Meet Passionate Mompreneur: Adrienne Velazquez
Meet Adrienne, a mom, daughter, stylist, and entrepreneur. (Pictured in the center)
Adrienne started a successful career as a stylist in the early 2000’s focusing on providing women of color an unparallelled salon and styling experience. She was proud that she had a gift in making people feel good and look beautiful.
In 2007, she took a leap of faith and opened her business Joyez Beauty Salon; little did she know owning a business would lead to personal and professional growth.
During a beauty appointment, her client asked if she would host a group of foster children at the salon for a makeover day and she said yes! Her continued involvement inspired her to adopt and grow her family. Fast forward to today, Adrienne is a proud mom of Jadon, Josiah and Ashton, who now fuel her desire to push herself and her business.
With a growing family, Adrienne realized she wanted to grow her business, provide a unique experience for women of color, and support her fellow stylists in the industry, but wasn’t sure how.
“I just wanted to do what I love and what I’m passionate about, but I realized that includes education and encouraging other stylists to grow,” said Adrienne.
That’s when she found LiftFund; the team equipped her with education and capital to grow her business. She participated in a women’s business accelerator and received a small loan to expand her business from a 300 sq. ft. salon to a 2,105 sq. ft. space with 10 stations, a massage therapist and esthetician area, and a coffee and beverage bar.
“I'm always telling my kids that ‘you create your future,’ in spite of what others have told you, you control your destiny,” Adrienne said. “Anything [you set your] mind to, it’s possible to accomplish.”
LiftFund is proud to journey and support mompeneurs like Adrienne; you too are part of that journey and we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!
Growth & Challenges for Women-owned Businesses
Women business owners like Adrianne are growing over double the rate than their peers over the past two decades and generate more than $1.7 trillion in revenues according to an American Express's study on women owned businesses. Despite their economic power, women owned businesses face many challenges.
In another study by the National Women's Business Council found:
- Like their male peers, many women small business owners have trouble accessing capital;
- Unlike their peers, women raise smaller amounts of capital to fund their business;
- Women are more likely to rely heavily or solely on their own personal sources of financing, and their personal networks have fewer economic resources than men’s.
While challenges remain, LiftFund is committed to championing and supporting women business ownership by providing resources and capital. We've got some amazing partners in this journey to bring ownership and success to entrepreneurs like Adrienne -- The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Eva Longoria Foundation, and The Howard G. Buffett Foundation are all part of an effort to close the capital gap and foster entrepreneurship among women and minorities.
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Do you know of someone in need of business support and capital to start or grow their business? We'd love to help! Refer a small business owner to us - we'll take good care of them!
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LiftFund is a non-profit financial and business consultation organization that helps diverse entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, stabilize and increase their incomes and assets, create employment and contribute to the economic revitalization of their communities.