We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Suhay Gonzalez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Suhay , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I get my work ethics from a combination of factors, my upbringing in New York, personal values, internal drive and life experiences. Growing up in New York prepared me to deal with a variety of individuals regardless of ethnicity. It’s provided me the capability to expand my mindset. New York prepared me to work hard, to be proud of what I do, overcome obstacles and persevere in the face of adversity. It also set me up to collaborate with others, which is an essential perspective as an entrepreneur. My personal values and upbringing made me resourceful, flexible and geared me to continuously seek ways to improve while remaining true to self. My parents early on instilled in me the power of education and working hard. I feel integrity and discipline greatly influenced my work ethics.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As a child, I was fascinated by graffiti and soon found ways to express my artistry through makeup. Early on, I would see my mother apply makeup prior to leave the house and I found it quite interesting, The loss of my mother to Glioblastoma Brain Cancer inspired me to launch Seis Cosmetics. As a woman of color, it was important for me to be diverse by creating beauty products that’s representative of a great range of complexions. Seis Cosmetics offers a variety of products from lip care products, for example, the Sugar Lip Scrub and overnight Rose Lip Mask. These are essential to exfoliate, nourish and hydrate your lips. Seis Customers offers exceptional lipsticks, one of our hero products are the Semi Matte Vegan Lipstick, the plant based Infused Lip Gloss made with organic ingredients and a customer favorite the Advance Luxe Gloss, a featherweight formula delivering a unique blend of natural emollients, vitamins, and high-definition shine. We are proud to also be certified cruelty free by Leaping Bunny.
Seis Cosmetics has been featured in NBC 6 in the Mix, Univision’s Despierta America, Shout Out Miami, People en Español, Business Journal, Voyage Miami, Florida Trends to name a few and received a beauty award by Hola! USA. I believe in sharing stories to spark a light for other aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams despite life challenges, I am determined to bring awareness to brain health; therefore, a portion of the profit will be donated towards brain tumor research in honor of her mother. “I consciously made the decision to convert my sadness into something beautiful! My purpose is to deliver superior cosmetics for a cause!”.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The most important qualities, in my experience, is mindset, commitment and education. I obtained my degree in Business Administration and Accounting, continued my education by attending Yale University’s School of Management to enhance my leadership and management skills followed by several executive education courses at Harvard Business School. My experience and education has been a good foundation for building my company. I do believe that there’s numerous courses that can help develop the skillsets needed to successfully managing a business. Research is at our fingertips, therefore, discipline and mindset is critical to stay on task. My advise is to set a schedule to go over material and practice as much as possible. I have never shy away for self-development, gaining insight in a complex integrated world while working diligently with pride and integrity.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
My advise when feeling overwhelmed is to get some rest, take a nap, if necessary. Once you’re rested, make a list of tasks pending and set deadlines then delegate to trusted staff. If you’re an solopreneur then use tools or apps to set reminders,, stay on track of progress or hire freelancers to assist you. Establishing dedicated time to focus on your business is part of the process. Having a clear mind and a good layout of what requires immediate attention. Remember, you can always call a friends and family to assist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seiscosmetics.com
- Instagram: @seis_cosmetics.com
- Facebook: @seiscosmeticsllc
- Other: TikTok @seiscosmetics Threads @seis_cosmetics
Image Credits
Glow Studeo, Rebel Brand Management & GloMedia
