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

Hi Lysz, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

At first I had lost my job and had no idea what I was going to do with my time and for income. However, I’ve always wanted to be a crystal lady. I love to travel and visit shops. I’ve done so over the years but never saw anyone prior to 2020 who looked like me in these wellness spaces. As a Afrolatine woman, I know that my community could use added care and wellness.

By 2020, I had been on my own journey to holistic wellness. I learned what the lack of wellness can do. It affects the body and mind adversely and it’s a symbiotic. So, I asked myself why not become who I said I wanted to be all those years ago?

First, I started doing research on how to begin sourcing crystals, using articles, revisiting shops, and watching YouTube videos. Eventually I got my answers and I decided to started small. I got very excited when a friend of mine started supporting some of my endeavors and we would source crystals together. I first built my Shopify and got really great results. I had no idea if my intention would come across.

I started Astrolyszics because I want Black and brown folks to have safe spaces where we can learn, experience, and expand what wellness & spirituality can mean to us with tools from the earth.

The more I discussed this idea the more it felt right. I have multiple friends who were interested in stones and I think when I really knew that I was onto something was when I started doing pop-ups and talking to those that I want to serve in the community and being able to explain and teach some folks what is the point of crystals and energy and vibrations. In the beginning it felt overwhelming to start this business. But with each person that found me either through social media, word of mouth, or in person events who’ve led to long-term relationships with supports of my business who I call Astrofam! I know that I’m gradually reaching my community.

During the pandemic, I have been allowed to reach across physical spaces and create virtual spaces that include more folks that would’ve never been able to connect with. With each conversation about Astrolyszics I becomes more confident that I am on the right track. I also connected my shop to a Black owned market place called Miiriya which has helped me connect to the community that I wish to serve. I am very excited to expand my services versus products and wish to create more opportunities for conversations to keep the vibration going. Currently Astrolyszics provides crystals, Incense, indie tarot & Black owned tarot decks, astrology and tarot readings.

I love to keep learning, teaching, and hoping that wellness reaches everyone especially those in marginalized communities that need it the most.

Lysz, 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?

I am a multi passionate creative, writer, author, workshop facilitator, podcaster, and your resident crystal lady! My greatest motivator is creative healing and curating safe spaces. I am of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent. I want folks to know that wellness is for everyone and that the magic is within them. I provide tools to further amplify healing and get support from the Earth and the universe that is already within your reach.

Each stone and service is here and available for wellness asked self learning. In marginalized communities, we have a little access to be able to rest and mindfulness & self-care from the inside out.

For me, crystals are part of lifelong learning of how to surrender and connect to the universe, how to manifest and become a little more mystical in how I view hope.

If anyone is unsure of where to begin I have a curation service where we can discuss what you’re looking for or what certain things mean and I can put a kit together. You can also search within the website and see our large selection of crystals and spiritual wellness tools, like incense and tarot.

I hope by being a safe space for energetic wellness folks can feel like it is within their reach especially those Black and brown folks where maybe this isn’t the norm.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

I had lost my job due to Covid and this is where I first created a Shopify. I am also a writer and multi passionate creative so I wanted to start building a merch shop and I also host a podcast called Creatively Exposed and my first attempt at creating a store and creating emerged. It didn’t get too far and so that’s when I really sat with myself clarifying instead of the sole focus of making money, what is something that I could do long-term and that would keep me going? Merch isFun to create but it doesn’t feel like it was for fully authentic. This is when I go to Astrolyszics. I’ve also been studying astrology for years and wanted to combine my journey with crystals and wellness with the study. So after your months of crickets for my merch portion I pivoted into selling crystals and growing the business even further.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I believe what supports my growth strategy is sincerity and consistency. Social media is a very useful tool. I think the biggest support has been in connecting with market places like the Miiriya app that is always in need of mural support to keep it going and helping Black businesses grow. As well as going to the community you wish to serve: being in events and showing up allows connecting with likeminded & curious folks. Being in community with other small businesses as well as those looking for wellness tools have really built an Astrolyszics community.

Creating useful content for folks to learn on their own as well as letting people know that I am knowledgeable and intentional about my work leading to cross connections are vital. Packaging & making sure that orders are presentable to reflect we are celebrating someone’s evolution versus only making money off of people. Letting them know hey I’m here if you have questions or need guidance in regards to your journey. I hope to also be able to grow further into small scale business support of my items as well pop-ups really think that everyone should use the places they know that they can be at their highest energetic level and favorite version of social media instead of doing all of them. Grow one thing at a time but never underestimate the power of a personal connection and communication.

Contact Info:

• Website: Astrolyszics.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/crystals.tarot.astrolysz
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Astrolyszics
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC_RbaykkWslPic57xf8a_qA
• Other: Tiktok : @astrolyszics

Image Credits
@houseward