Today we’d like to introduce you to Queen Arlene Banks.
Hi Queen Arlene , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story really started long before I ever sold my first lipstick.
I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so business has always been a part of me. My parents taught me about hard work, resilience, taking pride in what you build, and creating something that can outlive you. My family’s funeral home, Harrison’s Memorial Chapel in Memphis, Tennessee, has been in operation for more than 100 years, so I grew up seeing firsthand what legacy truly looks like.
The idea for Soup Coolers Lipwear by Queen Arlene came to me on April 7, 2017. The name itself is deeply personal. “Soup Coolers” came from something my father would affectionately call my mother’s lips. After losing both of my parents to cancer, I wanted to create something that would keep a piece of them with me while also becoming something uniquely my own.
I officially introduced Soup Coolers Lipwear to the world on June 24, 2019, through social media, and in May 2020 I launched my first collection of 24 shades. I didn’t have a huge investor, celebrity backing, or a giant marketing budget. I had a vision, faith, determination, and a willingness to figure things out as I went.
One of the most meaningful shades in my collection is Adriana Coral, named after my beautiful mother and her fav color. She was a hardworking businesswoman who taught me so much of what I know today. A portion of what I am building with Soup Coolers is also connected to giving back and bringing awareness to cancer, because that part of my story will always be woven into the heart of this brand.
The journey has not been perfect. I’ve experienced seasons where inventory was plentiful and seasons where I had to figure out how I was going to restock. I’ve balanced jobs, family, finances, grief, and real life while still trying to nurture this dream. But one thing I have refused to do is quit.
Today, Soup Coolers is more than lipstick to me. It is confidence, legacy, purpose and proof that you can experience loss without losing your vision. I’ve watched women wear my products, leave five-star reviews on Google, share their photos and tell others about something that once existed only in my imagination. That still amazes me.
And I’m dreaming even bigger now. I see Soup Coolers expanding beyond e-commerce, growing our product line, increasing our charitable impact, and eventually bringing to life my vision for a mobile beauty experience where beauty and confidence can literally come to women.
I’m also stepping more into speaking and sharing my entrepreneurial story because I’ve learned that sometimes your testimony becomes part of your business.
I am still building. I am still learning. I am still becoming.
But when I look at how far Soup Coolers has come from one idea in 2017, I know my parents would be proud.
Their legacy taught me how to build. My journey taught me why I can’t stop. And now I’m building something of my own that I pray will outlive me too.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road, and I think that is part of what makes my journey so meaningful.
One of my biggest struggles has been funding. I have a big vision for Soup Coolers Lipwear, but I haven’t always had big-business resources to match it. There have been times when I’ve had beautiful ideas for marketing, new products and expansion, but simply didn’t have the capital to execute them the way I envisioned. Even today, inventory is one of my biggest challenges. As a small business owner, you can know exactly what needs to be done next and still have to wait until the finances catch up with the vision.
I’ve also had to build while dealing with real life. I’m a wife, a mother, a gig worker helping build other’s businesses, and an entrepreneur. I’ve worked odd jobs to help provide for my family while coming home and still finding the energy to pour into my own dream. There have been moments when I’ve felt exhausted and wondered when I would finally be able to give my business the time and resources I know it deserves.
Grief has also been a major part of my journey. I lost both of my parents to cancer, and they were two of the people who taught me the most about life and business. There are so many milestones I wish I could call them and tell them about. Instead, I’ve learned to turn that pain into purpose. Their influence is woven throughout Soup Coolers, and I carry them with me as I continue building.
Then there is the emotional side of entrepreneurship that people don’t always talk about. You can create something beautiful, post it online, believe wholeheartedly in it and hear crickets. You can watch other brands grow faster and wonder, “God, when is it going to be my turn?” I’ve had to learn not to measure the value of my vision by likes, followers, sales on a particular day, or someone else’s timeline.
But every obstacle has taught me something.
I’ve learned how to market, sell, create content, build a website, advocate for my brand and keep moving even when the money or motivation wasn’t there. Most importantly, I’ve learned that being delayed does not mean being denied.
So no, my road hasn’t been smooth, but I wouldn’t erase the rough parts. They created the woman and CEO I am today. I’m still building, still believing and still betting on Soup Coolers.
I may not have had unlimited resources, but I’ve always had unlimited vision. And as long as I have that, I’m going to keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Founder and CEO of Soup Coolers Lipwear by Queen Arlene, a beauty brand centered around confidence, individuality, purpose and legacy. I specialize in lipwear created for women who understand that sometimes something as simple as putting on the right lipstick can completely change how you feel when you look in the mirror.
