Meet Rebecca Vega

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Vega a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

My generosity has definitely come from my parents. My mom grew up in a family with 7 siblings in a very small town and her parents never had money. She then went on to work a variety of very low paying jobs, with a common theme of being of service to others. She worked at a girls home in New York, Habitat for Humanity, a Mennonite group down in South America in small villages, and the list goes on and on. In everything that she’s ever done, being of service has been at the center of it all, at it has cost her a lot in the way of financial security in the future and being able to splurge on herself. Yet I know that she would do it all over again. Her and my dad still don’t have very much money. It’s rare that they get to do nice things for themselves, yet they are always finding ways to be able to give back to others that have even less. My dad is from Bolivia and grew up with very little. He has shown me that no matter what, you always take care of your family. Since he moved to the states with my mom, he’s always making sure to send money back home to his siblings. He has a lawn care business that he does everyday after his 9-5 job, and he works all day on weekends. He’s always looking for an excuse to use his extra money on me or my sister because it brings him so much joy to provide for us when he can. He also is always looking for an excuse to take on any house project we might need help with.

I have had such a great example of generosity throughout my life, I feel it would be an insult to the universe to not be generous in return. I’ve always felt I have had exactly what I have needed and feel very blessed in that. The least I can do is be generous to those around me, my family, my friends, our employees.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I currently am in the process of opening up a new business in downtown Portland with my business partner! We opened up a haunted mansion themed cocktail lounge 4 years ago together, and decided it was time to dive into a new venture. We tend to create spaces that we personally want to see, and we are all about immersive and unique experiences being the forefront of our brand. We are from the Midwest originally, and when we first moved here we quickly found out that Portland was missing two things that we were quickly homesick for: frozen custard shops and late night coffee joints. So naturally, we decided that we would create a space and add a touch of our thematic flair. The concept is an apothecary/witch themed frozen custard shop named Black Cat Frozen Custard. Hidden behind the walls of Black Cat, there is a speakeasy coffee lounge that will be open late into the night called Conspirator’s Coffee Lounge. We are planning to be open at the end of this May and we are very excited!

I think the most exciting thing about opening businesses in downtown Portland is giving people a reason to come back to explore the area. I see so much potential in Portland, downtown specifically, and it is exciting feeling like you are part of the solution to bringing foot traffic back. The more businesses that open up downtown, the more foot traffic it will bring and the more businesses will be encouraged to come and/or stay. I also love the idea of providing fun and one of a kind job opportunities to people and getting to have so many employees grow with us as our business(es) expand. We have gotten lucky enough to have so many amazing relationships and connections with our employees and want to see them thrive and continue their growth in whatever path they choose to take, whether it’s with us or through another path. It feels very fulfilling having employees that have been with us for years moving into more career oriented positions through our company and making our bigger picture dreams possible.

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

Adaptability-I think this is the single biggest quality that has allowed me to be successful in my life/career. There have been many situations in my life where I have had to adapt and overcome, and this really prepared me for business ownership. Things often go wrong in business, especially when first opening up a new space. You have to learn to pivot constantly. Be open to having your vision change. You don’t have time to sit and wallow and give up, otherwise it is certain you won’t succeed. And when you overcome, you become stronger for it and reinforce the idea that you can make it through anything and solve any problem thrown your way. I think the only way to improve on adaptability is to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward every time you feel like you’re getting knocked down. You don’t have to have a toxically positive attitude about problems that arise, but you do have to move forward and not wallow in self pity. Then you can reflect later on everything you made it through. You have to approach problems with an attitude of confidence in yourself to find a solution or be able to adapt.

Growth mindset-I’ve always been very introspective, but business has forced me to look inward more than anything else in my life. Always knowing that you don’t have all the answers, that you can learn valuable things from everyone around you no matter their “status”, that growth is a constant journey is so impactful in growing a business. You can’t grow if you let your ego get in the way. Showing the people around you that you are open to growth also encourages them to follow suit and grow with you. I highly suggest reading books and listening to podcast not just on business, but on leadership, on stoicism, on personal development. All go hand in hand in shaping you into a person who is capable of creating the life you want. I also suggest surrounding yourself by other growth minded people as it is contagious.

Everything happens for a reason-This is a motto that has proven true for me time and time again and it’s something I have to remind myself of constantly when problems arise. There have been so many things that at the time felt so negative, but led to an outcome that was actually more ideal than what would have been otherwise. Also, just having the attitude of feeling like there is likely a silver lining when bad things arise makes it a little easier to get through them. For this outlook to have a positive impact on your mentality, you have to be able to reflect back on the bad times and identify how they have made you stronger, or led to an outcome that was better than what would have been. You have to give credit where credit is due, otherwise this motto will mean nothing if you aren’t actively thinking about how in so many cases it’s true.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed it is usually because I have a lot on my plate and I haven’t been able to organize it all or create a plan of action. The only way for me to overcome this feeling is to start making lists; a master list, and then a daily list where I take 1-3 things off from the master list. Just having things organized and prioritized allows me to feel like I can move forward rather than becoming paralyzed by stress and anxiety. Honestly, sometimes just a good cry really helps release the tension in your body and move forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ravensmanorexperience.com
• Instagram: ravensmanor, conspiratorslounge, blackcatfrozencustard
• Facebook: ravensmanor

Image Credits

Photo Credit: Hope Kemp Photography