We recently connected with Monica Flores and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
My husband and I are both first generation American citizens. My parents are from Nicaragua and Mexico, while his parents are from El Salvador. Being born to immigrants instilled a hardworking mind-set that helped us tremendously in the process of building Phyto’s Vegan Eats, but also with keeping it afloat. We are minorities and this only pushes us harder, we want to continue succeeding so that we can show our families and other people who look like us that it is possible to start a business from nothing and persevere into success. There is a lot of trial and error that occurs when starting a business with no experience, but even our challenging failures have a lesson within it that has made us more resilient and more intelligent. We started Phyto’s back in 2018 and since then we have catered to celebrities, music festivals, opened up a brick and mortar, and more. We are proud of what we have created and want to convey the message that anything is possible regardless of what you like like, you just have to approach things in a positive, saavy, and hard-working manner.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My husband and I started Phyto’s Vegan Eats in 2018 when we realized we wanted to make a positive impact on our world by helping the animals and the planet. Our nine-to-five jobs were no longer fulfilling after going vegan and so we began our journey into starting our own business. There was a lot to learn, from permits, to health regulations, marketing, and taxes, but it was all worth it to be able to share our creations with our city. We’ve made incredible connections and have met other people who want to bring forth a better world, we have partnered with several other vegan organizations, as well as human rights organizations who push a message of peace to our community. It has been an incredible six years, and as of now we are putting our business on pause to focus on finishing our degrees, but with all that we learn, we are excited to come back soon and continue growing our business.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three things that can be extremely helpful when starting a small business are: asking questions and doing a lot of research, networking with everyone you meet (even if you don’t think it could be helpful at that moment, people can help later on but be cautious with sketchy people), and having a positive mindset after failing. Starting a business is very scary and uncomfortable, but it’s important to stay alert and positive. If you maintain a healthy mindset it will attract people to you and your business will grow and flourish.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Our friends and families have been the most helpful and supportive throughout our business venture. They are the ones who would always show up whether we were slow or busy, and they would always post about us and hype us up. Surround yourself with people who want to see you grow and improve and it will help you keep going through all the challenges. It’s also important to ask for their brutal constructive criticism, never take offense, learn from mistakes and be better together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @phytosvegan
- Facebook: @phytosvegan
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/monica-flores-lasvegas
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/phytos-vegan-eats-las-vegas
Image Credits
Photo’s taken by: Francisco Hernandez and Louiie Victa.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
