Small Business Success Story

Dr. Bexi Lobo’s New Directory Showcases Businesses Owned by People Living with Hidden Disabilities 

Learn how her work with Sacramento Valley SBDC has elevated her entrepreneurial journey 

For Dr. Bexi Lobo, founder of Bexi’s Bespoke Revitalisation, everything about her business journey is intentional. Having been diagnosed with Sjogrens (pronounced SHOW-grins), an autoimmune disease that causes dysautonomia and affects the body’s glands leading to severe dryness of the skin, among other symptoms, working a nine-to-five office job proved to be untenable. Looking to build a career that would allow her to accommodate the dynamic needs of her disability, leverage her training in nutritional biology and biochemistry, and bring healing to others with experiences similar to hers, she founded Bexi’s Bespoke Revitalisation. Now, as she continues to grow her clientele, she is also helping other disabled entrepreneurs gain visibility with HIDDEN, the Hidden Illness & Disability Directory of Entrepreneurs & Nurturers, for disabled business owners to showcase their products and services.  

INTENTIONAL HEALING (AND BRANDING)  

Working one-on-one with clients, Bexi creates skincare products from high-quality whole foods and natural ingredients designed to revitalize severely dry skin and to help clients reconnect with their bodies by caring for their skin. Just as her journey into entrepreneurship was an intentional choice that would allow her a flexible lifestyle, she also carefully chose her business name.  

Bexi chose Bespoke because her products are not just existing offerings customized for each customer; clients receive solutions tailor-made for their unique biology and needs. Likewise, she chose to focus on Revitalisation, “to impart new life and fresh vigor”, rather than rejuvenation, “making someone look young again”, an unrealistic and unsustainable goal contrary to Bexi’s mission of helping clients connect to themselves by rejecting the beauty industry’s artificial and unsustainable “ideals” of youth and perfection.

HIDDEN No More

As a scientist living with a hidden disability, Bexi’s goal is to empower other patients to get the care they need from a healthcare system that often denies their experiences. As a business owner, her vision is to provide options for healing outside of that system, and to build a community of entrepreneurs and nurturers who share the experience of living with hidden disabilities. 

After receiving her Sjogren’s diagnosis, a process wherein she had to advocate for herself to doctors who did not take her symptoms seriously, Bexi began volunteering with Sjogren’s Advocate. As a writer and editor, she provides resources to help others navigate the healthcare system and receive the treatment they need. “I was wondering, how can I raise awareness and speak out and educate people?” she explains. “How can I maximize what I’m doing to make the most impact?”  This line of questioning, and her driving philosophy that all life is connected in micro and macroscopic ways, led Bexi to create HIDDEN.  

“HIDDEN is a way to achieve interconnectedness on another level; it’s a win-win,” Bexi says, explaining that her goal is to create a platform for customers and entrepreneurs with invisible disabilities to connect, while raising awareness about hidden disabilities for the general public. “The business owners win, the people who need services win, and people who need a cause to support win, too. It’s a one-stop-shop. It strengthens communities overall.”  

To be listed in the directory, business owners can fill out Bexi’s brief application on her website.  

LEVERAGING SACRAMENTO VALLEY SBDC RESOURCES 

After Bexi’s Bespoke Revitalisation was up and running, Bexi received assistance from Sacramento Valley SBDC to help formalize her strategies and better understand her financials. “I was searching for advisors who would see my vision and understand where I’m coming from,” says Bexi, explaining that other mentors had advised her to use lower quality ingredients and packaging to save money. “I was searching for a woman advisor who might be more in tune with what I’m trying to do: solve problems for my customers, not just sell luxury skincare.” 

At Sacramento Valley SBDC, she found the inclusive, holistic support she sought. In addition to receiving one-on-one sessions with business advisor Panda Morgan, Bexi also joined the inaugural cohort of the Women and Numbers Financial Management series.  

“The workshop highlighted for me the parts of finance and accounting that I’m weak at and need more help with. It helped me identify those and find solutions,” she says of the four-part course. “It gave me a map: this is what the overarching structure of your finances should look like. These are the things you should be watching out for.” 

Women and Numbers was an iteration of Sacramento Valley SBDC’s regular Financial Management Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo, designed for female-identifying entrepreneurs to understand their finances in an honest and empowering space. “It was helpful to be in an all-woman environment,” explains Bexi, adding that talking about money was not something she learned growing up. “One of my weaknesses is that I find talking numbers and money intimidating…It’s a cultural thing.” 

With ongoing support from Sacramento Valley SBDC, Bexi will be poised to expand her operations and, more importantly, her impact.