The Tillman Story

Stephanie Tillman is the founder and CEO of ikros.com, a leading Kansas City visual graphics design firm that specializes in providing high quality websites and print design services for small businesses, ministries, musicians, and film makers.

Many CEOs list advanced degrees and experience in leading corporations as the foundation for their success, but Stephanie’s success stems from something else. She has no experience in graphic design, and she has no college degree—her success is a result of her passion, which was born from a hard-fought battle with addiction and homelessness.

Stephanie got her first taste of freedom from her parents when she went to college, and she began a destructive lifestyle of drug and alcohol abuse. She lived for one party after the next and loved the sense of control that she felt over her life. Ultimately, though, this lifestyle would bring her to her knees.

Stephanie finally dropped out of college and made a series of choices that distanced her from her family. She began dating a drug dealer named Shomari, who fit in perfectly with her lifestyle, and had two children with him. Before long, Shomari was arrested and sent to jail.

While he was in jail, Shomari ran into a pastor that knew Shomari’s father. This pastor encouraged him to take responsibility for his life and family. Shomari and Stephanie were married soon after he got out of jail, and they began trying to build a normal life together. They gave up drugs and alcohol, but their money dried up and they could not find work. Eventually, they were evicted from their home and were forced to live in a homeless shelter. This would prove to be a turning point in Stephanie’s life.

She saw the time that they spent there as God’s way of stripping everything from them and showing them that He was in control of their lives. Stephanie recalls, “There were no distractions, because we had nothing that was ours – it was all His. The only thing we could do each morning and each night was to look up at God and ask ‘What now,  Father?’”

Stephanie gave up trying to guide her life and relied on God instead, and an opportunity presented itself to produce designs for a small non-profit organization. From there, by relying on God for guidance, she was able to establish a small graphic design firm called Crossover Graphics. This was the foundation for what has now become ikros.com.

ikros.com is now a million dollar company that has expanded even through the economic recession. In 2009, ikros.com exploded with new growth, moving into a new office and hiring several new employees. “I feel like we can accomplish anything,” Stephanie said. “We grew 555% last year, and we’re hoping to grow even more this year!”

Life is more than business for Stephanie, though. She sets aside time to help at the homeless shelter that she once lived in, she sits on several boards throughout the Kansas City area, and she and Shomari diligently raise their two children.

Through everything, Stephanie’s story is shaped by her life Bible verse, “But we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Stephanie has found her greatness, and now she has made it her mission to help others find their greatness. “ikros.com is built around one philosophy,” she says. “If we help a someone tell their story, if we show their heart to the world, then they will produce something bigger than we, or they, could ever imagine!”

ABOUT ikros.com

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Speaking Topics

NO EXCUSES

Strength comes from God, and God through the Word. Anyone can take their vision to levels they’ve never dreamed by pushing through overwhelming obstacles to become the person that God created you to be. Stephanie Tillman will recount her family’s journey from Homeless to Greatness by putting God first.

VISION REVEALED

Stephanie will show you how God’s vision for your life can be revealed to you through prayer and having your eyes, heart, and ears open to what God is showing you.

CHRISTIAN BUSINESS CULTURE

Having a Christian label on your company means living up to a new standard of business. It is our job to create a standard for Christian business.

ONE “IF”

There is only one “if ” allowed when dealing with God’s purpose for your life: if you are where God has called you to be, then everything after that becomes a “when” question.

GENERATION BUILDING

How can you be who God has called you to be while maintaining a healthy balance at home and with God? This discussion includes an interactive dialogue with Stephanie and Shomari Tillman.

VISION MARKETING 101

Marketing your organization is the key to producing business. Stephanie Tillman will share stories of how small marketing strategies can have a big impact on increasing the visibility of your organization.