In this special episode of Scale Up Your Business, LA21 President and CEO Kwaku Boateng turns the microphone on host Zakia Ringgold.

Zakia shares how she moved from technology and instructional design into entrepreneurship, Live Soap School, business advising, and AI enablement. She explains how LA21’s Scale Up program helped her transform revenue-generating ideas into a structured business—and how she later returned to support other entrepreneurs through coaching, technical assistance, alumni programming, and the Scale Up Your Business podcast.

The conversation also explores Zakia’s recovery from stage 3 colon cancer, the story behind her book Nothing Was Random, and the realization that a sustainable business cannot depend entirely on its founder.

Zakia introduces Business Tech Lab and her “orientation before automation” approach to AI adoption. She also discusses her work supporting Philadelphia’s small-business ecosystem, including the Philly Biz Hub, and her vision for building systems, programs, and knowledge that can transfer, scale, and last.

Learn more about Zakia Ringgold at https://businesstechlab.com

Enroll in LA21 programs at https://la21philly.org