Success Story

CPR with Mia is an LLC that aims to teach CPR lifesaving skills to Black, Hispanic, and diverse communities. Shamia Law is the owner. Law provides American Heart Association BLS-CPR-AED-First Aid training and certification classes in an enjoyable and educational environment. The goal is to provide more than just the information but to instill the confidence needed to handle any emergency.

Seven months ago, Shamia came to the Urban League of Louisiana and the Community Navigator Pilot Program. She was challenged with no staff, no business plan, and slow months without revenue. CPR with MIA needed resources such as accounting services, business plan assistance, and policies and procedures for employees.

Through business advising, Shamia has completed SEBD certification, has a viable business and marketing plan and was featured in a television news story on KLSA News Channel 12. She worked on interview prep, focused on strategies to leverage news coverage and strategized on workshop planning after airing for future topics. The result of the news interview was a platform to market her business to television viewers. A note was made to measure the revenue generated from the interview.

Over the past six years, Shamia has been teaching everyone — including children — about the importance of being prepared to save lives through CPR. “You want to be prepared for those moments. It’s better to be prepared and not needed than to be needed and not prepared.” -As Law has done her part in preparing her community to save lives, she’s found a new focus. “It’s my goal to help the African American community, the Hispanic community, and the diverse community.”

Black and Hispanic people are 26% less likely to receive CPR at home and up to 57% less likely to receive CPR in public, an American Heart Association study shows.

“I’ve heard that people in the African American community say that they are afraid or say that they don’t want to perform it for various reasons,” Shamia said. “It is my goal to make sure that they are confident with performing CPR in the case that something was to happen to a family member, a co-worker, or even someone in the grocery store. ‘Can I step in?’ Can they step in and help?”

Periodically, Law offers free CPR classes to extend the resources to her community. The company is now working on leveraging credit, diversifying services, and finalizing strategies to increase revenue. Shamia has been awarded the following certifications:  Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Minority and Disadvantaged, as well as Small Economically Disadvantaged Business (SDBC). The financial impact continues to unfold.

CPR with Mia aims to teach the lifesaving skill to Black, Hispanic, and other diverse communities (ksla.com)