LeZo Spotlight: "Not every disappointment is a disappointment"

This is the first of the LeZo Spotlight – a series of features highlighting and celebrating black success stories out of Guyana, in honour of the new Wakanada Forever movie, and the upcoming LeZo Eccentric Afrobeats Party. These stories are intended to inspire others and promote a narrative that allows for a shift in mindset.

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We’ve seen, heard and read many success stories of businesses that started from nothing and grew into mega companies. These kinds of stories are always inspiring, especially when it hits close to home.

One such story is that of Christophe Enzo, former national cyclist and owner of LeZo Vacations & Logistics. Henry Ward Beecher said it best, “One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments” – few words with profound meaning, that pretty much sums up the story of this successful Guyanese businessman.

10 years ago, Enzo sat in what he presumed was doom and gloom, devastated over the decision of the Olympic Association in Guyana to remove his name from the sponsored list of athletes who would represent Guyana at the Commonwealth Games that year, due to lack of funds.

In an exclusive interview, Enzo shared his riveting story.

“When I was selected, I was excited and motivated about going to the Commonwealth games. At that time, I was working in Anguilla as a procurement officer with a company that managed villas. I was so excited, I left my job and returned home to prepare for the games. I went and got my US Visa, and had everything set. About four or five days before leaving for the games, I was told that the Olympic Association ran out of funds and they would only be able to pay for three persons instead of four. And sadly, I was the person they said they couldn’t pay for. At that moment I cried, I held so steadfast to that cycling dream, that I shifted everything in my life to accommodate it – I ate, slept and dreamt bikes,” he said.

To have invested so much, and made the sacrifices Enzo made to follow his dream of representing Guyana at the Commonwealth Games, anyone would find this to be one of the greatest disappointments. However, it was a blessing in disguise for the former athlete. Had it not been for that turn in events 10 years ago, he would not have known how big a success story he would be today.

“After I did not make it to the games, I stayed home, cried, watched it on TV, and on that said day, August 1st, 10 years ago, I started my own business – Lezo Logistics. Tying my cycling passion with creating a new path for myself.

With cycling, the parts that you had to get were very hard to accumulate and it was also very expensive. So I sat and figured out ways to get it cheap and then how to ship it cheap. That’s how Lezo logistics started,” he shared.

By this time, he had already kissed the cycling dreams goodbye, and channeled all his focus and energy to building a new life for himself, after obstructing everything for cycling.

“In the beginning, my company started with reaching out to every possible friend I know, who usually travels to the US, and I would ask them to bring back packages for me, and I built my name and brand from there and later I started shipping with an actual airline. The rest is history. I worked and built and expanded the Lezo brand, because I became adamant about elevating myself in this country. There have been a lot of trials altogether, you know being young and black and trying to be successful in Guyana is one of the hardest things you can do. But I did it. Now I’m working assiduously for my next move to be owning my own cargo plane,” Enzo disclosed

In addition to the online shopping, the LeZo brand has now extended to include Apartment Rentals, Transportation, Brokerage Services, Procurement, Construction, Vehicle Rentals, and Consulting – Relocation General Services.

The growth over the years that led him to where he is today, made him realise that the Commonwealth Games 10 years ago was not his path.

“My biggest takeaway from my life experience is that not every disappointment is a disappointment. A disappointment is what has me here today. And while we may all have a passion, an important question to ask yourself is, ‘does it feed you?’ Whatever your passion is, it has to be able to pay you. You have to be ready and willing to put in the work for it to pay you. Sleep when you can sleep, but don’t sleep when you’re tired. Utilise the time that you have to get what you need done. Today, I’m basking in accomplishments that came after many sleepless nights, many sacrifices, many trials. But today I’m able to celebrate growth, celebrate black excellence and relish in the fact that as a young African-Guyanese man, I was able to do this, and I hope others can be inspired and know that they can do it to.”

The 10th anniversary was celebrated with an Afrobeats themed party at Outside Lounge on August 1st. Scores of people came out to celebrate the momentous occasion, well dressed in their African print attires. Enzo said the theme was intentional as he wanted to drive home the significance of August 1st to him, and to all Afro-Guyanese.