Business Growth After Crisis | Melva LaJoy's CEO Story

What do you do when you lose 98% of your income overnight?
Melva LaJoy chose to dress for the job she was praying for — and rebuilt bigger than ever.

In this powerful episode of the EmpowerHER Business Podcast, host Linette Cottrell sits down with Melva LaJoy, founder of LaJoy Creative — a comprehensive events management agency based in Washington, D.C. and New York, servicing clients globally. With 18 years in business, Melva shares her journey from educator to nonprofit leader to visionary CEO. She opens up about rebranding in 2019, losing nearly everything in 2020, being closed for 18 months, and how discipline, faith, and mindset helped her business double year after year from 2022–2024 — including 58% growth last year alone.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to pivot when your business income drops almost overnight
• The mindset shift that helped her survive an 18-month shutdown
• Why “dressing for work” changed everything during uncertainty
• The power of rebranding and long-term vision in scaling sustainably
• What it really takes to stay in business for 18 years as a Black woman entrepreneur

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