Why I Don’t Like “Business Coaches”

My Introduction — and Why This Is the First Ovidia Article

I’m Khila — the founder of Ovidia.

I thought it was only right that the very first article here came from me, and that it was about the thing that lit the fire under me to build this platform in the first place.

This isn’t just business to me. This is personal. I’ve lived the highs of building something from scratch, the lows of being taken advantage of, and the frustration of watching other women — especially women of color — fall into traps I wish I could protect them from.

I’ve been the one people came to for help.
I’ve been the one quietly winning legal settlements against people who stole from me.
And I’ve been the one watching entire communities be drained by “coaches” who never built a real business in their lives.

That’s why Ovidia exists.

From a Campus Idea to a Movement

In college, I started something called SHE Muse.

It wasn’t supposed to be deep. I just wanted to gather women who loved beauty and fashion, sit in a room, and gush about our favorite YouTubers. That’s it.

But something happened.

The energy caught on.
We weren’t just talking about makeup — we were talking about careers, opportunities, and how to get our foot in the door in an industry where women of color were rarely in the room.

I went to St. John’s University, a communications powerhouse in New York City. As a journalism major surrounded by ambitious peers, I knew the competition was fierce. And for women of color, breaking through felt like climbing a wall built just for us to fail.

So I started curating events to give my community an edge.

Before long, SHE Muse was:

• Selling out events
• Landing sponsorships from brands like BET, Curls, and Vera Bradley
• Hosting prom makeover giveaways for girls who couldn’t afford it
• Becoming the place where women of color students could feel seen, supported, and connected

People began coming to me for advice on how to start businesses. I’d sit with them in the library or over coffee, walking them through setting up an LLC, opening a business bank account, and building their first website.

I didn’t know it then, but I was building my second business.

Building Bougie Business Brand

That’s how The Bougie Business Brand was born.

It took off almost instantly. My DMs were full, my followers grew, my calendar was booked. I helped women turn sketches into clothing lines, hobbies into brands, and ideas into income.

But the creative in me missed making products.

So I launched The Bougie Lifestyle Planner — a physical planner for ambitious women. On Black Friday 2020, we sold over 1,000 planners in a single day, and generated more than $600,000 in two years.

I had my own office space by then. I’ll never forget that weekend — a snowstorm hit, and I spent the night in my office packing orders. My hands were freezing, my back ached, the post office was still reeling from COVID delays, but the orders had to go out.

That’s what real business looks like.
It’s messy. It’s exhausting. It’s real.

The Shift

After the planner, I went back to consulting, helping early-stage founders navigate a post-COVID business world. I loved the work, but I was restless.

I’d originally been a dual-degree student — set to graduate with a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in Sociology. But after SHE Muse’s success, I wanted to study business. I switched to Communication Arts to keep my journalism credits and spend the rest of my time taking business classes.

During that time, I:

• Won First Place in my school’s Business Plan Pitch Competition (with a prize I used to start Bougie Business Brand)
• Got a police escort to the competition after my car broke down on the way
• Was accepted into Hult International Business School in San Francisco for my MBA, with my schedule and apartment search already in motion

But Bougie Business Brand exploded so fast that I couldn’t walk away. I withdrew before classes even started.

Eventually, my path led me to law school — first for intellectual property, then falling in love with startup law as a whole. Now I’m building a career as a startup attorney for early-stage founders.

Why the “Business Coach” World Makes Me Sick

I’ve been doing this long enough to see the shift.

When I started, you had to have built something to teach others how to do it.

Now? There’s an epidemic of “business coaches” whose first and only business is… their coaching business. They’ve never launched a product. Never navigated payroll. Never had to pivot when something failed.

And yet, they’re charging women — especially women of color — thousands for “mentorship” that’s nothing more than:

• Fluff-filled eBooks and courses with no actionable steps
• Copy-and-paste advice they got from someone else’s Instagram story
• Overpriced group programs with no actual expertise behind them

They know we’re chasing something bigger — financial freedom, ownership, the ability to take care of ourselves and our families without asking permission.

They know it’s harder for us to get there.
And they use that.

What I Hear From People Is Even Worse

When women of color tell me about their experiences with these “coaches,” it’s heartbreaking — and infuriating.

They’ve paid for eBooks or courses that never arrive.
They’ve sent email after email, only to be ignored.
And when they finally call the coach out publicly? They’re met with attitude.

It’s a very “mean girl” culture.
Dismissive. Petty.
The kind of energy that thrives on exclusion instead of community.

The space is messed up.
Ovidia is here to fix it.

What They Don’t Tell You

They don’t tell you they never had to fight for funding.
They don’t tell you they’ve never shipped 500 orders in a snowstorm.
They don’t tell you they’ve never had to win a settlement from someone stealing their work.

I have.
And I’ve stayed quiet about it — until now.

Because I’m tired of watching women of color spend their savings on someone else’s Canva template.

What Ovidia Does Instead

Ovidia isn’t about “boss babe” vibes. It’s about real business education.

Here’s how we’re different:

• Tested strategies from someone who’s built multiple businesses from scratch
• Actual legal and business expertise to protect you from costly mistakes
• Resources you can use today — not six months from now
• Community accountability to keep you informed and connected

Final Word

You don’t need another coach who’s selling you a dream they’ve never lived.
You need real tools, real knowledge, and real guidance.

That’s why Ovidia exists.
Because women of color deserve better.

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