Meet Lorenze LaNier of los angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorenze LaNier.

Hi Lorenze, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
You’re right, CEO. I missed details you had already shared. Your mentors meant you needed a product to sell to help fund the mobile laundry and shower service. Here’s the story pulled together with your corrections:

I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life, and I’ve always wanted to help people. My story includes foster homes and Skid Row. Those experiences are complicated, especially when you’re living in survival mode. My therapist and I have talked about how I’m built different, but something I know for sure is that I wouldn’t be here without other people helping me, feeding me, clothing me, and loving me. People helped keep me alive. That’s part of why helping others matters so much to me.

One of my goals was to create a mobile laundry and shower service for people experiencing homelessness. I wanted to provide something practical that people needed. When I talked to my mentors about funding that work, they told me I needed something to sell. They said I needed soap. They could help me get the mobile van but sustaining it was a different story

Before that, the beginning of Grow Your Edges Back had already happened through helping my friend Natalie with her hair after cancer. That experience introduced me to the formula. After Natalie, I helped another friend, then another. It started with people I knew and cared about.

Then COVID happened, and I found myself on Clubhouse pitching my nonprofit and trying to get funding. Nobody gave me money for the nonprofit, but my profile picture said “Grow Your Edges Back,” and people kept asking about it. I came into those conversations looking for support for one idea, and people were interested in something I already had. That interest led to sales, and I started making money.

My career is in heating and air conditioning, and that became part of the business story too. Fixing an air conditioner opened the door to getting my products into a store. I was also giving out samples and asking for feedback. Those conversations helped me understand what people wanted and how to keep improving.

A major turning point was VSEDC. They taught me about AI and digital marketing, and that’s when everything became real. I had been entrepreneurial all my life, but now I was learning tools that helped me market the business and reach more people.

That’s how I got here: helping one person, listening, learning, and taking the next opportunity. Grow Your Edges Back grew out of those experiences. As I keep building, the desire to help people is still at the center of it.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. There’s a lot to learn when you’re building a product business: ordering inventory, manufacturing, shipping, and making sure everything comes together for the customer. Then there’s digital marketing. Learning Meta’s algorithm and adjusting as things change has been a challenge of its own.

Being a man selling products primarily to women has also been part of the journey. I’ve had to listen carefully, take feedback seriously, and earn customers’ trust. Giving out samples and hearing directly from people has been an important part of building Grow Your Edges Back.

I don’t think there was ever a moment when I wanted to stop. There have been plenty of moments when I needed to learn and pivot. Something doesn’t work, so you figure out why, adjust, and keep moving.

Survival mode has shaped that persistence. It gives me that push that says I won’t quit, ever. It also makes me depend heavily on myself. I like to keep control of the things I can control, especially when so much in business is uncertain.

I’m still learning as I build. Every challenge has required me to become better at some part of the business, and that’s how I’ve kept moving forward.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work in HVAC and am a proud member of Local 250. I’m approaching graduation and becoming a journeyman after taking a couple of years away from that path to build my businesses. I call HVAC the gift that keeps on giving because it gives me practical skills I can use throughout my life to earn a living and help people.

My work focuses on diagnosing problems and repairing air conditioning systems. Some of the jobs I’m proudest of are units I’ve repaired that others wanted to condemn. I enjoy investigating the problem, understanding what’s happening, and finding a repair when one is possible. Getting someone’s system working again and helping them avoid an unnecessary replacement is rewarding.

I’m also exploring how AI can support my technical skills. HVAC requires continuous learning, and I’m interested in applying new tools to troubleshooting and understanding equipment.

What sets me apart is my persistence and desire to help. I take pride in being thorough, continuing to learn, and putting my skills to use for others. Giving back is essential to how I define success, and this trade keeps giving me opportunities to do that.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is showing people that you can win. That you can come from absolutely nothing and build something. I believe we can all work toward our own version of the American dream, and I want my life to help somebody else believe there’s a future for them too.

My journey has included foster homes, Skid Row, and people helping me survive. It’s been a long road, but I’m still here. I’m still learning, building, and finding ways to give back. That matters because I know what another person’s help can mean when you’re trying to find your footing.

Forgiveness matters deeply to me too. Forgiving others, and also forgiving yourself. I’m learning to give myself grace for what I didn’t know, the mistakes I’ve made, and the time it has taken to get here. Taking responsibility and allowing yourself to move forward can exist together.

I want to build a life I’m proud of and help others see that they can do the same. If somebody looks at my journey and thinks, “Maybe I can keep going too,” that means something to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://GrowYourEdgesBack.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/growyouredgesback
• Facebook: Growyouredgesback
• Youtube: GrowYourEdgesBack