Running a business means being a constant problem solver. Every day it's something new, whether it's product development, distribution, creating content or, I don't know, deciding what to do during a pandemic. The trick isn’t always knowing all the answers but becoming adept at figuring them out.
[The Way We Work]
My entrepreneurial spirit comes from growing up in Latino neighborhoods in LA and being surrounded by so many people who are immigrants. It takes heart and ingenuity to move to a new country and rebuild your life. I grew up seeing firsthand so many examples of people getting creative with limited resources, whether it was the pupusa lady outside, rain or shine, or my dad, who started as a field worker and now owns his own restaurant.
In 2017, I left my corporate job and used my entire life savings to launch Rizos Curls. Helping people embrace their natural hair texture has been my personal passion since I was a teenager. Learning to love my hair in its natural state was the first step to learning to love myself. Today, I'm running a self-funded, multimillion dollar business that has been profitable since day one.
Growing up where I'm from, building a successful business felt unattainable. But turns out that entrepreneurial spirit was there all along. Here are my top three principles that guide me in doing business.
One: Get personal with your customers. With every transaction, your customer is giving you power, so don't take that power for granted. I feel so immersed with our customers because I see them in my family, my tias, my cousins, my parents and even in myself. And that means nobody, not even the haircare giants, can speak to them like I can. We get to know our customers on a personal level because we take the time to really listen. Building that kind of relationship creates an authentic, reciprocal understanding between brand and customers.
Two: Don't be afraid to break the rules. As a Latina-owned, self-funded small business, I'm constantly entering spaces where my business is the first of its kind. This year, we launched Rizos Curls into a mainstream retailer where we became the first Latina-owned curly hair care brand to be carried in their stores. It was a big deal for us. Traditional business wisdom says that we should have invested a lot of marketing dollars on that type of launch, but instead I showed up on a horse, with a mariachi and recorded TikToks. I spent less than a 1,000 dollars on that launch. So my point is, don't be afraid to try things differently. Don't expect the same rules to apply to your small business as they do to Fortune 500 companies. Embrace what makes you you, and make it a part of your strategy rather than following the same old playbook that's out there for everyone to see.
Three: Make your intuition your BFF. Running a business is noisy and demanding. There's retailers, customers, your team, your finances, and things happening in the world beyond your control. How do you make big and important decisions with all of that? Yes, facts and data matter, but at the end of the day, you've got to trust your gut. Your intuition is your best friend.
OK, here's what I do. I have daily check-ins with myself, and I have a checklist that I go through after every big meeting where I ask myself questions like, "Am I uneasy? Am I excited? How do they make me really feel?" It's a thing that can't be explained through numbers or logic. But when I go through my list of questions, I'm able to quiet the noise and tune into that voice inside me that helps me stay true to myself and my mission. It's important to know who you are and who you are not. That means knowing when to say no. For me, that's meant turning down outside capital. Yeah, that extra cash flow would have been amazing, but investors would want to maximize profits and in turn, compromise a community and culture aspects of what we stand for. And for me, that's non-negotiable.
At the end of the day, you have to be grateful. No one has to work for you, and no one has to be your customer. People have choices, so remember to appreciate every employee effort and every sale.
