Today we’d like to introduce you to Isa Lillard
Hi Isa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Maybe it all started around the age of 7 on those Saturday mornings before watching X-Men cartoons. Those mornings I was taught to memorize my learned mottos and life gems by a Richard Dimples fields.
Routinely like clock work every Saturday morning Dimples would go over those Mottos of life. Such as “ I’m Champagne don’t treat me like beer” “if the girl don’t want you , let her go “ how to carry my money “ ones on top and a clean fold”, gentlemen ‘ship etiquettes, “treat people how you want to be treated” “not falling for the okidoke” and some ..
I was born in Buffalo NY, Los Angles Valley bread 818; been here since 3yrs old. Raised with little family with most my relatives in Buffalo. Out here, it was only my Mother, Grandmother and Aunt. My mother and I moved around a lot from place to place , I slept on floor to floor, and it wasn’t until high school that I had my own room. I was an only child up until maybe 12yrs old. Bouncing around I got used to having to re introduce myself, but now that I think about it, that quality has been a good one to have as an adult , but as a child it was impossible to establish long lasting bonds.
It wasn’t until middle school that I felt shamed for being without, I noticed all the popular kids had the latest gear. Thankfully my Aunts husband would give me fresh hand me down clothes and also take me to the footlockers to handle that. We made something out of nothing and I fit in school just fine.
I spent my teens in Panorama City/North Hills. I was a huge Rap Hip-Hop enthusiast, influenced by Queens Bridge music while my neighbor Marcuss hopsin was influenced by Dr.Dre & Eminem, well we both loved Eminem. I had an ear for talent, I worked with Hopsin on a few of his earlier projects and introduced Hopsin to my Uncle to become his first manager.
Iv always been known to have my fingers on a little of just enough of everything. In my teens my mother gave me a barbers clipper set, and with this I made money cutting hair for neighbors and school mates. Before even having a license to drive , I was able to buy and resell cars that I bid on at car auctions.
After High School, I went on to start college but it was a short stay, I had a newborn son, his mother wanted me to provide for the 3 of us vs school, plus I know I wanted to help my mother and my new siblings as well. I remember vividly telling my economics teacher that I won’t be returning. She responded and told me that “people don’t come back when they leave so don’t leave”, and I said to her “I don’t intend on coming back”.
During this time, I was only 19 my mother moved to NY, and my son’s mom had broke up with me. I was lost, confused and misguided during this stretch; anger fueled my ambition, and no matter how much money I made I was empty. So i eventually sat on the bench , played Chess, hit push ups, read up on philosophy and phycology
to understand self and this world. Around this time I remembered watching spike Lees movie Malcolm X, and the movie Panthers earlier when I was a child , both the characters of Huey Newton and Denzel Washington’s performance of Malcolm fascinated me, I was drawn in by both characters commitment to education of selves and community leadership and these are principles that always stuck with me, even at a early age.
Soon after I created a brand called Istar Society, ( I to the Star, I for the individuals and star for striving for success ) with it I aspired to sign conscious hip-hop artist with heart felt substance and leadership using music to shed light on societal issues and struggles. We later organized and hosted music performance events.
While learning the ropes of business for my brand, I enrolled in the Barbers Academy of Arts where I received my barbers license and secured a recession proof source of income. My teacher Ms. Moe always said “ as long as you have clippers, you should have a dollar in your pocket ”
my barber license had sustained me financially over the years, and I maximized the barbershop scalability in my earlier days, but when my daughter was born, I didn’t want to miss out on a moment with her, as I had missed out on two year from my first born, her brother. So I left the traditional shop life where you’re obligated to trade extensive time for dollars. I serviced my clientele at my apartment, and in a run down private shop in North Hills. It was in these days of being alone that I studied and self educated in cinematography.
With this new developed skill I evolved Istar Society into an all purpose one stop entity offering video production along with the other service.
Soon after, I used some resources and leased a space that I turned it into a recording studio, out of there I produced for upcoming artist Like Drakeo The Ruler, long live the Ruler and my long time friend Shorty Mack.
Meanwhile with my Daughter’s Mother, we were at odds. I know my commitment to this journey played a big part in our disconnect and during our final split I had to sleep out of the production studio. There was no shower so I showered at the local 24 hour fitness. I later lost the studio due to city zoning and it got rough again as I transitioned from sleeping on my couch to sleeping out of rental cars.
