October 15, 2024 • 58 mins
In this episode Shari, a spirited Jamaican entrepreneur, shares her remarkable journey from Jamaica to the UK, to the bustling streets of New York, and finally to Kampala, Uganda. Starting with her challenging yet eye-opening experiences in the UK, Shari talks about adapting to new environments and finding inspiration in unexpected places. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience and an adventurous spirit, as she navigates her way through different cultures, eventually finding a place that truly feels like home.
Shari shares the ins and outs of setting up a business in Uganda from a Caribbean perspective. Shari recounts the hurdles she faced, from navigating visa requirements and work permits to overcoming the cultural biases that persist against female entrepreneurs. Listen in as she provides an honest look at the logistical and emotional challenges of establishing her spa business, emphasizing the importance of preparation and persistence.
She shares the touching stories of how her work has transformed the lives of many women, providing them with newfound self-esteem. Shari’s dedication to uplifting others shines through as she reflects on the personal sacrifices and emotional rewards of her entrepreneurial path. Shari discusses her future aspirations and the continuous dream to expand her horizons, underscoring the beauty of community and connection that has defined her incredible journey. Listen to be inspired by Shari’s unwavering drive and her mission to make a positive impact on the world.
Connect with Shari: Shari's Instagram | The Spa's Instagram
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of
Carry On Friends the CaribbeanAmerican experience, and I'm so
excited to have this beautifulguest on the podcast.
Yes, yes, yes, I met her a fewweeks ago walking into a domino
game, and the rest is history.
Shari, welcome to Carry OnFriends.
(00:26):
How are you feeling, my darling?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thank you so much, keri.
I'm feeling great.
Actually, I'm excited aboutthis podcast.
It's actually my second timebeing on a podcast.
The first one was with someonefrom St Lucia and now this is my
first time with someoneactually from Jamaica.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
All right.
So you know, says vibes Beerteens.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So let's get into it.
Why don't you tell thecommunity of friends a little
bit about who you are we justkind of give away the Caribbean
country, but drop it that wayCaribbean country you represent
and a little bit about the workyou do.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
So my name is Shari.
I am originally from Jamaica,born and raised, and I left
Jamaica, came to America to live.
First I went to the UK, so Ididn't tell you about that.
I lived in the UK for a littlebit, didn't like it.
I decided one day, out of theblue, I wanted to open a
(01:23):
business.
It has been a dream of mine toopen my own business, just
didn't know where.
And I got an opportunity.
My sister called me one day andsaid Shari, let's go to Africa.
And I pack up my bag and Ihopped on the flight.
And now, seven years later, Iam a business owner.
I opened a spa in Uganda whichis located in East Africa for
(01:46):
those who don't know which isvery similar to the life we live
in Jamaica, very, very similar.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, wow.
So yes, that's why I bring herup on the podcast, because you
know we talk all these things.
So, before we get to that, talkto me about around what age you
left Jamaica to go to UK,specifically like that
experience where you didn't likeabout it, what you liked about
it coming to New York, etc.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, I think I was probably around 18, 17, 18.
And my intention was to go andstay and live with family.
The same way I'm living in NewYork now.
That was my intentionoriginally and after about eight
months to a year, I don'tremember um, this was around in
2000, around 2005, ish four, andI didn't like the weather.
(02:40):
My island girl so you know,island girl, we love, we love
sunshine, we love beach, we loveall that kind of thing.
Um, I didn't like the weather.
The island girl, so you know,island girl, we love sunshine,
we love beach, we love all thatkind of thing.
I didn't like the weather.
It was my first time now havingto leave Jamaica and leave my
friends and the life that I knewbefore, and I was willing to
make the change.
You know, it was still mydecision, but it was just a
culture shock for me.
(03:01):
A lot of things were justdifferent for me in the UK.
It was just a culture shock forme.
A lot of things were justdifferent for me in the UK.
Didn't like the weather, didnot like the average food there.
Of course I cooked at home, butI found the experience I had
with people there just different.
They can be a littlestandoffish no offense to only
UK people but wouldn't have veryfriendly.
(03:23):
Uk people are not so friendly.
You know I met some greatpeople there.
I had great times.
I did love the architecture.
I'm very much into arts.
Everything about the arts, I'minto it.
So whether it's clothing,whether it's beauty, anything
about the arts, I love it.
So I really love thearchitecture there.
I did love the fashion there,and you know I'm into fashion,
(03:44):
so I really enjoyed that.
At the time I was modeling, Iwas a model.
I was a Pulse model.
