Meet Enrico Moses of Zen House LA in West LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Enrico Moses.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My journey started in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Growing up as a multi-racial man (Black, Native American, Jewish) I had a unique way of seeing the world around me. At the age of five, I realized that I didn’t have the same ease of checking some of the boxes that the people around me were checking. The reason I begin my story this way is that this had a profound impact on how I saw the world and myself. At this age of 5, I created what I like to call a healthy-internal-dialog, much of which was constantly questioning the way things are, or at least appear to be. I learned at that early age that a lot of people were more concerned with those checkboxes: race, religion, orientation, etc.; than they were about who the person actually was underneath those boxes.

The moment everything shifted for me was the first time I ever heard Hip Hop. It was the first time I finally felt aligned with something true. I may not be able to identify myself racially but one thing I knew for certain is that I was 100% Hip Hop. My life was greatly impacted by artists like Jay-Z, Nas, 2 Pac, Biggie, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, RZA, The Whole Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Outkast, Goodie Mobb, EPMD, Redman, Common, De La Soul, Timberland, Missy Elliot. These artists informed me into worlds of Fashion, Art, Science, Community, Mathematics, Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Leadership, Technology, Luxury, Automobiles, Travel, Entertainment, Books, Writing, DJing, MCing and more. These worlds gave me a deeper understanding of America and the World. To me, it gave me an honest look into our society without sugar-coating everything, which is exactly how I like it.

At the age of 15, I started my entrepreneurial journey by throwing my own parties, DJing, and charging for ticket sales. This was something that I did for fun, I didn’t expect to make much money off of it. I figured it just seemed like the logical next step since I was always used to throwing parties for all my friends. This went on until I left high school for college. Even though I loved throwing parties, there was something I loved even more than that, especially at that time… this was fashion. I’ve known since I was a young child that fashion was more than just an interest of mine. It’s something that I have always gravitated towards since a super young age. I would ask for nothing but clothes when it came time for birthdays and any other gifts coming in. That was always an opportunity to get fresh. Which is how I liked it.

Since I loved fashion, I decided to study apparel design while in college. This was where I learned a lot about textiles and the more technical side of the fashion industry. While studying apparel design, I started taking some retail classes at the suggestion of my counselor. She was absolutely right, I fell deeply into learning more and more about the business side of fashion. There was something about retail that felt natural to me. So, while I was studying I started working at different stores, learning more about the business. In my junior year, I invested some money and paid a roommate of mine who was studying graphic design to whip up some designs. These designs eventually became the start of a t-shirt line that I got printed up called Big Faces. This first batch of t-shirts sold out in a matter of days. I was kinda shocked. I took about $300 and turned it into about $750 selling t-shirts in a couple of days. I repeated this process a couple of times and I knew I was on to something. That summer, I opened a kiosk at a mall near where I grew up to test out my t-shirt brand in the local market. I had about three months off of school and it seemed like a better idea than getting a summer job. So I opened up and started selling and I kept selling out. After three months at the kiosk, there was really no more inventory space for new shirts.

When I realized how much money I was making during those three months, I realized I was already making more money then if I was to graduate college and get a job. So, I decided to drop out of school continuing with the business, to see where it would take me next. I ran the kiosk for a couple more months and eventually moved into a 1,100 square foot boutique across the hall from where the kiosk was. This store, called Big Faces was where I learned a lot about business. I was fortunate to have some amazing employees and customers who made the whole experience of owning Big Faces something that I will never forget. Each day the community came to buy music, magazines, DVDs, concert tickets, clothes, accessories and a lot of times came just to connect and see what was going on. When the recession came in 2009, I saw it was time to close the store and start the next chapter of my life.

This is when I moved to Los Angeles, with the intention of opening up my next store in Los Angeles, I moved LA to check out where would be the best location for the store. When I got to LA, I quickly learned where I wanted to put my store and the amount of investment I was going to need for my down payment and remodel was too far apart. So, I realized it was time to learn more about the fashion industry and to get deeper and more involved in any way that I could. I worked at a showroom downtown as a sales rep for a couple of different menswear brands, this leads me to take a brand management position down in Orange County for a small apparel company and moved out of LA for a couple of months. This is where a business partner and I launched our new digital property called Fashion Deep.

While we were working on Fashion Deep, which was a fashion blog about the fashion industry, we discussed this in-depth database that I built out over the years and we both decided that this database was actually pretty valuable and that it would make some sense to create a paywall around it and charge people to get access to it. This idea snowballed into what eventually a company that we founded called FIDOO, Fashion Information Distribution Organized Online. We created a centralized place where people can access all of the world’s information about fashion companies. We worked with some awesome partners including Refinery 29, Beach Mint, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Project Las Vegas, Urban Outfitters, and many others. In 2014 after a decision to leave that company, I helped my current partner, Mary Vallarta, start a fashion consulting firm called FAB Counsel (Fashion and Business Counsel). She worked for Macy’s, BCBG, and Metro Park as a buyer. So, our combined expertise allowed us to take on several great clients in the fashion startup, retail, and manufacturing space.

