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

Jervon , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Summer 2019. Sitting at a local cigar event, I was talking to a friend and fellow business owner. We chatted about everything under the sun that day, but one idea that stuck was those ugly cigar cases we were carrying! I had been a social cigar smoker for numerous years and had upgraded from the plastic Ziploc bag to the hard traveling cigar case/humidor. Many of these cases are geared towards the man and his social cigar endeavors, with the visual appearance and the colors. Us ladies like to have a little flair in every activity we engage in. At that moment I decided to look for something else for me to carry my cigars in. A cigar case/humidor that I would be proud to carry and would “stand” out. That is where the idea for the Cigar Case originated from.

After many, many months of searching for what I felt was the perfect cigar humidor for me to carry on my cigar outings, I found it! When I say found it, that really means, I found the materials I needed to create it, myself. Now, as I mentioned earlier, this was an idea I had for myself. Not a business venture at all. After walking into a cigar lounge with my new cigar case, I had a group of ladies ask me, very enthusiastically, where I got the case from. That’s when the light bulb went off. I wasn’t the only female looking for something sexy, classy and different to carry their cigars in. That was the birth of the Cigar Case by LVD (the original name for my brand). This has been a very exciting journey. Every lady can now carry her cigars with style, class and grace with a case from LVD Lifestyle.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

To sum it up, I am a millennial that not only smokes cigars, but has a great passion for cigars. Yes, there is a difference. Example: when a child plays basketball, yes, they love it, but they may not practice consistently or even take the game seriously. When you have a child that has a great passion for basketball, they engulf themselves in the game. They learn everything they can about it. They practice and practice and practice. Some may even say that child is obsessed and over doing it, but they are not. That child is becoming the best basketball player they know how to be. THAT is how I approach the cigar industry. I want to be the best at what I do, so I constantly engulf myself in cigar knowledge.

I started this journey about eight years ago, as a newbie smoker. I dated a guy that was a smoker, and I would go to these day parties where cigar smoking was up and coming. I hated the cigars he and others would recommend and started to really become intrigued by the culture. I loved the culture. The camaraderie, the brotherhood/sisterhood. The authentic laughter and adults having an amazing time. This was my speed, but I just couldn’t get the excitement of the cigar. So, I researched cigars and started buying them outside of these gatherings. Going to the cigar lounge and trying something new. Chatting with the cigar shop owners to find cigars I would like and love. Once I started to find what worked best for me, I was hooked.

The business side came much later in my cigar journey. I started to become then “go to” amongst friends. I noticed more women were becoming cigar smokers but were not welcomed in this space like men were. I noticed that women were smoking but not understanding what they were smoking (origin, ring gauge, notes, etc.) I would give recommendation to individuals not knowing that this would be “a thing” right? I was just passing along valuable information. The idea of a brand did not come until 2019 when I decided to produce a traveling cigar humidor with a feminine touch.

Three and a half years ago, I started with a single black traveling cigar case. One color, one style, one goal: to make women feel comfortable in their element. Today, I have over five colors and styles to choose from, same goal but we have expanded tremendously on that goal: yes, I still want women to feel comfortable but how do we make that happen with more than just a pretty case to carry your cigars in? Now we provide education and consultations to the ladies who want some guidance on their cigar journey. We offer products to help ease the frustrations with their cigar journey, like our cigar journal.

I want to solve all the problems regarding women and cigars! I know those are big shoes to fill, but you get the idea. I am proud of the brand and where we are headed in the future. I am extremely grateful for all the women and men that believe in the brand and support LVD Lifestyle!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In this industry, face-to-face contact has been the best way for me to gain new clients. The cigar industry is all about conversation and engagement. So, talking to women, answering questions, having conversations, that gives them a sense of trust. Once the consumer trusts you and your product, you have gained a client.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being genuine. For me, it is that simple. I am a genuine person. The conversations and engagement I partake in are not for points or likes or even money. I have passion behind this brand, and I take that very seriously. Reputation is important to me. I have a brand that I truly believe in. I stand behind all our merchandise.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lvdlifestyle.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lvdlifestyle
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/LVDLifestyle
• Other: linktr.ee/lvdlifestyle