We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexis Washington. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexis below.

Alexis, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am very happy as a business owner but there have many days where I’ve considered sticking to my 9-5. Small businesses have a harder climb up, but remembering God’s purpose for my business will always redirect me to the path of purpose. I started my business during the pandemic and as we begin to get used to the new normal, 2023 changed things yet again.. Inflation made it hard for every business owner and entrepreneur I know. However, there were many moments where I changed my perspective and leaned into the lessons of the uncertainty of the economy and its affect on small businesses.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Alexis, the owner of Lex Luxe Essentials and Bosses Block. I empower people by providing essentials and events that nurture those on the path to purpose. Lex Luxe Essentials is an online boutique based in Louisiana. I started this business in 2020 when God gave me the vision and told me to sell confidence and clothing. I specialize in essential pieces for women that are always on the go and don’t want to sacrifice comfort for convenience. The sets, jumpsuits, dresses, and other apparel I provide spoils my clients with comfort, convenience and confidence. Women who are always busy whether inside or outside, appreciate the comfortability that Lex Luxe Essentials provide and the time we save by providing staple pieces and essential sets. Bosses Block, is a community I recently created to help aspiring and inspiring entrepreneurs take back control of their life and business. I empower business owners to become the boss of their life first, then build their business. I provide sessions and programs that are about self improvement first then business improvement second. I also host empowerment experiences for women who are the change makers in their world and family. In everything I do, I strive to assist people that wish to walk in their God given purpose on Earth.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I originally thought that building an audience would be easy. After a failed launch and a successful relaunch, I quickly learned that this stuff takes work. I would say I am still building my audience on social media, but honestly transparency has been the biggest thing for my business. Sharing my life, story and behind the business content is what has been most successful. My community enjoys sneak peeks, voting polls, and seeing me walk in authenticity. I don’t pretend to have it all together and I remain consistent. People appreciate honesty and they want to know, like, and trust you before supporting you. I learned very quickly that a lot of people don’t support businesses, they support people. Most of my clients love their experience but they appreciate my customer service even more. I like to give my community a voice in my business and that’s what makes my community committed. They feel like family! Consistency is also huge. I remained consistent in my first three years of business, and by the 3rd year I begin to receive comments and compliments that highlighted the fact that people actually saw me. In my lowest seasons in business, people applauded my consistency and acknowledged my hard work when I couldn’t see it. That was a great reminder for me, to remain consistent in even the most difficult seasons for the sake of my community/audience.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson that I had to learn rather quickly was that my business cannot run off of my confidence. There were times where I wanted to quit, but I learned that businesses take time to grow. If I quit every time it got hard, I would have missed out on many valuable lessons and experiences. My mindset had to change as a result of my perspective changing. Sometimes you have to have faith and make the move. I won’t be able to anticipate the success of everything, I just have to have faith in God because He trusted me with this business which means that I have everything I need to carry it out. In the beginning, I wanted to do everything perfectly and if it wasn’t perfect I didn’t want to do it. Many unsuccessful photoshoots and pop up shops later, I now understand that everything does really work out for my good and I have to keep going regardless of if I am confident or scared or unsure. Sometimes I just need to take the leap of faith.

Contact Info:

• Website: lexluxeessentials.com
• Instagram: @lex.luxe
• Facebook: Lex Luxe Essentials
• Other: Bosses Block Mentoring: bossesblock.com

Image Credits
Royal Lens Photography by Lareesa Belvin