In 2016, we created a cannabis arm of the firm by the name of High Standards Agency, this allowed us to expand past just our fashion clients and to now help cannabis companies use the same branding and marketing techniques that the fashion industry has perfected for years. This allowed us to work with some of California’s top companies, brands, and experts in the cannabis industry. I currently still consult with cannabis companies and brands in fashion, tech, wellness, and entertainment.

My professional track has been very much integrated with my spiritual and mental wellness pursuit since 2013 when I joined the Mankind Project. I immediately fell in love with the work that was being done within the project and started volunteering and leading workshops while learning more about how my emotional well-being was not as strong as I wanted it to be.

This passion for this type of work leads me to be elected in 2014 onto the Los Angeles Council as the Multicultural Chair Representative. My goal has always been to bring more diversity inside of The Mankind Project to get more people involved in this type of work. My focus on multiculturalism created a new vision to start doing this work with women involved since the Mankind Project is a man focused organization. Since that time, I have integrated what I have learned at MKP along with pieces of training at Insight Seminars and Non-Violent Communication workshops into a new social enterprise called the Zen House. The inception and belief behind Zen House are – we believe Entrepreneurial, Leaders, and Creatives are looking for a place to come and connect on a deeper level. We give them an opportunity to be seen, to be heard, to listen, and to connect. In a time where so many people wear masks, we create a powerful space to be your true-authentic-self. You can find out more at ZenHouse.LA

I utilize my teaching from this organization to help fuel all of my other creative and business projects. I believe that in today’s environment it’s important to build off of the skills we have but to also truly be inspired by what we are working on. My inspiration as a creative and a founder has come from a lot of people within the Hip Hop community. I think Hip Hop is one of the leading cultures in the world for some key principles that I use in my life. Principles such as the remix… where you take something that already existed and flip it in a new way. I love to think about business in this way. To take something that is obviously working and to make it new and unique. I love how Virgil Abloh does that in what he creates. My view is that we are entering a whole new era of creativity and business. A lot of the old rules were created in the old paradigm, they are not going to work in the new paradigm. It’s beautiful to me how quickly social media has changed the landscape of business forever.

With all of this energy, I create music with a creative partner of mine Douglas who goes by the artist’s name of Thghtwork. We put out an album called The Mountaintop that is a part of a trilogy set. We are currently working on the second album of the trilogy called Days of The Desert. Creating music and playing music is something I’ve been doing since I was a child playing the saxophone and DJing parties by age 15. I still DJ all around LA at private events, parties, corporate clients, weddings, and venues/nightclubs with the company Endless Sounds & Entertainment.

Over the years, I’ve met so many dope people doing incredible things. I’m truly inspired by all of them. My foundation is built from my family- my mother and father who’ve I’ve learned so much from, my brother and sister who are two of my favorite people in the whole world, my partner Mary, whom I’m blessed to share my life with. I’m so so grateful for my two awesome children, Rumi and Enriqo, they both teach me so much about life, love, and patience. I want to thank my community of people from all over the globe, specifically in LA and Minnesota. I truly believe it takes a village to raise oil society. We all learn from each other. With that being said if you e read all the way to the end; thank you. My message to the world is to add more love to your life and to the world.

Great, 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?
There have been roadblocks and challenges.

I try to look at the world through the lens of solutions.

What I’ve learned is that compassion is key to myself and everyone around me. No matter what I’m going through or what’s happening in the world, I know the way that I want to show up is with compassion.
I look at things I’ve done that were “mistakes” or “failures” more as lessons.

There are people in my life who are no longer as much a part of my journey, but I’m grateful to everyone who’s crossed my path. I think it’s important to learn from everyone and to realize that we are all trying our best to survive and fulfill our needs.

My struggles have consisted of me not understanding these principles and/or forgetting them at certain times.

Please tell us about Zen House LA.
Zen House LA is more than just a company to me. It’s a community of leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are interested in learning how to find more balance and joy in their life. The company is the foundation for this community to grow and sustain it into more members and teachers.

We look at mental awareness and emotional intelligence as a muscle that we can learn to stretch and bend in ways that result in a happier and more fulfilled life.

We have a practice called Zen Circles which allows our members to check in with themselves and the group in a way that fosters authenticity and connection. The leader of the circle gives clear guidance on how the circle is run and leads the participants in a 4 step process that builds trust, creates strength, inspires growth, and brings closure. Each circle lasts anywhere from 2 to 3 hours an avg. We have hosted hundreds of these circles over the past three years. Now, since about six months ago, we have created a brand and company around the Zen Circle concept and have launched by leading popups across the Los Angeles area: including Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and DTLA (Arts District).

Our next steps are to continue hosting pop-ups Zen Circle events around LA, along with our Digital Zen Circles that are accessible from anywhere in the world with good wifi. We are excited to be on track to open our flagship Zen House LA location at the end of 2020.

What sets us apart is how we integrate many different learnings/principles/teachings to give our members something familiar but at the same time very unique and special.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Going camping with my family and a ton of our family friends during Memorial Day Weekend.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.zenhouse.la
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: zenhouse.la

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Check out the VoyageLA Podcast: