As a person with a disability, Vincent Cuccia found it hard to get work. So he started his own business. 10 years later, Planet Pepper has a mind of it’s own.
WHAT LED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
I’m disabled and found it hard to get full time work, so I started my own business. I also felt I knew what I was doing and could be a better manager than those I’d worked for, but there was no way to prove it. That also motivated me. I was willing to take the blame or credit no matter what the results were.
WHAT DOES BEING A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER MEAN TO YOU?
I love owning my own business. I feel so independent and proud. I feel that owning a small business adds to your credibility as a person. One’s credibility is the most important quality to cultivate, because if you lack credibility, you lack trust.
WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS UNIQUE?
Planet Pepper is unique in so many ways. We make hip and butt pads for cis gender and trans gender women, cross dressers and drag queens. We don’t make enhancers; we make pads. We insert the pads into shorts, pants or skirts. They pull up easy and you have an instant figure. Nobody really does that. We offer excellent customer service and quality products. This is what makes us unique, too, because many small business owners don’t understand how to make quality products and offer good customer service.
We’re also gay-owned. In fact, I love to tell people that we’re so gay that we’re the gayest company there is! My husband, Alex, and I make a great team. I know so many artists and designers who tell him, “I need a Vinnie in my life.” Alex designs the products and I deal with the customers and marketing. He doesn’t let me near the pads or the cutting table and I don’t let him near the customers or our social media.
WHAT'S A SMALL BUSINESS TRICK YOU’VE DISCOVERED THAT HELPS YOU BE SUCCESSFUL?
The most important and valuable trick I’ve learned is to step out of the way. Planet Pepper is over 10 years old. We’ve survived so long because I trust the company – it’s taken on a life of its own and has it’s own rhythm. So many times I want to say the company must do this or we should do that according to the books I’ve read, but those ideas don’t work. Planet Pepper is like our child. You need to take care of it like a baby, but as it grows, you need to let it makes its own decisions.
