Exchange Credit Repair CEO LaWanda Querida Davie has revealed how she was forced to flee her abusive ex-partner just two weeks after her son’s birth, taking only a diaper bag and a tote full of her clothes with her.
At 20 years old most people are either studying or partying, but for LaWanda, her 20th birthday marked the end of three years of suffering as a “battered woman” in her former partner’s home.
The 39-year-old, who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, fell pregnant with her son at only nineteen and found herself “alone and powerless” after escaping with her two-week-old son from her abuser’s home at 3 am as he slept.
Forced to start again from scratch, LaWanda faced homelessness after struggling to secure a home due to her poor credit score at the time; she was even rejected for the most basic of necessities, such as a prepaid phone, leaving her feeling “hopeless.”
Nonetheless, the businesswoman found her way out of the desperate situation by working hard within the corporate business world at Dunn & Bradstreet in order to bring up her child and save up a “financial cushion”, later vowing to help others by opening her own business Exchange Credit Repair in 2011 at the age of 29.
LaWanda said: “I started Exchange Credit Repair after finding myself in the same credit situation as my clients during my twenties, so I completely understand how it feels to be denied credit.
“It’s not a great feeling, you begin questioning yourself, and a small part of you feels as though there’s absolutely no hope.
“I tried a number of different things just to try to overcome my poor credit problem, and nothing seemed to work or go right for me; I was desperate for change.
“I was also a victim of identity theft and couldn’t verify my own identity for years because of mismatched fingerprints. You can only imagine my level of frustration at this point.”
But after taking strategic financial steps out of the situation, LaWanda experienced a “financial transformation” and quickly recognized the “life-changing” potential that she could offer to individuals and businesses by coaching them on how to overcome life-limiting credit.
The CEO began hustling on Exchange Credit Repair whilst continuing to work at her nine to five corporate job, but after months of “busting tail” working every evening and weekend to meet new clients, LaWanda finally took the plunge and quit her day job – quickly reaping the benefits.
She added: “I started making four times my salary in just under two months of working for myself. I was so excited to get my very first paycheck from my company after taking that leap of faith.
“I was in the process of financing the $435,000 build of my first home, so there was a lot on the line.”
Now LaWanda is a certified credit counselor, educator, author, and life coach who uses the financial and life knowledge that she’s gained through her own experiences – as well as 15 years in the financial industry and 20 years in the corporate world of business – to help enhance individuals’ and businesses’ credit goals.
Not only does she now own her own home, but LaWanda has an impressive 275K in credit available to her as well as her personal savings and investments – the value of which she’s modestly chosen to withhold from publication.
The entrepreneur added: “I’m crazy about helping others to live a life they love. It empowers me to know that I have created yet another success story. I receive instant emotional downloads of pure joy when this happens.”
Unfortunately, there was more personal hardship to come following LaWanda’s career success, when she lost her financé Kenneth Terez Johnson and her father, Stanley Bernard Davie, within 30 days of each other in 2021.
LaWanda says that it was this “debilitating grief” that led her to start writing… and that she did, with some books under her belt and another three on the way.
Her books span a wide variety of topics, including creating financial wealth, planning for retirement,
professional advice on how to lock down your “dream partner,” and even a children’s fiction book.
The author’s latest release, Find a Man, Keep a Man topped the Amazon New Release charts. LaWanda added: “I had my first novel drafted for eight years before I decided to publish it.
“Writing allowed me to express my creative voice while having the strength to walk out of a dark tunnel following the death of my father and fiancé.”
LaWanda also found strength in her relationship with God, using prayer to cope with every tragedy and tribulation.
“On this journey, I learned to continue praying when I was faced with homelessness, I prayed when I thought I wouldn’t make it out of the abusive relationship with my son’s father, I prayed for those whom I loved and lost, I prayed through my tears, and I prayed when I thought there was nothing else left!
“I’ve made it out of the dark and now I’m walking in my destiny. I no longer have to sleep in my car at night, and I no longer have to run away from my home in the middle of the night to hide in the woods because my abusive child’s father is trying to beat me.
“I no longer face sadness when I think of those whom I’ve lost because now I see them as guardians and my ancestors.
“I’m still learning as I take this journey, but as I’m learning, I’m continuously growing.”
The CEO has had many leadership accomplishments in the 11 years since starting Exchange Credit Repair, including having achieved massive endorsement deals with celebrities including actor Anthony Anderson, who stars in Black-ish, and 3 Strikes actor Brian Hooks, as well as comedian and radio personality Shawty, at Streetz 94.5.
These endorsements have helped “opened doors” to bigger opportunities for the businesswoman.
Asked what she has planned next LaWanda added: “I’m currently working towards deals with Floyd’ Money’ Mayweather, Joe Gatto from Impractical Jokers, and the model Tyson Beckford.”
The biggest challenge to Exchange Credit Repair during the pandemic has been the limit on face-to-face business meetings, says LaWanda, who recently decided to invest in state-of-the-art virtual reality headsets that allow the business to conduct meetings in person’ online.
LaWanda said: “Moving forward into 2023, I’m focusing on growing Exchange Credit Repair through a number of partnerships with other agencies, my new podcast: No! But Seriously, Let Me Explain…and a few marketing campaigns in the pipeline that feature some well-known famous faces, so look out for that!”
Offering her advice to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, the CEO said: “Setbacks are a part of life; overcoming the challenge is what counts.
“Before Exchange Credit Repair, I started two other companies that failed, and I took the knowledge that I learned from those businesses and implemented a system to make sure that it would never happen again.”
LaWanda added that the toughest part of her business journey was at the beginning when she struggled to “earn the time to create a business whilst working a full-time job” and also “finding quality employees who see your vision.”
The CEO said: “The most important factor to becoming a successful entrepreneur is making sure that you’re offering a product or service that doesn’t have an expiration date.”
More significant than anything is LaWanda’s drive to “build others up,” which she says is her main motivation.
“I am here to build others up because I know what it feels like to be torn down. I understand what it feels like to need a hand up.”
So if you’re somebody with a less-than-perfect credit score, visit https://exchangecreditrepair.info/ to speak with a live credit expert today and secure the future you deserve.
