ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Latosha Boadu says starting her own business has made her truly happy, but her journey hasn’t been an easy one.
Now she shares how she managed to stay open when the cards were stacked against her.
“The usual nine-to-five was not for me. I had children, they were sick, and I needed a foundation that could help people and help myself.” said Latosha Boadu, owner of Oya’s Market.
Boadu left the medical field a few years ago to become his own boss.
“Often we don’t have a safe place to explore spirituality, so it was my dream to have a shop where people could feel comfortable and learn how to explore spirituality.” Boadu.
She will open her first shop as ABQ Apotheosis in 2021. Business was booming as people discovered her shop, but after a massive flood, everything came to a halt.
“It’s been about five months since we had to close that shop. Wasn’t it hard to start over?” “We lost a lot of inventory, lost a lot of products and customers.”
She was put back into her ‘normal’ job, which she was unable to do. That’s when she found Albuquerque’s “BLESS” foundation, run by Jay Wilson, and received a grant to reopen.
“It’s a lot different than trying to apply for a business loan or business grant. No one would want to give you that chance,” Boadue said.
But the BLESS Foundation did it, and the grant allowed her to start over.
Boadou says it’s been an uphill battle, but she’s not going to change that.
“Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, follow your dreams, no matter how many times people say, ‘Oh no, that’s ridiculous,'” Boadu said.
Boadu says he was also able to create a website to attract more customers that way.