I always say that I’m not just selling lipstick. I’m selling a feeling. That moment when a woman puts on a shade, looks at herself and suddenly sits a little taller, smiles a little bigger and remembers exactly who she is. That is what Soup Coolers represents to me.
What makes the brand especially personal is that there is a story behind it. The name “Soup Coolers” came from my father’s affectionate nickname for my mother’s lips (big beautiful lips that can cool off a hot bowl of soup;), so even the name carries a piece of my parents with it. My beautiful mother also inspired Adriana Coral, one of the most meaningful shades in my collection. After losing both of my parents to cancer and watching my mother take her last breath…passing on my father’s birthday, I made the decision that their story would not end with their passing. Their love, entrepreneurial spirit and the lessons they taught me continue through what I am building.
What I am most proud of is that I built this. I didn’t inherit Soup Coolers. I didn’t have a major corporation funding me or a huge team behind the scenes. I took an idea that came to me in 2017, introduced it publicly in 2019 and launched a 24-shade collection in 2020. Since then, real women have purchased my products to the point of selling OUT, worn my shades, posted their pictures, recommended the brand and left five-star reviews on Google. Knowing that something that once existed only in my mind is now sitting on women’s vanities is an accomplishment I will never take lightly.
I am also proud that I have continued building through seasons when it would have been easier to stop. Entrepreneurship can look glamorous on social media, but behind my brand have been sacrifices, working odd jobs, funding the business between myself and my amazing husband, managing inventory, learning new skills and figuring things out when I didn’t have all the answers. Soup Coolers is still here because I am still here.
What sets me apart is the heart behind what I do. There are many beautiful lipstick brands in the world, and I respect that. I don’t believe I have to diminish another woman’s brand to make mine shine. There is room for all of us. What I can say is that nobody else has my story, my parents, my journey, my purpose or my vision, and that authenticity is something that cannot be duplicated.
My vision also extends beyond the lipstick tube. I want Soup Coolers to become a nationally, even globally recognized beauty brand, expand our giving toward cancer-related causes, create experiences that make women feel beautiful and confident, and eventually bring my vision for a mobile beauty experience to life, where we can literally take beauty and confidence on the road.
And now I’m beginning to use my voice in another way through speaking and sharing my entrepreneurial journey. I want another woman who may not have the funding, connections or perfect circumstances to look at my story and think, “If Queen Arlene kept going, maybe I can keep going too.”
At the end of the day, lipstick is the product, but legacy is the business I’m really building.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is family, faith, purpose, and leaving something meaningful behind.
Losing both of my parents to cancer at ages 55 and 60 taught me very early that life is precious and time is something we can never get back. My parents left me with so much more than material things. They left me love, memories, business knowledge, resilience, and an understanding of what legacy really means.
I grew up watching my family build something that lasted for generations through Harrison’s Memorial Chapel in Memphis that is still up and running by my handsome baby brother Jerry M. Harrison. That showed me that what you create today can still be serving people long after you’re gone. Now, as a wife, mother, and entrepreneur, I think about that differently. I want my son and future generations of my family to be able to look at what I built and say, “She created something that mattered.”
That is also why the cancer mission behind Soup Coolers is so important to me. Cancer took two of the most important people in my life, but I refuse to allow their story to end there. As this company grows, one of my greatest desires is to increase what we are able to give back to cancer-related causes and hopefully bring a little light to families walking through some of the same darkness my family experienced.
My faith matters tremendously to me as well. There have been seasons when I couldn’t see how everything was going to come together, but I kept believing, praying, working and moving forward. I have learned that sometimes faith isn’t having all the answers. Sometimes it’s simply having enough courage to take the next step.
And finally, people matter to me. I want women to feel beautiful. I want people who hear my story to feel encouraged. I want the customer who buys one lipstick to know that her purchase is connected to something much bigger than makeup.
I absolutely want Soup Coolers to become a multi million-dollar brand. I’m not afraid to say that anymore. But I don’t want to build a multi million-dollar business that has a $0 impact.
I want success that means something.
When everything is said and done, I want to know that I loved my family well, honored my parents, used the gifts God gave me, helped somebody along the way, and left this world with more in it than I found.
That’s what matters most to me. That’s my why.
Thank you all for the support. Now, watch God work!
Pricing:
- Luxury Soup Coolers Lipwear shades – $29.99 each
- Shop Online: SoupCoolers.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soupcoolers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soupcoolerslipwear/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576559862888
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soup-coolers-lipwear-by-the-queen-arlene-428641368/
