Meet Kelly Mateo

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelly Mateo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kelly, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

As a woman of African American descent, I grew up in a Polish neighborhood & went to a Polish catholic school; so I learned pretty early how to adapt to being “the only one”. I learned over the years that in order to be successful in situations like that, you must let your deeds speak for themselves. Often times people just see the physical appearance of a person and automatically assume that the person may not be as smart, or intelligent or hardworking as some of their counterparts. I had a situation at a pharmacy I worked at for many many years. Now I am a nationally certified pharmacy technician, always have been, meaning I could work at any pharmacy in the country & just show my paperwork. Having that certification has always been a badge of honor for me. A customer comes into the store, older Jewish woman & speaks with my boss. (The pharmacy I worked in at that time was the largest independent in Richmond, Va & was known for their high-quality service, Kosher market, gift shop, etc while still maintaining that old school druggist feel, soda fountain and all). My boss pulls me to the side and asks me to help her. Upon approaching the woman, I see her gaze start from the top of my head to move further down until she came back up to meet my eyes with a sneer on her lips; “oh no, this won’t do, I told Jr I wanted his best tech & I don’t think that’s you”. With a smile on my face I politely walked away & proceeded to tell my boss what happened. (I forgot to mention that I do have tattoos and also a nose piercing). My boss stormed over to the woman and angrily asked her what was the problem? She said I told you I needed help & you said you’d sent your best tech over here but here is this little girl with those drawings on her arms & that thing in her nose. My boss said just because she has tattoos does that take away from her intelligence? Does that make her dumb? And her nose ring? How do you know that isn’t a part of her culture? Whether we agree with her tattoos or piercings or not, this woman is very intelligent, a hard worker and is good at what she does. Now if you want somebody that is more visually appealing to you I can do that, but you asked for my best tech.

Sad to say in today’s day and time but we still deal with preconceived notions and judgements instead of just dealing with people based on who they are, how they treat people, work ethic…. Important stuff, stuff that really matters. Anybody that has every worked with me knows that I am a hard worker & have a good work ethic, regardless of being the “only one”. As I mentioned before, I let my work speak for itself, which is how I have been able to cultivate work relationships from previous companies I worked at and would love to have me come work for them at their new business opportunities.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I started my small business back during Covid time when I was at a point in my life where I really didn’t know what to do with myself. My twins were grown, off seeing the world for themselves and I was just stuck. Like, what am I supposed to be doing with myself? My other half suggested a hobby, doing something to occupy my time other than work. So first I started off making candle. Then I started doing some research into other avenues. I had started reading about a man named Dr Sebi. a master herbalist who introduced me onto something called seamoss, a natural multi vitamin. So I started fiddling around with that, and down the rabbit hole I went. I started making my own seamoss gel, then I started making soap and body butters. So often we find it easy to just go to the store and buy whatever essentials, etc we need and go on about our business right? But have we ever really thought about the process in which these things were made? Have we really thought about what kind of ingredients are in the basic things we use everyday? And how will this affect our bodies in the long run? Thus BQ Boutiques was created. I already have a background in pharmacy so why not pair that with a more natural way of doing things? When I’m talking with a person (potential customer) I try to get to know them some before I start recommending products. What kind of issues are you having? What are you trying to accomplish? What are your likes and dislikes? And from there we can find something to that particular person’s liking. Everything I make if all natural and the majority of the time it’s customized to that particular individual whether it’s a face soap, body soap, body butter, body spray, wax melt, seamoss with fruit, and the list goes on.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One thing I am skilled about is medicine. I’ve been in pharmacy almost 20 years now and I have that to fall back on in terms of diagnosis, conditions etc. I’m also a certified massage therapist so that can really help when you’re dealing with how the body works, blood flow, etc. One good quality that I possess is my empathy and sympathy. I am a good listener and am always up to the challenge of trying to help somebody where other ways have not. My advice would be to number one, do your research. Study every avenue of whatever topic it is that you’re interested in. Set goals, no matter how small. Write down all your steps and set up a time frame for each of them. And never short cut yourself, believe in yourself, even on those dark days, remind yourself that God got you.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

My number one obstacle would be the loss of my son a couple months ago. The death of a child is like no other and a process that I never thought I would have to go through. Grief and depression are a real thing, and during this time I honestly haven’t really felt the most creative, however when I get that text or call for a product needed I get a little thump in my chest, like a little fire warming up inside of me. I really enjoy making things for people and seeing their faces when they open the bag or box with whatever goody was requested. I know my angel wouldn’t want me to just stop making and creating things for people, he knew how much joy it brings me. So on a daily basis I have to remind myself that he’s up there smiling down on me, proud that his mama is continuing on her healing journey, while helping others in his name and honor

Contact Info:

• Instagram: bq_boutique78
• Facebook: Kelly Danielle