(Editor’s note: This is the 20th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each are asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success. See previous installments
here.)
When Lexus Fernandez first started making skincare products in spring 2018, she initially sought a solution for her own challenges.
At the time, Fernandez never imagined she would own a business. Not long before that, even her survival was uncertain. In May 2018, then 20 years old and a student at Roger Williams University, Fernandez’s life as she knew it was derailed when she had a ruptured brain aneurysm.
“It took everything away from me,” Fernandez said. “My hair was gone, I couldn’t go back to college, I couldn’t go back to work. I didn’t know English anymore, and the rehabilitation process took some time.”
Treatment also left Fernandez with scars and highly sensitive skin. Initially seeking a solution for herself, she began making vegan skincare products.
“Physical pain was hard, mental pain was hard,” she said, “but how I found purpose back in my life was creating these products, and also taking self-care time.”
Within the year, Fernandez realized she had found not just a solution for herself, but the foundations of her own business. In spring 2019, she decided to launch a website for Soulita, and the business took off shortly afterward when she met her co-founder, Evan Delpeche.
Initially an e-commerce business, Fernandez and Delpeche rented a space at 229 Westminster St. in Providence, just for the holiday season. But when no one else put a bid on the space, they continued to stay on a month-to-month basis, and last month signed a yearlong lease.
But the success of a growing business didn’t come easily. As Black business owners, Fernandez and Delpeche say they encountered barriers such as difficulty finding warehouse space; were denied, without explanation, a new business credit card from a bank despite a good financial record; and experienced other incidents of racism in downtown Providence.
“I do believe we have some disadvantages that we have to go through as part of a larger-scale process,” Delpeche said. “That can be mentally offsetting, in that sense, because it might not be as easy as it is for everyone else trying to get a license, a certificate, or a loan and so forth.”
But Soulita is forging ahead to build a community with more opportunities for minority-owned and women-owned businesses, he says.
Fernandez and Delpeche plan to continue growing their business while keeping Providence a priority and contributing to a diverse community.
“We have to continue to use our voices for change, not only for our family and friends but also on a larger scale,” Fernandez said, “from now ’til the generations to come. That’s how we live.”
1. Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do? It’s hard, because we’ve been in situations where we were denied things because of who we are … like not being able to get a warehouse and wondering why we’re getting treated like this, and someone telling us the truth. But I do want to say we don’t let anyone stop us from focusing on Soulita and being successful young entrepreneurs.
Even on Westminster, we’ve dealt with some racist things, but for us to leave … that’s something they want you to do, like this isn’t here for you. No, we belong to be here.
2. How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model? We wouldn’t be here without the support. If someone asks us, where did you get this mirror, this fixture, this rug, it’s from other people in the community who believe in us. They know our values, they know us personally in life, and they say, “Let us help you out.” [It’s from], honestly, everybody; not just certain types of corporations.
3. What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success? More initiatives would be great. We’ve worked with the Rhode Island Black Business Association, and one of the things they preach all the time is the lack of resources and capital for people like us, not only our identity but also being young and inspired to be entrepreneurs. Working with them was really good. We had an opportunity we couldn’t supply ourselves, being a new startup, a new business.
4. Have you had to turn to an entity other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly? When I was first starting Soulita, once I heard, “No, you can’t get [a bank’s assistance],” it kind of discouraged me. Now that we’re more proficient in being entrepreneurs and business owners, it’s something where we could go and ask permission again, but I’d rather talk to these different nonprofit organizations or investors that do want to support Black businesses instead of going to a bank, like the Papitto Foundation.
5. If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn for support for their business, where would you direct them? On the local level, Score.org, the [U.S.] Small Business ... [Administration], the Center for Women & Enterprise. There’s RIBBA, DESIGNxRI. We’re part of a catalyst program [with them] right now, and the utilities of the program are helping us so much when it comes to having this space.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Voghel@PBN.com.
