She’s the boss: The ‘she-conomy’ boom continues with new business growth

CNN Feature: “She’s the Boss”

Marie Saint-Cyr is not only one of the women who pivoted and started a new business during the pandemic; she also sits among the ranks of those who started new enterprises in 2023 — by starting two more businesses.

In the years leading up to the pandemic, the New York-based visual artist worked in an assortment of capacities including freelance muralist and painter, educator and art project coordinator. When the pandemic happened, it provided a moment for her to reflect on what she wanted to do professionally, she said.

In October 2020, when she was teaching minority-owned businesses about how to work with the government, “it opened my eyes,” she said. The next year, she enrolled in nearly a dozen different programs to hone her business acumen, gain sales and marketing expertise and learn technologies.

She took all that knowledge and transformed her Saint-Cyr Art Studio into a full-service mural agency, serving as a project manager for public mural needs at New York City Public Schools and other entities. What was a $50,000 firm in 2020 leapfrogged to $230,000 in 2021 and reached nearly $1 million in revenue in 2022.

The business growth and the community impact garnered her a Young Entrepreneur Award from the US Small Business Administration.

“I had to create a process for myself that allowed me to grow from $50,000 to $1 million,” Saint-Cyr told CNN. “A lot of other people are interested in that process.”

In addition to founding an after-school art program business in 2023, Saint-Cyr is launching a coaching and consulting business to help people conduct business with public entities like the NYC school system.

Full Article:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/economy/sheconomy-women-opening-more-businesses/index.html