Lexi Allen, a Stellar Award-nominated gospel music artist, has always had faith, but she took it to the next level years ago when God told her to quit her job and start her makeup line, G.E.A.T. Allen encourages others to embrace the good and the bad about themselves and fix it to the best of their ability to create better opportunities for their lives.
What made you want to pursue entrepreneurship?
I honestly didn’t see my life going this way. I come from a family of the most non-exciting people. We are regimented; we are routine. Coming from an educated family, my mom, her brother, her sister, and her other sister all being educated and here I am, out of the box, taking risks. They took risks in education, but they had a trajectory. I always feel like I’m living life by the seat of my pants, but the Bible says, “The just shall live by faith.” That’s something that is required of the believer. Some people’s faith is at 20%, and he’s got me at a cool 99.9% on faith all the time, and that sometimes is exhausting. Because when things are great, they’re great. When things aren’t so great, they’re not so great. That’s the name of the game. So when you win at it, everybody says, “Oh, my God, she’s a genius,” but very few people talk about the downside when it’s not doing so well because no one wants to celebrate that.
What led you to start your makeup line?
I’ve always loved makeup. I never would have left my job if God [didn’t tell] me to. All I heard was two words and it was “Time’s up.” I also heard him say, “Get your things together; start making a savings account.” I’m like, “Well, when am I supposed to leave? When am I supposed to go?” One thing I know about God, if you don’t do what He tells you to do, he’ll make sure that you do what He tells you to do.
I was a brand ambassador for a couple of makeup companies because I support Black businesses. So I was helping them out and helping them sell their brands, and I just started looking into selling my own. It’s been three and a half years now but back in the day when I didn’t care to be 100% entrepreneur, I had started a hair company, and it was blazing, but I had a job at the same time. I was singing, and I had albums out. I did that for a few years and everybody was buying hair from me. Yolanda Adams was buying hair from me and Lil Mo was buying hair from me. I had the best hair. People were buying the hair and the company was doing well and then I got out of it. Now I’m about to relaunch it because I’m like, “That did well let me just get back into it.” That’s what I’ve been in the middle of.
