Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Uribe.
Hi Joe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It all started by accident back in college 15 years ago with a school project. I needed a velvet backdrop for a part in a commercial we were doing and just couldn’t find anything for sale online. So had my Amazing mother make me a backdrop with fabric I purchased in downtown Los Angeles for about $50. Once we finished using the backdrop for the project, I decided to list it on eBay, and that’s when I realized my small investment in the fabric paid off.
This is when starting the business hit me and decided to work with my mother and make a few more backdrops. They all sold within a few days after listing them and simply just repeated the process for years till my Mother passed on April 2020. That’s when I had to make some drastic decisions on restructuring the business and focusing on selling Textiles only. We recently just closed the curtain manufacturing side of the business. To focus on what will continue to help flourish the business we created together. We all went through some tough times these past 2 years, as my mother really was the cornerstone of our business.
After closing the manufacturing side of the business, it freed up a lot of my time to focus on my passion and recently started a few new online businesses. Which I’m very excited to get working on and build them to become what my textile company has come to be today. All the knowledge I gain running my online textile company has set me up for a great start.
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?
Well having nobody as my mentor or nobody to go to for advice on how to open or go about managing a small business, in the beginning, was a real struggle for me. I actually learn a lot more by reading how-to books, watching Youtube videos, and doing online research about business than I ever did in college, which I actually went for a business degree. I think college gets you ready to work for somebody but doesn’t provide you with the real-world knowledge you need, which is that entrepreneur experience. I didn’t get the experience till I actually dove right in and started my business back in 2011. As I gain more experience in managing my small business day by day, the struggles actually become a lot easier to deal with. If anything, I’m always looking for harder struggles to deal with as this will give me the knowledge to run a successful business.
The biggest of the struggles was the passing of my mother in 2020, as this changed everything, and had to make some drastic changes to our day-to-day business operations. We didn’t have a problem with orders coming in, but keeping up with orders, and having them out in a timely manner. This not only stressed out my staff but it also frustrated our customers, not havng their order on time. As my mother was the one who handled all the manufacturing side of the business and I did all the online side of the business. Now I had to deal with both, which is why I decided to just focus on selling Textiles online only. Made it a lot easier to just close the manufacturing side of the business, not to mention it cut about 85% of the business expenses. We still have our business up and running, but is much more profitable than before. I learned this the hard way and should have made this decision years ago. But hey as the saying goes, “when life gives you lemons you make lemonade”.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lushes Fabrics. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We have recently transitioned from selling curtains to selling fabrics and curtain accessories only. What has made us different from the rest, is the ability to provide our customers with fast turnaround service and free shipping on fabric orders for both our commercial and resident customers. We specialize in velvet fabrics but will soon be adding additional styles of fabrics as well. We will soon provide the largest selection of velvet fabrics online, your one-stop shop for velvet fabrics with an always-increasing inventory.
Our newly updated website will be coming out shortly, which will make it very easy for our customers to navigate and find exactly what they’re looking for, both at retail and wholesale prices.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes, having an online business was very crucial during the pandemic. It helped us stay open and continue our day-to-day business. If we were a local business, I’m sure we wouldn’t have survived. Now and age if you’re business is NOT online, I believe it will be very difficult for a small business to survive. Which I always recommend all small local businesses to also have an online presence. It’s definitely a must.
Contact Info:
- Website: LushesFabrics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lushesfabrics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LushesFabrics
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lushescurtains
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlxBkGYOu0GiBLZRhpQNsQ
- Other: https://lushescurtains.com/blog/
