We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kavita “Vee” Parsan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Vee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

A defining moment for me was having my son. Before him, I would of never pushed myself to be a business owner. I was comfortable. After having my son, I was stuck in a place where I needed more income. Empress Lashes was perfect because throughout the years my son has went to many events with me. He is my biggest blessing and little business partner!

Vee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Vee, and I have always been that makeup girl. Started in my teens and eventually into womanhood. I wore false lashes most my life and they were always the dramatic ones, lol. When I decided to sell lashes, everyone said that definitely makes sense! I started out with more dramatic lashes at first. Over time I saw that I needed to please natural lash lovers as well and expanded to an array of lashes, all shapes and sizes. Along the way, I began to add lash glue, accessories, make up brushes, sunglasses, and my newest little venture, small clutches.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Something I had to unlearn was thinking that all businesses want to support you. I had an event to vend at in my county. I usually travel to do vending events to get my brand out there. This time I chose to stay local and do an event where I live. It was a “Juneteenth Celebration” event and it was outdoor. The week of the event, the weather stated it would have severe thunderstorms the day of the event. The business owners never contacted the vendors about possibly postponing the event. This to me, would have been an option that shows that you truly cared about the people that payed to support your event. Instead they let the event play out. The day of the event, I set up and was only able to vend for 30 minutes before tents were flying in the air. Rain poured down on my products. I had damaged inventory and property. In the 5 years that I have owned my business, this was the 1st event that I was livid about. I contacted my bank to do a charge back and their response was horrible. They did not care that I was upset or about my business, anyone’s business really. They were money hungry and only cared about themselves. They never tried to right their wrongs and placed the blame on the weather. They would not take accountability with the community and do the right thing. Now I have to read the fine print with vending events. Do detailed research on them, ask other vendors about their customer service, and make sure all of my i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Well because of the “Juneteenth Celebration” fiasco, it put me in a bad mental place for a bit. I was so upset that there are such cruel people in the world, I got discouraged and did not want to stay in business. The thought that I could invest into another event and get taken advantage of like that did not sit well with me. It takes a lot to physically and mentally prepare for these events. 10 times out of 10 I had work the night before, so I’m running on maybe 2 hours of sleep. The physical labor of packing and unpacking, then having to jump right into mommy mode after is draining. After a couple months, I screwed my head back on and rejuvenated my mind. Business is always going to be a win or lose situation. Every loss is not a fail, it’s a lesson. You have to flip the negatives into positives and keep it pushing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.empresslashes.net
• Instagram: @empress_lashesinc