in every aspect of hair making it a one stop salon for any styling needs. Lusso Suites is our newest business housing micro-retail spaces for any business to call home by a rental basis.
Share with us the goals of Lusso Gives, your non- profit 501c3 organization. Are there any long-term goals you would like to tackle in the next 5-10 years to broaden your commitment to giving back to the local community and beyond? Do you have a success story you can share where your giving confirmed that you were on the right path?
Lusso Gives believes in strengthening the community of Hampton Roads and is committed to building economic and educational foundations in the area. Through mentorship and financial support, Lusso Gives also invests in the professional development of those in the beauty industry. To date we have awarded one partial scholarship to a cosmetology student. Seeing the organization to grow in its efforts to impact the community has been extremely rewarding. In 5-10 years, the goal is for our scholarship fund to be endowed enough that we can support a full scholarship to an aspiring beauty professional.
Tell us about the Seriously CEO Podcast and how you and your co-host came up with the idea? Where can we listen in?
Seriously CEO is a podcast discussion leadership and business ownership topics. My co-host and I came up with the idea because we both have similar businesses and felt our lived experiences are worth sharing to other leaders. Our podcast streams on all podcast platforms including: Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Spotify and Google Podcast. You can find us on seriouslyceo.com with new episodes weekly every Wednesday.
Tell us about home life and how you balance family life with managing your brand? In the early stages was there ever a struggle to handle it all?
It is definitely challenging to manage it all. In my book, Leap Off the Ladder, I give details on how I schedule my time. I’ll share this gem as well: sometimes we have to say no. A season of no is simply that, just a season. Sometimes we will have to sacrifice areas where we are used to spending our time in order to focus on our business. No doesn’t mean never, it may just mean not right now.
What do you like to do in your downtime?
I love to read! More so than watching TV I like to spend my downtime with my nose in a good book. I also enjoy connecting with my friends on social media, my monthly book club and traveling to visit my family.
What would you say to a woman who has followed a similar path to yours and is in a corporate role but instead they keep sidelining their “big idea” out of fear of failure?
You have to leap! It is scary and full of ambiguity but you have to take the first big step. Start slowly by making a plan that allows you to navigate business ownership with your job until you’re ready to be a full time entrepreneur. Take time weekly to work on your business plan and when you get stuck utilize a business coach or consultant to help. Remember, event Tom Brady had a coach! You may be a master but help managing a plan is a must.
Tell our readers how they can find out more about and support your brand?
The Lusso Brand is ever growing and we are happily accepting new clients of all kinds whether it be that you need a salon to call home, a space for your growing business or a speaker for your organization’s next event. You can find information about our services on thelussobrand.com.
Anything to add?
No dream is too small or too big. Get the right people around you to dream with you and support your hustle. There is room in this ocean for a lot of big fish so take your space and swim!
