Meet Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, founder of Chillhouse.
BuzzFeed spoke with Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, who talked about what it's like running a Latina-owned business and her advice for those wanting to start their own business in the future.
When it comes to Cyndi's views and experience in running a Latina-owned business, she said, "All I have ever known about Latinos/Latinas is that they're hard workers, passionate, and are people pleasers."
"While the brand itself doesn't lean on my personal heritage (self-care is our core culture), I'd like to think that my personal background — my mom being a Latina business owner with a medi-spa in Jackson Heights, and being born and raised in a predominantly Latin community — allows for me to see the bigger picture."
Cyndi said that while plenty of businesses have had to backpedal because of their oversights on inclusion, she and Chillhouse have not had to think about that because it is naturally engrained in her.
Cyndi's inspiration comes from wanting to introduce self-care services that were attainable in NYC.
"Before Chillhouse, we felt a great divide in price points and brand in the spa world."
Cyndi said the options were "either a high-end, tip-toey environment or a low-brow, seedy experience with price points that were uncomfortably low."
"We knew there was an opportunity to create something that sat in the middle and provided a new experience that New Yorkers desperately needed."
"We play instrumental hip-hop in our massage & facial rooms."
She concluded, "We are cheeky with our brand voice and we are not afraid to host a big party — back when we were allowed to!"
Cyndi gave some advice when it comes to future Latina/Latinx businesses and entrepreneurs, saying, "your heritage is your secret sauce."
Stating how grateful she is for her community, Cyndi added "One of my biggest milestones ever was because of a Latina writer at Vogue who fought hard to get us our flagship launch feature."
In regards to COVID-19 and how she and her husband, Adam James Fulton, have handled everything, she said, "in a way, the pandemic was the great reset."
"It forced my husband/partner and I to slow down and regroup on what motivates us as founders. We never, ever, ever could have predicted the year ahead and luckily, everyone is super understanding of that fact."
She said that the word "pivoting" can sometimes be thought of as a dirty word "as if your business is failing in some way."
"While I definitely resent COVID-19, as a business owner, I'm learning to embrace the upside of it all."
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