Make Room for Her Foundation
Maxie.J in a pink suit holding a coffee cup, standing in an archway

Our story

Every room she was kept out of, she's opening now.

Make Room for Her began as a promise to God, and it grew out of eleven years of building, losing and rebuilding a business.

Maxie.J in a yellow suit at her desk under her Boss Lady neon sign

  1. At 28

    Six dresses and a severance check

    Laid off from her job, Maxie put her severance into six dresses and started selling. Ellaé Lisqué launched in 2015.

  2. 2018

    Teaching what it cost

    Nobody would throw her a bone, and the women's seminars she paid for were fluff. So she started teaching other women building product businesses the real strategy: the lessons she had paid for herself.

  3. The hard years

    The fall, and a promise to God

    In 2019 she lost her stores and rebuilt from a living room full of inventory. In a season when her business was going broke, she got on her knees in church and prayed for God to trust her with success. She made Him a promise: “If you trust me with success, my success will make room for others to win.”

  4. The comeback

    From a living room to the runway

    Ellaé Lisqué grew into a multimillion-dollar brand with its own factory in Istanbul and $20 million in sales, with shows at Paris, Milan, New York and LA Fashion Weeks.

  5. May 5, 2026

    Honored by her city

    The City of Inglewood presented her with an Official Proclamation at a City Council meeting.

  6. 2026

    Keeping her word

    God trusted her with success. Make Room for Her Foundation is how she keeps her promise to Him, starting in Los Angeles.

OUR MISSION

We expand economic opportunity for women building businesses of their own, opening access to the mentorship, relationships, education and resources usually reserved for women who can already afford them.

OUR VISION

A world where a woman's ambition, not her access, decides how far her business can go.

What we believe

Excellence is respect

She gets the same room anyone else would pay for.

Need, not connections

Seats go by need and readiness. Nobody gets in on who they know.

Stay after dinner

The real work happens in the 90 days after the event.

Only what's true

We report real results and nothing we can't show.

Faith is part of Maxie's story. Our programs are open to every woman, whatever she believes.

Maxie.J at her office desk beneath the Boss Lady neon sign, with the Ellaé Lisqué showroom behind her

Where the work happens: the Ellaé Lisqué office

In the press

The founder, on the record.

Snapshot of the ESSENCE feature
ESSENCE Read →
On building a seven-figure brand with a “Ladies First” mindset
Snapshot of the KTLA 5 feature
KTLA 5 Watch →
LA Unscripted: “Where Luxury Meets Confidence”
Snapshot of the BoF feature
BoF Read →
“The Road Ahead for Black Designers”

Also featured in Forbes · Fashionista · Black Enterprise · HuffPost

Official Proclamation · City of Inglewood

The city that raised her said it out loud.

PHOTO
Official Proclamation group photo, May 5, 2026
Full width. Show everyone, never crop.

Maxie.J receives her Official Proclamation alongside Mayor James T. Butts Jr., Councilmember Dionne Faulk and Inglewood city leaders · Inglewood City Council, May 5, 2026.

“An inspiring leader whose journey from Inglewood to global success exemplifies creativity, perseverance, and purpose.”

Signed by Mayor James T. Butts Jr. and Council Members Gloria D. Gray (District 1), Alex Padilla (District 2), Eloy Morales Jr. (District 3) and Dionne Faulk (District 4).

Watch the ceremony and speech See the City's post

Where we are today

Brand new, and built to last.

In progress

Structure

Forming as a California nonprofit public benefit corporation.

Applying

Tax status

Applying for federal 501(c)(3) recognition. Until it's granted, contributions are not tax-deductible.

Forming

Governance

An independent board, separate from the founder's for-profit companies.

2026

First rooms

Our pilot opens in Los Angeles in 2026.