How local entrepreneurs use home-based models as a springboard for growth

Cyerrah Chavez has always loved coffee — quite literally.

She remembers drinking it as a toddler sitting at the family table with her five siblings and grandmother, an avid coffee drinker who raised the kids while Chavez’s mother worked full time.

Chavez’s grandmother passed along more than just the coffee bug. She is Chavez’s inspiration for her home-based business, She’Brews Coffee Co., which sells handcrafted teas, energy drinks, sodas, lemonades and coffees — the last of which earned her grandmother’s seal of approval before she died in December.

“If you made a coffee that my grandmother approved, you knew that you were good at it,” Chavez said.

Chavez is one of several local entrepreneurs whose place of business isn’t a brick-and-mortar storefront — it’s their home.

Business license data from the city of Albuquerque shows that the Duke City currently has 7,509 home-based businesses, all of which must comply with standards outlined in the Integrated Development Ordinance and the Business License Ordinance, according to Planning Department spokesperson Tim Walsh.

Using social media and the proper business licensing and food-handling certifications, these home-based entrepreneurs are able to pursue their passions while raising and providing for their families.

She’Brews — a name inspired by her grandmother’s faith and favorite book of the Bible, Hebrews — isn’t Chavez’s first home-based business, nor was it the plan when she first graduated high school.

She entered college to become a teacher but changed course to attend Paul Mitchell’s beauty school in Albuquerque, eventually running her own salon for a year before closing it in 2022 when she became pregnant.

“But when I closed (the salon), I knew that I still wanted to be a business owner and an entrepreneur,” Chavez said.

The inspiration to start a home-based business came from a trip to Las Cruces, where she saw a vendor at a local flea market selling lemonade out of a camper trailer.

“I had something similar to that sitting in my yard. For years, we were using it as storage,” Chavez said. “So when I came home, I was like, ‘I’m taking that storage and I’m going to use it as my business to bring in money for my family.’”

Chavez launched the venture with a business partner in 2023, initially calling it The Loaded Lemon. The business became successful, with its $6 to $10 toasted marshmallow, brown sugar and white chocolate raspberry espressos gaining popularity. But she and the business partner “parted ways very suddenly” in November, resulting in the loss of her trailer, she said.

Chavez is in the process of getting back in the saddle. She’s converting a horse trailer into a mobile trailer and is securing all new permits for her coffee-centered business, which she wanted to dedicate to her grandmother and serve as an example for her daughter.

“I know that my daughter — she’s watching me right now and she’s going to see that I lost something but I didn’t let it break me,” Chavez said. “And that it’s not a story of loss and defeat; it’s actually a story of redemption and rebuilding.”

Chavez is currently selling only her energy drinks because they’re not temperature-controlled. She’s hoping to fully launch the She’Brews business venture with her new trailer and full menu in April.

Chavez had to get another work-from-home job to support her family in the meantime, but she plans to make a full-time commitment to She’Brews when the trailer and permits are ready.

“I have a small army behind me that supports me,” Chavez said, “and I wouldn’t be able to do it without the people who are supporting me as a full-time mom, full-time worker trying to get my business back out there.”

Like Chavez, community and family are the motivation for Marianna Corral, another Albuquerque entrepreneur running her certified business operation from home.

“(My son) really was my inspiration, because even just having one kid is very expensive — and he’s a little shopper too,” Corral said with a laugh. “I also just really wanted to be an entrepreneur.”

Corral’s home-based business, Mari’s Sticky Treats, was built on trends and any gooey treat that makes someone stop their TikTok or Instagram scrolling to say, “Wow, that looks good.” The first trend she experimented with was candied grapes in 2022, when she was working as a home health aide for her grandmother.

“I had seen them on TikTok,” Corral said. “I thought maybe I could make them, so I bought everything I needed, did my research off TikTok and then went from there.”

She started offering the treat through social media and it sold well. With a newborn baby at her freshly purchased home, she realized the side hustle could serve as an extra source of income and comfort.

“It really did help us out a lot and continues to help us,” Corral said.

Corral made and sold strawberry, red velvet and Dubai chocolate brownies before she started concentrating on and offering specialty coffees about three months ago.

“The trending things slow down. They don’t go forever, but the iced coffee — a lot of girls and people in general, any time of day, will drink coffee,” Corral said.

The beverage focus paid off, bringing in about 30 orders per day, Corral said. Some of her most popular flavors are caramel, chocolate-covered strawberry, banana pudding, Biscoff and Dubai chocolate, which she also sells for $6 to $10.

Social media is the primary vessel through which both Corral and Chavez conduct and build their businesses. They each have business profiles on Instagram and TikTok, where they post menus, new products, work schedules and deals.

“Without social media, I probably would not have a business,” Corral said.

Chavez agreed.

“Social media can be such a powerful tool,” Chavez said. “The more I share my story, the more people are interested, and I think that’s definitely opened my eyes to how important it is to be real with people and honest about the journey.”

Because of their strong social media presence, partnerships with influencers and other businesses are also a tool the two use to expand their reach and gain exposure that leads to other opportunities, such as catering requests and mentorship from veteran business owners.

While the home-based model has provided convenience and flexibility, both Corral and Chavez view it as ultimately a stepping stone for future business ventures.

Corral’s goal is to save up enough money to start a mobile food and beverage truck business, while Chavez wants to open her own coffee shop one day. Funnily enough, the two entrepreneurs think the future ventures will create less work and more time to spend with their families.

“I used to joke with my family that I quit my 8-to-5 but then I opened my business and now I’m on the clock 24/7,” Chavez said.

Corral agreed — adding she also struggles to separate work from personal time — but said the grateful texts and support outweigh the challenges.

For Chavez, the reward is the satisfaction of building something from the ground up and providing for her daughter.

“My mom was a single mom with six kids and she had to work three jobs at times, so we watched my mom work herself like crazy to provide for her family, and I don’t want to continue in that pattern,” Chavez said. “I have an army behind me, and starting a business — it really brings your family together. They show up for you.”

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.