Meet Teresa Brown | Small Business Owner | LEISURE & JOIE

We had the good fortune of connecting with Teresa Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Teresa, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I’m so grateful for the chance to catch up with the Shoutout LA team again!

Thank you for allowing me to return to your platform and share a little more about myself and my small business with your community. Okay – so let’s get to it!

Yes, I am only one person but I believe that shouldn’t limit me from doing what I can to ensure, my platform (online shop, LEISURE & JOIE) gives back and makes a difference in our community.

Small actions add up and collectively can make a big difference!

I am grateful that, along with the continued support of our patrons, a portion of our annual sales go toward the support of the legal work from the ACLU FOUNDATION 501©(3), as well as, a toward The Stripe Climate Initiative that funds projects to offset our carbon footprint. Additionally, two trees are also planted per each order received with the help of The Eden Reforestation Project.

The name of our shop, reflects the importance of living life at a slower pace and making time to breathe easy, while enjoying those small moments in the everyday. In this day and age, it seems an increasingly more difficult task to incorporate stillness into our days.

Visit our shop and explore our practical curation of goods. Our products make excellent gifts year-round.

Give a thoughtful gift to yourself or someone else while joining us in supporting organizations we believe align with our, and hopefully, your values.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a 100% self-funded business, it’s in my best interest to continue my “hybrid” existence as a 9-5 employee managing operations for another small business in an entirely unrelated field, for as long as it makes sense.

As I grow my small business I am grateful that my 9-5 has afforded me (surprisingly) a lot of flexibility and the means with which to run my own operations – both of which are crucial and extremely helpful to me as a small business owner.

I think my “take ownership” of everything I do/get involved with (is this a thing? Lol) is one of the things that sets me apart from others.

If my “name” is on it, I want to give it my all. I have always been this way – when I work/worked for others and the way I show up for myself in my own business.

Getting to where I am today, I believe stems from a series of serendipitous experiences.

I know I have a long way to go to achieving all of my goals, but I acknowledge I have come a long way from when this business was just an idea in my mind. An idea that came from the “death” of one business and it’s “transformation” into another.

I wanted a new venture, one that could essentially “live online”, (LITERALLY versus in person – like my old wedding/event business), yet maintain the same “spirit”.

Through that transformative experience, LEISURE & JOIE came to be.

I want the world to know that my shop is for anyone wanting to find a little peace, calm, and beauty.

The world can be a tough place but it is important to be reminded that ease and self-care deserve space in your life.

I invite anyone who agrees, to check us out, and share with other like-minded people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well my best friend definitely wouldn’t expect me to take them to anything crazy like the Hollywood Walk of Fame or a sporting event – ha! I would have to just drop them off if they wanted to do that.

The vibe would definitely be more chill filled with experiences typically centered around food and drink.

A “fancy” dinner at the likes of say, Dante, in Beverly Hills would be good to start off. They’d HAVE to experience Bestia, Bavel, or BOTH for dinner – because AMAZING.

Definitely a day time hang at The Rooftop by JG (Jean Georges) in BH. An afternoon at The Broad/The Getty Villa is a requirement.

A chill hang at a cool little neighborhood bar I know called, Good Neighbor Bar in Altadena! The beach (Venice/Santa Monica) for sure with stops at King Taco and In & Out during their stay!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are two special people I would specifically like to dedicate this shoutout to… my nieces.

I truly believe they saved my life to a degree.

I have made it a mission in life to encourage them to be themselves, dream big, and not feel limited by their current circumstances.

I strive to be the person for them that I wish I had growing up.

It is super cute (and also very heartwarming for me to experience) how they get excited about anything good that happens for me and my business.

I want them to have the mindset that they can bring their ideas to life, as well as, nurture those ideas and watch them take shape in “real” life.

I can’t wait to see all the good things they do in the world!

Website: https://www.leisureandjoie.com

Instagram: @shop.leisureandjoie

Other: Support small business! Thank you!

Image Credits
TRYWELL SUPPLEMENTS with vendor permission

LOFTIE CLOCK with vendor permission