about speak up la inc.
Speak Up La is a business I created in commitment to stepping out of my comfort zone – whereas in as much I help people do the same thing!
Speak Up La is an international consulting business that fosters & grows businesses, advocates small business ownership, implements sustainable programming, designs marketing campaigns, coaches’ individuals & businesses in Corporate America while also producing media content via streaming, blog, vlog and podcasts aimed at motivating people to be their best selves.
about lauren
Lauren Hickman is the Founder & CEO of Speak Up La Inc. When she introduces herself, she likes to say she is “Midwest born, West Coast raised and Southern Made.”
Born outside of Chicago in Evanston, IL; childhood years in Honolulu, HI and Bakersfield, CA; and made her way south for an unforgettable HBCU education.
Lauren attended Fisk University for undergrad (Class of 2009) and attended Clark Atlanta University (Class of 2011) where she received my Master of Business Administration.
Upon completing her collegiate education, she went into Corporate America focused on Supply Chain where she was the buyer of multi-million-dollar categories and has successfully saved the Fortune 500 corporations millions of dollars. Back in 2016, Lauren happened to fall into the Supplier Diversity Industry and her life was forever changed.
In 2016, she was placed into the role of leading a Fortune 150 company’s Supplier Diversity Program. Lauren effectively led and grew a $400M+ supplier diversity program through partnership planning, implementing program ROI & various measurements, increased sourcing opportunities for diverse suppliers and implemented a new Tier II reporting for the organization.
Upon transitioning out of that role, Lauren knew that she wanted to stay connected to helping businesses related to supplier diversity, upon which prompted her to become an entrepreneur. In 2018, she began building dabbling in the entrepreneurship space. With now rounding out almost 5 years in business, each year has taught Lauren resilience, trust and perseverance while truly focused on living her best life, building an amazing brand she is truly proud of!
Lauren is a proud entrepreneur while also working in Corporate America in which she covers the Southeast Region of the US in which she builds and implements Supplier Diversity Programs for a major General Contractor. Each day she dedicates to helping those in the community, small & diverse businesses obtain opportunities for major contracts in effort to ultimately bring about sustainable economic impact.