BOSS Spotlight Feature: Thereasa Black
What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? You could say that I’m still at the beginning process of starting my business. I’m still having the same problem that I was before, getting my product in front of “the right people.” I want to sell my products in grocery stores and despite the fact that the non-dairy ice cream market is booming and there are almost no players in the oat milk game, I can’t get most people to respond to my emails.
What inspired you to break into your particular industry? The truth, I loved ice cream as a kid. Every science fair, I was making some machine that let me eat tubs of strawberry swirl ice cream, by myself. But when my daughter fell in love with it, I wasn’t happy. I was very strict about her diet and when I deployed, my cousin kind of let go of the reins. So I decided to make healthy ice cream just for her with zero cane sugar and my company was born.
How do you balance your personal and professional life or have you been able to find a balance? There are certain times of the day that are set aside for time with my daughter. After school we go to the playground at least once a week, once a month we go to the library, before she can go and play we go over her new words, practice handwriting, and math, and at dinner, we talk about her day. When I first started out, there was no work-life balance. It took me about six months before I remembered why I started this business. I was so busy trying to build this up so that I’d never have to leave my daughter again that I forgot that I didn’t want to be deployed so that I wouldn’t miss the special moments of my daughter’s life, but I was missing them. I missed Thanksgiving, I missed family beach day, I missed the times that she wanted to play dolls with me… I was right here with her, and I was missing it, so I just made time. If that meant that I had to stay up until 2am working, then that’s what I did.
What is an inspirational quote that you live by? “We can’t control the wind, but we can direct our sails.”
Who is one influential person and/or mentor that has helped or encouraged you along the way? My daughter has been the most influential person on this path. Every night that I put her to bed and she holds my pinky until she falls asleep, every time she tells me that she played gelato shop at recess, and every time she tells me that she tells me how sad she was when I was gone, I know that I have to keep going.
What are your "must-haves" to keep your career or business going strong?
Employees who care about what they are doing are needed in order to keep my business strong.
What is your definition of a BOSS? A BOSS is a person that tells people what to do and knows when to step back and let others stretch their wings.
Provide us with two words that describe you? Two words that describe me are “Unstoppable Mompreneur.”
Learn more about Thereasa at www.amorecongelato.com,
Instagram: @amore_congelato
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