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This article originally appeared in the January/February issue of ESSENCE magazine, available on newsstands now.
When the pandemic hit, some business-minded Black women leaped into action. They used their prowess and innovation to build up companies that would be of value to many. Here, the entrepreneurs describe starting and growing their new businesses.
“MY INCOME DRIED UP!”
Hairdresser and fitness instructor Monique Walker was not exactly trying to launch a business but when the pandemic shut down salons and gyms last spring, her resources dwindled. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” says Walker, 41. A friend suggested she teach virtual dance classes to bring in money. “I began researching names, logos and website creation, and by July, it was a real business,” says Walker, owner of Verve Fitness LLC in Memphis, Tennessee.
Talia R. Boone, the CEO and founder of the flower business Postal Petals, chatted with Digital Journal s Markos Papadatos.
Where did the idea for Postal Petals come from? Two months into quarantine this past spring I was super stressed and desperately in need of a floral fix to ease my nerves as the walls in my home began to close in on me. I needed fresh flowers but the LA Flower Market was closed due to the lockdowns. After looking around online for other ways to get my hands on some flowers, I came across a flower wholesaler who shipped flowers to large clients like florists, event & wedding planners, etc. I just cold-called him hoping to convince him to reduce his minimums and ship me a small order of flowers that I could arrange at home.