Latisha Baker is not your average person. Latisha is an ambitious artist who taught herself a primitive technique called pyrography to create high quality handmade jewelry and accessories. She uses a variety of recycled and purchased wood, including birch, cherry and walnut to create pyrographic designs and artwork. After 20 years of making jewelry at home as a simple hobby, Latisha decided to launch Latisha Baker Artworks in Oakland, California in 2017.
While you can never understate the value of Latisha’s hard work, much of her success stems from the ongoing experiments and experience ventures that she undertakes to create new ways to grow and sustainably expand her artistry and business. As an entrepreneur, Latisha’s passion is to create the life she wants and build her business on her own terms. In 2018, Latisha knew she needed to fully understand and learn how to run a business successfully.
As a participant of Centro’s Advanced Entrepreneurship Program, Latisha stepped outside of her world of artistry to learn more in depth about business. During the program, Latisha analyzed each aspect of her business and developed a fundable business plan, created a budget and income statement, and accessed her creditworthiness to apply for a business loan. After figuring out how she could earn a living wage through her business, Latisha quit her job to pursue her passion for artistry full-time. “I wouldn’t have been able to quit my job without Centro’s business program,” said Latisha “my business is now growing steadily, and I have doubled my revenue this year, giving me the peace of mind that I am doing something right.”
Latisha worked one-on-one with Centro’s business trainers giving her personalized advice and training. “Centro’s business coaches are passionate about helping others become successful entrepreneurs. They made sure I fully understood every business practice being taught.” This included learning developing financial projections, creating a strong marketing strategy and developing her sales skills. Latisha Baker Artworks launched a new website this year and sells at every public event she can in Oakland. Latisha has started to spread her brand throughout the city and hopes to start exhibiting her art in local galleries soon.
“Every entrepreneur has the fear of failure. However, you’re already failing yourself if you don’t step out of your comfort zone, and get educated to close your knowledge gap,” says Latisha “Centro pushed me to be bolder and bigger.”
If you want to learn about her entrepreneurial journey and business, make sure to watch this video below!
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