Have a plan, stay flexible, and never give up, LTU alumna tells entrepreneurs

SOUTHFIELD–A Lawrence Technological University alumna and member of its Board of Trustees delivered an inspiring message of perseverance Friday at the 2025 Entrepreneurs Forum of the National Entrepreneurs Association, hosted by LTU.

“The most important quality is that you must possess tenacity,” said Hannah, who in 1993 established Hannah Architects–Michigan’s first-ever African-American woman-owned architecture firm. “You have to have determination and be unstoppable.”

Hannah told the audience of about 60 that entrepreneurship was “in my blood:”–her grandfather owned a barbershop, her grandmother a tailoring business. Her father, like so many people, moved from the South to the Detroit area to work in the region’s automotive factories. Her mother, she said, was a school guidance counselor “who told me I could be anything I wanted to be, if I put work into it and prepared for it.”

The Detroit Henry Ford High School graduate started her higher education at Michigan State University in engineering, but quickly discovered a passion for architecture and design and transferred to Lawrence Tech, where she earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1986. She worked for the Albert Kahn architecture firm in Detroit, becoming a licensed architect in 1991. She would go on to earn a Master of Architecture degree from LTU in 2000.

Looking around LTU’s Buell Building, where the forum was held, she noted that “40 years ago, this building was an architectural marvel” that helped fuel her passion to own her own architecture firm.

She noted that while “it’s nice to have a mentor, but if you’re a trailblazer, you have to walk it alone sometimes. You have to be your own biggest supporter.” She said her experience as a member of Henry Ford High’s pep squad — not cheerleaders, but students who sat among the fans at sporting events, helping keep the crowd pumped — was a good training ground for entrepreneurship.

“Win or lose, we would shop up very day with the same level of excitement and the same level of commitment to the quest,” she said. “Entrepreneurship is exactly the same way. The quest will never end. It’s continuous.”

She also advised attendees to have a business plan, but also to stay flexible. “You have to write down that vision, a business plan, so you have a road map for the quest,” she said. “You will take a detour here and there, but if you have that plan as a foundation for your dreams, you can always reset. I have reset many times in my career.”

She also advised would-be entrepreneurs to seek out collaborators, and keep up with the latest technology. She said that 13 years ago, she “took an $85,000 risk” and bought 3D scanning equipment, which gave her firm vastly increased capabilities.

Finally, she told the attendees, “Make your plan, and never, ever, ever give up.”

Hannah’s projects in Detroit have included the Curtis L. Ivery Health & Wellness Educational Center at Wayne County Community College District, the newsroom and office renovation at WDIV-TV, the Skillman Foundation headquarters renovation and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan headquarters renovation. In 2009, Hannah Jones was the first African-American woman to receive Lawrence Tech’s Alumni Achievement Award, the university’s highest alumni honor. She was named to the LTU Board of Trustees in 2022. In addition to her work, she has served on the Michigan Fire Safety Board and as a member of the boards of numerous civic and business organizations.

More about Hannah Architects at https://www.hannaharchitects.com/.

The Entrepreneurs Forum also featured keynotes and panel discussions on perfecting an elevator pitch, attracting investors, writing a business plan, and making use of new technologies in marketing.

More about the NES at https://www.nationalentrepreneurs.org/.

Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11% of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10%. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwest colleges. LTU is also listed in the Princeton Review’s “America’s Best 390 Colleges 2025,” which includes the nation’s top 15% of colleges and universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.