Community Highlights: Meet Lorenzo Carson of CG Essentials

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorenzo Carson.

Hi Lorenzo, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
So basically my business partner and I were working as plumbers in Northern California and we would talk all the time about business ideas and our kids. One day a few years later, he came to visit me here in Phoenix and we really sat down and came up with a business plan that would allow us to spend more time with our children and be our own bosses.

Not long after he left I was scrolling through Instagram and an ad popped up on my timeline to start an LLC it immediately caught my attention and I clicked it. Before I knew it, we were business owners! I had filled everything out and paid to legally file the business through the state of Arizona and it was honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I feel like a lot of times people have these great ideas and they never take that leap of faith.

It’s so much easier to play it safe but much more rewarding when You take risks that can set the tone for generational wealth. So after I got the business registered we knew it was no turning back we’re really business owners now and we always looked at it like our kids are depending on the success of the business so that really gave us all the motivation we needed.

We sent out emails, made phone calls, and would even DM as many pages as we could to get the ball rolling, and eventually, the business took on a life of its own.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely hasn’t been easy.

One of the main struggles I feel like we’ve had is with patience. We know the potential the brand has and we know where we can take it but especially just starting out sometimes it’s hard to get other people to see the same potential you see at first so there’s a lot of unanswered emails and ignored phone calls.

Working with the influencers sometimes can be a challenge with just differences in opinions and sometimes the urgency to promote the collab products are just way off. Last but not least is the scheduling. A lot of people think being your own boss will free up your schedule but it’s quite the opposite.

The work is never done when you’re trying to build a business but luckily for us, we get a rush from closing deals and accomplishing new goals so it’s kind of a win/win.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
CG Essentials is a black-owned business specializing in self-care products for men and women. Working as plumbers was a dirty job and it was just always a breath of fresh air to get ourselves cleaned up at the end of the day or end of the workweek, that’s when I felt best! So we wanted to create something that could give everyone that feeling all the time.

We have these grooming kits that come with brushes, fragrances, nail clippers, etc that can be used at home and on the go. We’re known for doing collab products with notable influencers. Right now, we have a fragrance out with Judi from the show “Bad girls club” and “Baddies ATL” as well as an Edge control with Sara Molina and her and Tekashi 6ix9ines daughter Saraiyah. We have a few other Collabs in the works for 2022 and we plan to go bigger and bigger every time we close a new deal.

I think one thing that sets us apart from most small businesses is honestly the drive and consistency. We explore new ways to level up on a daily basis and we never let the bad discourage us nor do we let the good go to our heads. There are always different ways to improve and no matter how much success we ever reach we will always strive to tap into that next level. One thing I’m most proud with the brand is how much it inspired close friends and family.

I feel like it showed people that anything is possible when you bet on yourself. I’ve had 3 other friends and family members launch businesses since launching CG Essentials and knowing that we helped other people take that leap of faith is one of my biggest accomplishments. I hope they all succeed

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Consistency and confidence are key. We promoted our brand like it was a multi-million dollar empire before we even made one sale.

You can’t expect anyone else to believe in your product if you’re not talking about it like it’s the best thing on the market. Consistency is big too! You might not be able to convince potential customers to shop with you right away but that second or third time you pop up on their timeline might do the trick.

Get your brand in front of as many people as possible at all times. If you keep knocking on doors eventually someone will open up and let you in and I feel like it just gets easier and easier over time with the more you get under your belt as a business.

Contact Info:

• Email: admin@cg-essentials.com
• Website: cg-essentials.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cgessentials_?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/cgesntls/

Image Credits
@tunalunaa