From a Hobby to a Successful Business: A Chat With Nyah Beauty’s Founder
La Shonda has always been creative ever since being a child. In her adult years, she used candle making and soap making as creative therapy during her career as a banker. With encouragement from her mother, her soap making hobby turned into a business. Eighteen years later, Nyah Beauty is a Black-owned business that sells handcrafted and plant-based skincare options that are free of detergents, phthalates, and other irritating ingredients. La Shonda’s priority is to create a variety of options that cleanse, moisturize, and nourish the body so that the body can flourish.
La Shonda also offers soap-making classes, private label products, and donates to local, non-profit organizations that serve the homeless community.
We had the opportunity to personally speak with La Shonda about her journey with Nyah Beauty!
Describe your day as a business owner.
My phone is always right next to me. I’m always just checking my email and looking to see what orders have come in. I use Shopify so they always send me a notification of any orders. Initially, checking emails first thing in the morning sets my day. It lets me know If I have orders that need to get out or if products need to be made. My morning may also consist of meetings and then picking up supplies and heading into the studio to get started on either shipping, making my products, social media, or working on the operational side of things.
How has your business impacted the community?
I host classes. Similar to my collaboration with Makerhoods, one of the classes is more of a social experience to have fun. It's a DIY. It's kind of like a paint night, but with soap. You can make it whatever you want to make it. I had a couple that came in last week that made it their date night. They brought salami, cheese, and crackers. Then they get to meet some other people that they never met before. I think it helps the community in the aspect that because we're so caught up in our technology, we don't always really get to know people or meet new people it really helps get to know others because we're caught up in social media and the persona that people put up but that may not necessarily be who they are.
How has Covid-19 affected your business?
Because the governor kept reducing the number of people that could be in a group, every day that number was changing. Eventually, I finally came to the point where I was going to stop classes because I didn’t want to be at risk and I didn’t want to put anyone else at risk. So, classes went to a screeching halt. I also do some private label manufacturing or wholesale so that also went to a screeching halt because those companies had to determine their pivots and some clients’ events were getting canceled and had to figure out how they were going to sell their products. I also make bath bombs for Westin and didn’t hear from them for a while. I really had to push my product line because that was all I had at that moment. I really had to focus on my email list and just reaching out to family and friends. I came up with a Germ Attack Pack that was focused on washing your hands. It was 6 bars of soup at the price of five. So, they got a little break for buying the pack and I created the link, sent it to my family and friends, and asked them to support my business because people were actually really concerned about local business.
Recently you were featured in an article for Elle Magazine for being one of thirteen must shop Black-Owned Soap Companies - congratulations! Can you share your experience?
I actually didn't know about it. A friend of mine sent me the link and for an article about 13 Black-owned soap companies so I wanted to see if I recognized any businesses on the list. Then I asked myself, “Well, am I in here? Am I on this list?” I kept scrolling and checked them out. I was at #12 and wondered who would #13 and that’s when I saw my business. I made the list. It was phenomenal because it's a major magazine. I just started receiving orders from there. Shopify tells me the conversion and where the purchaser clicked on the link. I actually had one come in from Illinois that was over $200! Overall, I was really surprised and shocked because being in a big magazine has been one of my affirmations and I would love to be in a magazine like Essence.
How did you get started? What was the hardest thing for you to get started with your business?
Well, my business started off as a hobby and creative therapy, I was working in banking and I’ve always been creative so I made my way to soap-making and candle-making. The candles weren’t coming out as planned but in the craft store, right next to candle supplies was soap supplies. I started making soap and giving them out. The one main person who told me to make them more was my mother because she told me her skin didn’t itch after she took a bath. Something in her soap irritated her skin. I’m not sure what in particular was causing the itching but the ingredients in my soap weren’t so that is when I started my journey and I started going online, researching more, joining groups, and watching/learning from people in the industry. The hardest thing to get started, honestly was money. Getting a cushion to really lean on so that I didn’t have to worry about finances as my business grew.
What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur?
I would say definitely seek out some type of program, like a training program just so that you are aware of what's involved with a business. It's not to discourage you from starting your business, but the more you can know upfront before you actually jump in, I would say is better. So, I know Makerhoods has had some training programs, Rising Tide Capital has an entrepreneurship program and Small Business Development Center probably has them as well. They may all be virtual at this moment, but find some type of training programs so you understand things like pricing, what your costs are, and cash flow. Learn how to keep some records, open a business bank account, set up your business properly, and all those things to be aware of when starting a business. Get to know who your customer is because a lot of times we think everybody is our customer and that's not true.
You’ve been a vendor on Makerhoods Market since it launched as a pop-up in April 2020. How would you describe your experience with Makerhoods?
My experience with Makerhoods has been phenomenal. Kristen and Erin, who have been my connections have been great. They have been trying to find ways for us Makers to have exposure and grow our businesses. Last year they came up with a Maker Box and they actually did the maker box as a way of PR, but it ended up being something that people were requesting! Then, they used it for the holidays which I thought was really great. They’re always trying to look for different ways to support us and to help us have more exposure in the community as well.
What are your plans for the rest of the year with your business?
We are expanding the business which has been well. Our space is starting to fill up with all those extra boxes and ingredients and things like that so we may have to look for a larger space and start hiring. I also want to start buying things, like machinery, that will help me produce better so that I can scale better.
Diamond Cheek, Digital Marketing Coordinator
Diamond Cheek is currently studying Digital Marketing in the Masters Program at Rutgers University-Newark. She has also received her Bachelors of Science at Rutgers in Leadership and Management. Over the years, digital marketing and content creation, have become a passion of hers which has lead her to apply her skills to the virtual and physical business world.