Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyndasha Brittian.
Lyndasha, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. I attended Atlanta Public Schools my entire childhood, namely Benjamin E. Mays High School, where I graduated in the Class of 2008. I earned a full scholarship to attend South Carolina State University, where I completed my B.S. in Mathematics Education and my M.Ed. in Counselor Education. After completing my third year of teaching high school math in Columbia, SC, I moved back to Atlanta to teach at the very high school that I graduated from years prior. While teaching here, I earned my Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and was promoted to Mathematics Instructional Coach a few months later.
As an educator for six years, I loved my students and wanted to be the best model for them; however, I knew I was not living to my fullest potential. Every time I would drive to work, I looked around and saw so many trucks riding on the highways. Everywhere I looked, there was a truck going somewhere. This led me to have a conversation with my dad in 2018, and I told him I wanted to buy a truck. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I had learned so much about the trucking business over the years. I did the research on the industry, took a class on brokering, and began my journey as a business owner.
Months later, my dad and I were on the lotto pick out a truck. He had a CDL so it made sense that he would be my driver. I purchased my first truck, leased it on to a company, and was ready to take on the new adventure I had just signed myself up for. I thought that this business could run itself, but boy was I wrong?! By April 2019, I decided that in order for my business to be successful, I needed to have my hands on it as much as possible. I put in my resignation from my newly promoted position and filed the paperwork for my company to have its own authority. This gave me the freedom to book my own loads as my company’s dispatcher. A year later, my trucking company is flourishing. I have started adding owner-operators to my fleet. I have also started another business, Closet Moodz, an online clothing boutique for women, and I still fulfill my passion for education by tutoring students daily.
Being an entrepreneur is about exploring your passions and using your gifts to fulfill your goals. I feel that I am now living out my purpose more than ever and I am so grateful.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have definitely been some challenges along the way, but I strongly believe that what God has for me is for me. Entering into the trucking industry was new for me because, as an educator, I had to be compassionate and empathetic. I quickly learned that this industry is very cut-throat, and I definitely had to become more assertive and carry myself like I had been in the industry for years, even though I had just started. In the education world, I had become an expert in my craft, but so much that I learned in my first year of business was trial and error. Whatever could happen did happen… truck breakdowns, inequitable companies, and of course, just getting out of my own head. The experiences we went through in our first few months were significant in making our business as successful as it is today.
Please tell us about Elle Bee Express.
Elle Bee Express is a transportation business that specializes in moving long-distance freight from state to state in a safe, reliable and timely manner. We are known for giving our customers quality service throughout the transit of their products from the shipper to the receiver. What sets our company apart from others is our desire to help others who are interested in joining this industry. It is now more important than ever to find ways to create generational wealth, and one of my goals is to make it affordable for people to invest in the knowledge it takes to get into this business so that they can spend their major funds on the procurement of their truck. It is so important to learn the necessary steps it takes to be profitable in this industry before taking the steps to actually purchase a truck. So much of our previous struggles could have been avoided if we had a quality mentor to help us navigate through all of the new territory. While I am thankful for our journey, I want to put others a step ahead of us in their first by providing them with tips to help along the way.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would not have done anything differently. The only thing I somewhat regret about making the decision to leave the teaching profession and transition into this new career is that I did not tell some of the people closest to me about my plans. I wanted to make sure that I could focus on learning my new craft as much as possible before I told others because I knew they would have questions and honestly, at that time, I just did not have the answers for them. I knew I had made the right decision because when I finally told them about my new business venture over a year after its formation, they were all very excited and happy for my success.
Pricing:
- Tips I Wish I Knew about the Trucking Business: $45
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gumroad.com/ladylyn
- Email: ellebeeexpress@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lyn_j
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellebeeexpress
- Other: www.closetmoodz.com
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