From Side Hustle to Main Hustle

Evenings used to enter the silence of my home with the sunset on the horizon. A stillness in the home after a long day of work for all inside. On occasion, the echoes of my mother’s charisma resonated down the hall. Chatting with her clients on the phone, you could hear the beginning of promising sales with the dial of a number. 

Before quarantine, my mother worked as a teaching assistant at a local preschool. She spent most of her day at school and rested in the evenings. She was quite popular with the students who often brought her gifts and tokens of appreciation. The kids loved her! When she arrived home, without wasting a second, she would spend her downtime visiting her loyal clients to offer them the latest items for sale. Showing off her luxurious perfumes and skincare items, customers could not resist! 

Back to Business! A trip to Rockaway, Queens, NY, after a false positive!

My mother often shares with me countless stories of her early exposure to business. As a young girl, she observed her mother selling delicious delicacies to support the family. She created a takeout business from her home, where workers would easily pick up the meal of the day. Cars would line up down the block to receive their warm plates from my mother and her sisters. Assisting her mother in sales, while absorbing all her knowledge, my mother understood the independence of entrepreneurship from a young age. She loved the thrill and reward. 

Growing up in El Salvador in the 1980s, during the civil war, my mother's family grappled with financial hardship. Her brothers and sisters often picked up side hustles to help make ends meet. Together they all made enough to eat for the week. My mother's love for business was shaped by these early lessons of perseverance. It's no surprise that her response was instinctive when the fear of struggle arose again with COVID.

In Queens, NY my aunt tries on my mother’s merchandise, while my mom readies the next item to sell.

When the coronavirus began affecting New Jersey, my mother and father lost their primary source of income. As essential workers, their work could not continue operating under new social distancing regulations. My father’s construction projects halted and my mother’s classrooms closed. However, my mother saw an opportunity! 

After months of being laid off from work, my mother recalls a late night in May when that would change. "I stayed up thinking about my business. How I've always loved clothes and knowing what people want. I thought to myself, I need to find a place to buy clothes wholesale, I need to get back to selling." She searched through the internet's realms and found a Colombian company where she could buy clothes in bulk and make a high return! She found a niche and ordered her first batch. Although she worried about exposure to clients during home visits, who were also essential workers, she took a chance! I asked if it was worth the risk and she said, "The business has been rewarding, a lot of my clients don't know how to shop online or simply don't trust it. I had a lot of items collecting dust months ago that have now sold out! Thank God." 

The brightest days during cloudy prospects. My mother flipping pages of a Colombian catalog magazines awaiting COVID19 test results.

My mother showing off her merchandise. A stretch for a nice tight fit.

My mother packing away the reminder of her apparel. Success is found in the small sales, too.

Social distancing has provided an increased demand for online shopping. My mother's business takes it to a more personal level. She gets to know her clients and delivers their packages. Her clothing samples provide people with the familiarity of dressing rooms within the comfort of their own homes. To her loyal customers, my mother is their hype woman, their honest critic, their salesperson, and their friend. "People have really loved it! I am very grateful to God for always having my back. The business is going better than I expected," she says after a long day of home visits.

I asked about her motivation and she replied, "It's my passion, and I don't plan to give it up. The important thing for me is to keep making extra cash so I can take care of our family. When you have a business, you never have a lack of money in your bag." My mother's words reflect the fear of many parents who understand the hardships of poverty. 

Supported by the divine! My mother’s first sales after weeks of quarantine.

Despite the challenge of our current moment, my mother's fighting spirit was not defeated. Even when she suspected she might have coronavirus, she didn’t let that stop her from calling her clients to check in. She reflects, "I am a woman of faith. Even when I had a scare of my own with coronavirus, I never stopped connecting with my clients, updating them on my recovery. I told myself I will survive this." When we learned that it was a false positive, we were incredibly relieved. She hopped right back without missing a beat. 

My mother's triumph is just one of the many current stories of perseverance and self-defined success during the pandemic. Offering a form of retail therapy to her friends during social distancing, my mother's pocket of victory was a miracle born of necessity.

Pa’delante no matter what. My mother waiting outside our family's house for a visit. She brings her merchandise wherever there is a chance to sell!