Meet Belinda Gest | Lawyer, Educator and Serial Entrepreneur

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

Hi Belinda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

The thought process started decades ago. I have always known that I would choose my own journey and that it would include the freedom to be an entrepreneur. I like to dance to the beat of my own drum, just like my father.

My daddy was a serial entrepreneur. After Vietnam, he got his real estate license, owned a bar, a thrift store, a farmers market and a security shop. He kept food on the table working as police officer until he retired. Despite his best efforts, none of those ventures garnered him the success he envisioned. However, after retirement, he used his pension to purchase 8 homes. He lived in one and renovated most of them to provide affordable housing. Finally- success. But he died 9 years into his journey.

My serial entrepreneur journey started as a kid. My brothers and I sold plants from my parents porch, I offered tutoring services to neighborhood kids, and in college, I sold my clothes from the dorm. Nonetheless, I too joined the rat race after earning a Bachelors degree in communication, a Masters degree in education and a Doctorate degree in Law. But like daddy, I worked full-time, got my real estate license, started a law firm, wrote a children’s book, and got my teaching license in government, history, economics and geography. I am my fathers child! But in 2020, Gracious Graphix Design Studio was born. Only this time – I let God order my steps. His thought process became my thought process and He showed me how to move with passion, purpose and patience.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Creating unique designs that speak to my faith, family and freedom is always on my mind, but learning to be successful keeps me busier than anything else. Professionally, I am very opinionated—-about everything. That is probably why I pursued law and education related careers. I can say what I want, and persuade others to follow my lead while teaching about the theory behind what I’m saying. But, I also use my style of dress to express my thoughts and opinions. I like to wear clothes that say something without having to say anything. In court, I was known for wearing the opposite of what was expected. After a few years of wearing the lawyer dress code, I began to don African prints, peculiar plaids with loafers and unique hosiery. Gracious Graphix was born out of a similar narrative—Designs that say something without having to say anything, while actually saying a lot. But I learned that with business nothing is that simple. Trying to marry my vision with the traditional business models proved very challenging.

I was all over the place and had so many interests that I found it extremely difficult to create a niche that was targeted to one group. I wanted to weave all three of my passions into a brand that offered the possibility of loving one thing and embracing another. It wasn’t easy because it’s like bucking the system which is not unusual for me of course, but in this journey I wasn’t sure how to do it. I knew I had great ideas, but I just couldn’t figure out how to find the people that I knew would love the our creations. Even now, I am still trying to determine what is the best way to target those folks. I will never forget how much I loved Gloria Vanderbilt jeans as a teenager. Although, I don’t know why I loved them because there was nothing special about those jeans. No shade, but Gloria had an awesome strategy that included $$$$, a targeted advertising campaign and a celebrity cast of models who put those jeans on the map. Now how does a little startup with no money, advertising campaign, or even a target audience succeed? Passion. Perseverance. Patience. Prayer. People skills. I have them all, but my lack of patience keeps me up at night. I didn’t anticipate the time it would take to get people to know and love Gracious Graphix. I wanted fast results and wanted to do it my way. It’s tough because I’m not trained in business, so I enrolled in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program at Cornell University. I have learned so much about personal readiness, growth leadership and product development. It is a grind to keep up with the requirements, but it has been an invaluable experience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Oh that’s hard because I’m a history buff, I love God, art, sports and shopping but if you’re visiting my hometown in the Cleveland area for the best time ever, we would visit:

1. Cleveland Art Museum.

2. Cleveland Natural History Museum.

3. Coventry Village Shopping Center constructed around 1913-1933-for the hippy, boho, artsy, musical folks. Compared to Greenwich Village in NYC. Many shops for vintage stuff and just a cool Vibe.

4. John D. Rockefeller’s summer playground- Forest Hills Park a 700 acre stretch of land he purchased in 1873 and later donated to the city of East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

5. In downtown Cleveland, Ohio let’s visit: The Cuyahoga County Courthouse is a historical gem completed in 1906 and houses marble columns/staircase, stain glassed windows and is ornamented with sculptures representing historic lawmakers. Throughout the area, there are even bronze statutes of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton at the entrance, a statute of Moses holding the Ten Commandments, and King Alfred the Great, as well as, statutes of Abraham Lincoln, Jesse Owens and Jim Brown.

6. The Historic Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre for a play -the oldest producing African American theatre in the nation-founded in 1915 where all races and religions could enjoy the arts. Langston Hughes was one of its most famous playwrights. It’s an awesome place to experience black culture.

7.The House of Blues for a gospel concert and a soulful brunch.

8. Church at New Community Bible Fellowship in Cleveland Heights. My church home since 2004 for a Bible-based word of God adventure.

9. Legacy Village and Pinecrest are great for food, fun and shopping and outdoor music and art shows are popular in the summer.

10.Cleveland has great sports venues so catching a Cavs or Browns game is definitely happening during the visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to God for putting the ideas in me to create what my heart desires. Shoutout to my daddy for cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit in me. Shoutout to my mommy for always being in my corner no matter what new journey I was on. Shoutout to my husband for putting up with my numerous career changes and being patient while I spent $$$$ on my dreams. Shoutout to my daughters for sitting in the library for hours and hours while I studied and listening to me pitch my newest ideas. Shoutout to Black Enterprise magazine for putting black entrepreneurs in the spotlight while teaching us how it’s done and being present in my living room growing up. Special Shoutout to Nikiiyah Gest at Mahoganee Art for her artistry and perseverance.

Website: www.graciousgraphix.com

Instagram: @graciousgraphix