Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Latortue.
Hi Melissa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Black Owned South FL was founded in 2019 on a random Saturday morning while trying to search on the internet for black-owned nail salons in Miami. Every search resulted in different salons I patronized however were not black-owned. I gave up on my search and decided something needed to be done. I decided to try social media. This is when the Black Owned South FL Instagram page was created. I realized how there was a lack of exposure for Black-Owned Businesses and wanted to change that. Many times within the Black Community, we only know of Black-owned businesses by word of mouth.
When I created the Instagram page, I knew this would provide a platform where people can find these businesses in one location, support them and let their family and friends know they exist as well.
While the social media pages continue to grow. I knew I could not stop there. April 2021, we hosted our first Black Business and Health Expo in Miami Gardens and plan on hosting more vendor and networking events.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When starting a business, there are always going to be struggles. As you first begin, you have to know that you will be doing majority of the work alone. You will be your own accountant, secretary, etc. The most important part is to continue believing in your vision, remain true to your goals and dreams and work hard on getting past those struggles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Black Owned South FL LLC?
My goal is to always provide support and promotional services to Black Owned Businesses of South Florida. I am proud to see how far I’ve come with this being a vision to now meeting people on the streets stating they’ve heard of my company and/or follow us on Social Media!
While there have been those doing the same before me and will definitely be more after me, we want to be known across South Florida to help provide the exposure these businesses want and need.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The plan with BOSFL is to expand to the entire United States. We hope to host vendor pop-ups/networking events in major cities and create an even larger online directory of Black Businesses.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@blackownedsfl.com
- Website: www.blackownedsfl.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackownedsouthfl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Black-Owned-South-Florida-106176551140511
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/blackownedsfl
Image Credits
The BFCA Experience Rhode 2 Jewels LLC