Fast forward to today.
It’s been a known truth , that success amplifies when your able to put yourself, your essence of existence into it giving the world all of who you are.
So in 2024 after finally successfully combining all of my entrepreneurial knowledge and skills into the Istar Society, I decided to ponder on how to give the world all of who I am as the resilient self made separated Black father and non scholar, as an Indigenous Black Person First before anything. Iv for a long time wanted to combine the Business Acumen that Iv developed and mix it along with the Black consciousness needed for my ethnic group but I knew it would happen once I was ready and fully understood the intricate obstacles and barriers for the assignment. They say to whom much is given , much is required. You see ignorance is bliss, but I’m awoke.
So in 2024 I thought heavy on names and Acronyms that would be soft spoken but yet direct, non abrasive, non combative , but also asking specifically for what we as an ethnic group want to ask for from not only the entire world but more importantly asking of from within ourselves. Black Lives Support “BLS” was created.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Well nothing worth fighting for is easy, so this past year alone in 2024 while just finishing with the development and evolvement of Istar Society into a full Solutions based Agency Business. Instead of putting my efforts into profiting. I chose to start a separate entity, an organization specifically for giving Black Lives Support to pool financial aid, putting myself into even more debt then I already had, also simultaneously putting my last $500 into filing custody for my Daughter. I stayed up late nights restlessly for months, working on paperwork and research for the new Organization. In the Afternoons I worked at my independent Barbering location, in the mornings I worked on BLS compliances and documents, and at night when returning home I put in even more research, most nights i slept past 12am. Im sharing this most recent challenge just to let the reader know, that no matter how far you may think you have come, the grind doesn’t stop. Keep beating at the craft, re invest time, energy, and sweat equity; by laying a brick a day. As the late Nipsey Hussle would say.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Im known to get the job done. The sustained feeling throughout my life of all peers, friends, family and children knowing without a doubt that I’ll deliver; has been truly fulfilling. Iv adopted at an early age the view point to not let monetary currency be the primary determinant factor in making choices. Freedom to me means choice, and it’s ok to make the money but it’s not ok to let the money make you. What do I specialize in ? I’m more for and about unlocking full cognitive growth, to use both your left as well as your right side of the brain is something we can all strive for. I’m big on balance. The nurturing techniques and continuous development of Mind, Body, Soul & Consciousness.
One thing about me that sets me apart. I have an absolute thirst and hunger for consuming information and iv known that about myself well before I decided to stop attending College, the journey has been bumpy, it could have been smooth had I stayed in college. However, what separates me from the pack and has given me an edge is that I enjoy self education with a passion. I never liked having ideals and structure forced up on me, so since 15yrs of age I made a conscious effort to be selective of the information I consume. Not only that but I promised to continue this self education until my last breath. This has been a commitment and pledge sine left college, So I’d like to use this platform to also advise all of the youth and young adults to attend college. 4 years in college is more then an accomplishment, it is investing in generational security. So often, people talk about generational wealth, but what we need first is generational academic security. which is a strong building block for accomplishing that wealth. We need to have less glorifying of the anomalies and more celebrating of the hard work, the head down straight arrow conduct. “If you do what is hard, life will be easy, but if you only do what is easy , life will be hard”
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
When my sister was born, it was like my mother had felt that love that she received from me as an only child all over again, I was young maybe around 12, but i knew that my mother and now step father where not together at the time, so at the time of my sisters birth, when i laid eyes on her for the first time i felt fatherly, being raised myself not knowing my father i took on with joy the task of being the best big brother i could possibly be. As i think of my best childhood memory, all i see is her, and she is no longer with us, but still she is forever with us. I wish i had a better childhood memory for just myself, being that this is about me, but their truly is no better childhood memory that is brighter then the moment i seen and held her, and i believe it was then that I committed myself to make money for my family.
Pricing:
- $144 BLS Membership
- $1,488 Ambassador Membership
- $6,000 Sponsorship Membership
- $120 IStar Social Package
- $1,500 IStar Video Deposit
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.Blacklivessupport.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isalillard/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550679332971
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blacklivessupport/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://x.com/isalillard
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@BlackLivesSupport
