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Small Brand|June 1, 2023

Celebrating Pride Month

Saluting LGBTQ+ business leaders in our Pay It Forward community.

Pride month graphic

To celebrate Pride Month, we’re spotlighting five business leaders and entrepreneurs from our “Pay It Forward” program whose accomplishments and contributions have made a positive impact on their communities.

Read more about these inspiring leaders below.

Florida Boy Skincare

Florida Boy Skincare, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, is dedicated to helping people feel confident and comfortable in their own skin. The business specializes in custom skincare treatments, including waxes, exfoliations, facials, and muscle wraps, that run the gamut from grooming to pampering.

Owner Rico Coar and his staff are firmly committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. “We believe that diversity and inclusivity are essential to building strong and thriving communities, and we are proud to support and give back to the LGBTQ+ community in a variety of ways,” says Coar. Florida Boy Skincare promotes other small, locally-owned businesses, donates community service hours to local nonprofits, and partners with local LGBTQ+ organizations, donating profits to support their important work while providing job opportunities to LGBTQ+ individuals.

florida boy website

Through many years of hard work and determination, Coar built Florida Boy Skincare into the thriving business it is today. “Overnight success is a myth,” Coar warns. “Keep in mind that success in business is a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. “It takes time and effort to build a successful and sustainable business.”

Rico Coar

Owner of Florida Boy Skincare 

Visit the website →

Luminary Electrical

Luminary Electrical is a New York State Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise-certified and master-licensed electrical contracting company that performs both commercial and industrial electrical work in Syracuse, New York. With more than 15 years of experience in the electrical trade, Luminary Electrical owner Shawni Davis advocates for apprenticeships and career paths in the skilled trades and regularly speaks to adults and grade school students about the many possibilities skilled trades offer.

Thanks to the success of Luminary Electrical, Davis is regularly able to donate to school fundraising efforts and lends her expertise and business resources to construction projects for the benefit of the community, including recently helping to construct a local food pantry. While enjoying the many fruits of her labor today, Davis says her career has been a story of dedication. “I did not have the option to be mediocre,” she said. “I was not always the best, but I worked hard to be the best anyhow.”

luminary website

And Davis’ advice for business owners just starting out? “Be prepared to work harder and longer hours than you’ve ever had working for someone else,” she says. “Starting out, the success of your business is solely your responsibility.”

Shawni Davis

Owner of Luminary Electrical

Visit the website →

Urban Buds

The South St. Louis Missouri farmstead Urban Buds grows high-quality flowers for all of life’s special occasions. From the beginning, founders Mimo Davis and Miranda Duschack have revitalized the formerly abandoned farming property into a thriving florist shop.

Davis and Duschack have made Urban Buds a vital part of the community. Both have been heavily involved in the farming community as a part of local research agricultural research councils and farming committees and have consulted on farm policy and urban development.

Today, Urban Buds help to beautify their neighborhood by planting in the alleyways and curbside so residents and passersby can enjoy the blooms. They also provide educational programming and run tours of the farm where they grow their lovely flowers.

urban buds website

Davis’ advice for first-time business owners just starting out? “Start small,” she says. “Give yourself grace and know that you will kill some plants.”

Karen (Mimo) Davis and Miranda Duschack

Co-owners of Urban Buds

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Head & Heart Chiropractic

Head & Heart Chiropractic is a chiropractic practice that provides safe and effective body adjustments in Dallas, Texas. Owner Dr. Kenneth Leu has made it his mission to promote the health benefits of chiropractic services with quality care to the wider community.

In addition to providing chiropractic care, Dr. Leu volunteers his services and time in the local community and abroad. From serving on multiple chambers of commerce to participating in canned food drives and providing Chiropractic services to residents of Haiti’s underprivileged Ouanaminthe community, Dr. Leu is always lending a helping hand where needed.

head and heart website

For business owners just starting out, Dr. Leu offers the following advice. “Don’t be scared. But if you are, let that fuel the fire to success,” he says, “It takes time and effort to grow anything that lasts.”

Dr. Kenneth Leu

Owner of Head & Heart Chiropractic

Visit the website →

About Pay It Forward

 

Since launching “Pay It Forward” in 2021, Spectrum Reach has invested more than $45 million in advertising and resources to help multicultural businesses, and by the end of this year’s initiative will have helped over 2,000 multicultural business owners prosper in 36 states across our footprint.

Through Pay it Forward, local businesses receive critical support to help their business thrive, including free advertising and creative services, mentoring and educational resources.

Visit Spectrum Reach's Pay It Forward →