We recently connected with Alexandria Hollowell and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I’m very happy as a business owner, even though it brings many challenges. I often think about what it would be like to have a regular job. Then I think about my track record, as an employee and I realize that I faced many challenges. Primarily due to having such high leadership characteristics within myself. This would cause tension as a result seeing there was already a system in place, and I would encourage change. This was not received well by management 95% of the time. What this allowed me to see was mistakes on someone else’s dime vs. my own. So, If I ever went back to having a regular job, it wouldn’t be worth it. Not to mention, “the second-place stigma,” that consumes African American women in the corporate world.
The light bulb finally went off, as an employee, when I was promised a promotion as the head of a new department. My headhunter was brokering the deal. We already confirmed that the position was guaranteed. So, a meeting was planned in order to finalize. However, in that meeting I was terminated and told, “they could not afford to keep me,” with no severance package.
In the blink of an eye, I was terminated without any conversation and left to figure out my financial responsibilities. By the grace of God, my intuition had been pushing me in the direction of entrepreneurship for six months prior. Literally, I asked myself daily, “Why are you ordering these items, why are you creating this logo, why are you planning marketing and what industry are you intending this for?”
I could never fully answer any of those, until I was laid off. That was the moment everything made sense. That day revealed to me what my destiny was. I was frantic after losing my job but I knew how to survive due to past traumas. I tapped into that part of me that had been compartmentalized and told myself that it was sink or swim, do or die.
As soon as I opened my front door, all my marketing materials that I had ordered online were sitting on the stairs. This solidified God’s sign, that everything was going to be ok and he had bigger plans for me. Everything came full circle at this moment.
I went outside, set up a table, and I sold out within the first 10 minutes. I continue to sell out two years later. I have never looked back since then.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
So, if you have never heard of me before, let’s change that! I am Alexandria Hollowell, the owner, founder and CEO of LE Meals™. A takeaway venture based in Austin, TX with deep roots from Africa, Asia and Europe combined. LE Meals™ is Gullah-Geechee and Creole fused cuisine and is the first cuisine of its kind in the world!
Gullah-Geechee transcended from West, Central and East Africa during enslavement along the East Coast. During this time, the three parts of Africans began procreating and this procreation created a new ethnic group of African Americans, called the Gullah-Geechee people. On the other side, Creole is a person of mixed European and black descent, found mostly in the Caribbean. Alexandria Hollowell is half Gullah-Geechee and half Creole, which allowed her to create such a brand that has vibrated through Austin, Texas and the nation at a rapid speed. Alexandria offers the world great food and education on the Gullah-Geechee ethnic group, which was once kept extremely private.
She got into the industry by being such a great cook that it spoke to every person that ever tried her food. She offers a daily menu, meal prep and herbal medicines like sea moss gel. In addition to fresh pressed drinks that have homeopathic benefits, peanut brittle, and signature jarred desserts like a decadent chocolate mousse in a jar. She is also noted for her sides like callaloo, red rice, & okra stew, amongst others.
Problems that I solve for my clients are not really problems. They are seen as growth points. Early on, we had a lot more publicity than the average company, only four months in. With this much spotlight, the customer is always looking for the next exciting thing to be produced. So the challenge has been keeping up with the demands of our clients.
What sets us apart is our unique cuisine, a cuisine that you have never tried anywhere else except LE Meals™. I am most proud of my drive, determination and the many hats that I’ve had to wear in order to grow this company. I am also proud of our resilience, to start and succeed during covid.
The main thing I’d like for future customers to know is that we are a rare entity in all facets of the word. We offer unique food; a unique restaurant structure and we pride ourselves on being personable with our customers and keeping them in mind when rolling out new features.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson that I had to unlearn while being a business owner is, do not bend to everyone’s wants and needs. Being an employee for so long, prior to owning my own business. The mentality of a worker is to “always please the big boss.” When I became my own boss, it felt unusual to make my own schedule, call my own shots, and lead an entire company. I found myself changing prices for customers, adding menu items for customers, etc. as a result. Trying to accommodate everything asked of me, as an employee would. When I finally put my foot down it felt like I was going to get fired from my own company. It took a few weeks for me to adjust to the power behind being a business owner.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
If you would’ve met me years ago, you would’ve never thought I’d be here today. A great example of a moment of resilience, was when I dropped out of college and spent 2 1/2 years trying to find myself. During that time, I went through a traumatic engagement and was left homeless. After a few months of living out of my car. I eventually got back up on my feet and decided to finish my degree. I enrolled at the University of Houston, became active in several organizations, led two TV shows and a college radio show. Unfortunately, I went homeless again during the last two semesters. Thankfully, I had a car at that time. I would drive to a drug store and shower in the sink before classes. Eat a $1 menu breakfast item at McDonalds and attend class trying to hide signs of me sleeping out of my car.
During this time, I received an email from a Fulbright program advisor saying that I was selected to participate in the Fulbright program. This program takes students overseas on a full-ride scholarship to complete a graduate degree. Which was huge for me. My advisor, who knew my story, almost became a counselor during my many sessions with him to prepare for this transition. I had no family to lean on, nor friends at the time, who could relate. I felt all odds were against me and turned down the opportunity as a result. Something I often regret. In the final two weeks of college, I got back up on my feet and ultimately graduated with a Cum Laude Honors, a BA degree and minor. Looking back on everything that I was capable of speaks to the success of my business today and I wouldn’t change a minute of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lemeals.net/
- Instagram: @LEMealsFood
- Facebook: @LEMealsFood
- Twitter: @LEMealsFood
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/le-meals-austin-8
- Other: LE Meals Red River Location: 4305 Red River Street, Austin, TX 78751 (https://g.page/LEMealsFood?share) LE Meals Springdale Location: 1023 Springdale Rd, Austin, TX 78721
Image Credits
Caden Sterns, Tarik Black, UT Coordinated Programs in Dietetics, UT Black Studies Organization