Telling My Story: Who Is Neena Speer?
Channel: NEENA the L.A.S.T Brand By Neena Speer
Date: 2022-01-05

I had an untraditional beginning 

✨At age 6, I learned that I was a fighter. I almost died from chickenpox encephalitis. I was turned away from two different hospitals and the third one finally took me to India. When the doctors came to give me an IV, even though iI was passed out, I woke up trying to get away from the needles. It's safe to say that I made it through!

✨ At age 8, I started drafting ideas and business plans while everyone else was playing with barbies and legos. P.S. my Barbie phase did not last long because they never quite looked like me. I was a plus-size girl and developing curves and wasn't even aware of America's Next Top Model images of "what beauty size" looks like. I was and always will be proud and Plus Sized!

✨ In grade 8, I was riding to school with my mom and saw that kids who lived in an apartment complex across the street from my great school district were being bused to another school. I also realized that my school didn't even offer to bus for us so if you lacked transportation then you couldn't go. That upset me that school district lines would prevent people from coming to school with me. So, i decided to fight these rules one day by becoming a lawyer. 

✨ In grade 10,  I wrote my first prison research paper and my classmates were more than ok with hearing about people being sent to jail based on disproportionate crack-cocaine laws and three strikes you're out mandates sending 14-year-old kids who looked like me to jail. This motivated me to work in criminal defense law because I realized I was the one who cares. 

✨ In the year 2017, I failed the bar. In 2014, I went to Howard University and did exceptionally well and really found awareness and love of my black culture, but then I got to law school, and let me tell you...it whooped my Black and Indian ahhhhh! I almost flunked out of law school, I got a low LSAT score, I lost my law school scholarship, I almost withdrew, I barely finished with a 3.0 in law school, I had terrible job prospects, and some people would even give me an opportunity because I wasn't top 50% of my class.

👉🏽If you don't already know me, my name is Neena Speer and I am a Trademark and criminal law attorney, counselor, and author based in Birmingham, AL. I've been passionate about helping people protect themselves in all areas since I was in eighth grade, and I love helping aspiring entrepreneurs build and protect their businesses - with peace of mind. 

My journey in entrepreneurship started when I failed the bar exam on my first try, but I did not have time to be sad about that because, within two weeks of failing, I was accepted into the BlackUpstart Accelerator Bootcamp taught by Kezia Williams. There, in less than 24 hours, I created my very first for-profit business idea, and investors were ready to buy it that day.

I started out thinking that entrepreneurship was just about "owning a business," but now I know it is about protecting what you create and building YOUR LEGACY. I realized helping people started by showing them how to ADD VALUE TO THEIR BUSINESS!

You are well on your way to building a multi-million-dollar business, but every good business plan begins with covering your six at every step. 

Well, in just three years, I have published my own book, started a book brand business, launched and run my non-profit that I came up with when I was eight years old, and helped my firm grow from only $80 in my first year to a five-figure (yes, that is five-figures!!) business, working from home on my own schedule. :) 

Let's talk about failure boldly and proudly!

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