Regions Foundation Community Partnership: Something Sew Right
Discover how Regions Foundation and PeopleFund collaborated to empower an entrepreneur to seamlessly make her mark.
By Kim Borges
Some people have a personal champion. Lilye Lavender has an entire cheer block.
“My maternal grandmother told me, ‘You’re the American dream we came here for; you’re my American dream,’” said Lavender.
Other members of the entrepreneur’s pep squad? Lavender’s paternal grandmother, her parents – and the latest addition, PeopleFund small-business advisor Anthony Lopez.
The two met in August when Lavender, the founder and head drapery fabricator of Laveña Luxe Interiors in Austin, Texas, began PeopleFund’s Small Business Accelerator Program. The nonprofit’s eight-week program, which supports under-resourced entrepreneurs across the Lone Star State, is open to everyone. The Regions Foundation, a nonprofit primarily funded by Regions Bank, is a longtime PeopleFund community partner.
“PeopleFund empowers entrepreneurs with valuable business insights and the confidence to start, scale and grow their companies,” said Marta Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation. “The Small Business Accelerator Program’s impact extends beyond providing tools, resources and support; it creates a road map allowing small-business owners to chart their own path to success.”
During each Small Business Accelerator cohort, Lopez personally coaches students like Lavender on marketing, strategic growth, access to capital and more. Lavender, who initially invested her own funds to get Laveña Luxe off the ground, discovered the PeopleFund program online and applied to help scale her company.
The Small Business Accelerator Program’s impact extends beyond providing tools, resources and support; it creates a road map allowing small-business owners to chart their own path to success.
Marta Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation
“Once you start a sewing business, you need machines, you need equipment,” explained Lavender, who makes drapes, shades, pillows, cushions and light upholstery and works directly with interior designers. “You can’t make drapes if you don’t have the right tools. I knew I had a good plan; I just needed more machines.”
Lavender’s introduction to sewing came early.
“Both of my grandmothers sewed their own clothes,” she said. “They showed me how to hand sew pants. Early on, I was awful at it; but I always had an interest.”
Lavender’s family also inspired her work ethic and small-business passion.
“My maternal grandparents came to the U.S. from Mexico a year before I was born,” she said. “I’ve always seen their hustle. I also received a lot of guidance from my parents, who ran a restaurant. My dad still owns two convenience stores. I’ve tried to learn from everyone’s experience.”
After graduating from Texas State University with a degree in Psychology, Lavender worked for six years in the corporate world – six long years.
“I dreaded waking up every day,” she said. “I just never felt like I had something to show for the work I was doing.”
I wanted to learn sewing from the ground up.
Lilye Lavender, owner of Laveña Luxe Interiors
In 2020, Lavender began sewing and selling custom facemasks to help meet the pandemic need. With demand skyrocketing for her unique designs from social media posts and knowing she wanted to pursue a small-business path, Lavender enrolled in fashion school in 2021.
“I wanted to learn sewing from the ground up,” she said.
In March 2023, Lavender launched Laveña Luxe, renovating her garage into a full sewing studio and becoming fully operational in just two months. She hasn’t stopped sewing since.
“There are a lot of late nights,” Lavender said. “There are so many people moving to Austin, business is absolutely booming in this space.”
So much so, a key area Lopez has helped her with is one you might not expect.
“Lilye’s strong understanding of her business model meant we could explore the greatest risk for her business, which is having too much growth too quickly,” said Lopez. “We’ve discussed growing her business organically; she understands the risk of rapid growth.”
Anthony taught me knowing my numbers matters. He’s encouraged me to pay attention to where I was making money, understanding my hourly rate and the nitty gritty details.
Lilye Lavender
That’s just the beginning of what Lavender has learned from Lopez.
“Anthony is such a numbers guy in the way he looks at businesses, but he’s also creative in seeing what makes them special,” she said. “He’s really got an eye for both. Anthony taught me knowing my numbers matters. He’s encouraged me to pay attention to where I was making money, understanding my hourly rate and the nitty gritty details.”
Lavender also appreciates the broader business perspective PeopleFund’s classes provide.
“There were so many things that opened my eyes,” she said. “The presenters were able to talk on a level we all understood and did an amazing job of making sure everyone’s questions were answered. I was surprised at how much information they were able to cram into each two-hour session. No time was ever wasted. I got everything I wanted out of this program – and more.”
Lavender, now a Small Business Accelerator Program alumna, will continue to work with Lopez regularly the next two to three years. She knows the connection will continue to pay dividends for her and for Laveña Luxe.
“We’ve got to keep up with each other even after that,” Lavender said. “Anthony was just the perfect person to come into my world for this. I’m so glad I was paired with him.”
Meet more PeopleFund entrepreneurs who have worked with Anthony Lopez:
About Regions Foundation:
The Alabama-based Region Foundation supports community investments that positively impact communities served by Regions Bank. The Foundation engages in a grantmaking program focused on priorities including economic and community development; education and workforce readiness; and financial wellness. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation funded primarily through contributions from Regions Bank. To learn more about the Regions Foundation visit www.regions.com/foundation.
About PeopleFund
PeopleFund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, an SBA lender and the managing member of the Veteran Loan Fund. Established in 1994, PeopleFund has 30 years of experience helping thousands on the path to financial security. PeopleFund programs support entrepreneurs from all backgrounds with the capital, training and resources needed to grow healthy small businesses. Since inception, PeopleFund has delivered over $236 million in financial assistance to over 5,640 small businesses and $187 million in New Market Tax Credit allocations that attracted $812 million in investments — putting the direct impact in the Texas economy as surpassing $1 billion. PeopleFund has also helped create and retain 24,000 jobs and delivered over 200,000 hours of business education. To learn more about PeopleFund please visit peoplefund.org.
