Monica Coleman is the owner of Stanley’s Cigar Lounge in Atlanta. Coleman talked to rolling out about what inspired her to open the lounge, what motivates her to keep going, and what’s next for her business.
What inspired you to get into the cigar business?
Stanley is actually my grandfather. He was the first entrepreneur in my family, probably about 50 or so years ago in Memphis, Tennessee. He never really got a chance to get his business off the ground the way that he would have wanted to, because of all types of obstacles at that time. For me, naming the business after him was paying homage to my family history and legacy.
Within that same family history from my older brother and my cousins, I was introduced to cigar smoking about 12 years ago. There’s so many people that are like, ‘I didn’t even know that you smoke.’ Part of that was because it was such a stigma about women and who enjoys the cigars and who smoked them. When this opportunity became available, I was like, “wow, an opportunity to merge something that I love with experiences that hopefully, people will love to create.”
How important is Black female representation in a male-dominated industry like the cigar business?
It’s crucial to the economic growth and development of the Black community for us to be able to continue to identify opportunities and to recycle dollars amongst ourselves that create wealth, and to be able to share knowledge.
I think we’re spoiled in Atlanta, because there are so many entrepreneurs here, that for a lot of us, it’s just commonplace, and you can probably name five women off the top of your head who own businesses who have amazing brands or businesses. It’s such a blessing to be part of people, hopefully thinking about things differently, especially for Black women, in spaces that may be male-dominated, or that may or may not traditionally be welcoming.
What are three tips you would give to Black women looking to start a business?
First, heal internally. There’s a lot of trauma for many of us who were in the corporate world, or just being a Black woman in general. For a long time, the narrative was if you work somewhere and it’s another Black girl, only one of y’all is going to be able to win. You have to understand that when people say that business isn’t personal, that’s not true.
Two, I would say understand what kind of currency and capital you have. That’s not just financial, but that’s human capital. People who are part of your life, who will be willing to help you, in the initial stage of whatever you’re trying to do, that’s community capital.
Three, enjoy yourself. If you go home at night and you feel empty and broken, and you don’t have good friendships or family relationships, none of that other stuff matters.