I was discovered by PulseInternational in Jamaica, so I
was moving around looking foragencies there in the UK and
after some time I just realizedthat you know what this is not
for me.
And luckily I had experiencedNew York prior and I was like I
(04:05):
feel like New York is home and Isaid goodbye to my family and
then I just left.
They didn't want me to leave,but I left.
I just knew that my heart wasnot there and I'm the kind of
person that you know.
So once something is here, if Idon't get it that way, I'm just
not gonna be happy, right?
So packed my bags again, leftUK, went back home for a little
(04:31):
bit, just like probably like twoweeks or so, and then I went to
New York and I've been heresince all right, so you've been
to New York.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
What about New York?
Because New York different time?
We are still, you know, I know,but at the time.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
We never know.
You know, I didn't know likeyou remember the first time you
came to New York.
You're young, you're excited,everything, big buildings, and
you know, even if you came hereat 30, this is new to you.
New York is like no other place.
You understand, understand.
It is like no other place.
First time I came I was stillmodeling and I came with my
(05:09):
agent.
At the time it was KingsleyCooper who unfortunately just
passed, you know.
Rest in peace, mr Cooper.
He was a very great man and hebrought us up here and we were
looking for agencies.
So usually in the modelingindustry you have a home agent
and which is in your country,and then you we will get scouted
by other agents in differentparts of the world.
(05:30):
So you'll end up havingsometimes three, four, five
agencies anyway.
Um, I love me, I'm a vibrantperson, so New York gives that.
You know you have to haveenergy to live in New York.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
There's definitely a buzz here.
You know you have to haveenergy to live in New York.
There is definitely a buzz here, Even when you don't feel like
you want to be buzzed.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
there's a buzz, exactly it's.
It's such a vibrant place and Ifeel like it, just it, just, we
just clicked.
I just knew you know thatlittle voice in your head
telling like, oh, this is home,this is it, whatever it is.
That's how I felt and I said,listen, I've always been a very
open person, I will trysomething and if it doesn't work
out, for me, it doesn't workout and I move on to the next
(06:09):
thing.
So when I came, I felt at home.
I hit the ground runningimmediately.
I said you know what?
I need to find my footing here,because I don't really know.
I don't know anybody too much.
You know everybody.
Every Jamaican have friendsthat are family members that
live in new york.
Every jamaican have at leastone person will live in new york
(06:30):
.
And I knew my cousin.
You know my cousin and my aunt,and I stayed with them in
jersey for a short time and thenI just moved into the city by
myself and it's been historysince like I haven't moved
officially from New York becauseI still, even though I have my
business there, I still live inNew York.
So that is the next crazieststory you can imagine.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
my life is crazy listen, listen, we already
established, say you just aregoing to do a thing, and you're
right.
But I think that is why Iwanted to have this conversation
, because I'm so fascinated byyou, know, just you and the
movement.
And then you add in themargling ting and all of these
things.
So, yeah, you're still a NewYorker, you know?
(07:15):
give up the New York life andyou're in New York for a little
bit.
What is happening in New York?
What are you doing in New Yorkbefore a sister call you up and
say ring Shari Lego, and yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Okay.
So when I just came to New Yorkme and Pitney you know young
girl, teenager going into mytwenties and, um, I think I was
about 19 at the time when Ifinally moved in and I just
wanted to get a job you know,finally moved in and I just
wanted to get a job, you know, Istarted in the retail industry,
which is so easy here.
(07:49):
You just want one job, so easyhere.
I started working in retail andI was doing that for a couple
of years.
You know, high end retail.
So I was like you know, thosedesigner stores, the Dolce and
Gabbana's and any other brandthat you could think of.
I was working in a few of themfor a couple years and I moved
from like sales associate up tomanagement eventually and I kind
(08:14):
of stayed.
So when I was 12 backstory whenI was 12 I remember distinctly
one day I said I know I want toopen my own business.
I't sure I thought I was goingto open a fashion business, like
a boutique or something.
I knew I wanted to open my ownbusiness.
I didn't know where, I didn'tknow what type of business
exactly, but I knew I wanted todo it.
(08:36):
So when I came to New York andI got the opportunity to work in
the hospitality industry.
I said you know what?
Hmm, all right, so if I'm goingto open my own business one day
, I need the experience.
I specifically chose to work inretail and then, years after, I
chose also the restaurantindustry, because corporate life
(08:57):
was not for me.
It wasn't the money part of it,because I knew I was going to
open my own business, but Ineeded the experience.
So I wanted the only way youcan learn, kerry, I don't care
how you go on YouTube and allthese things.
All the way you can learn is ifyou have experience.
So I wanted to learn thebackend part of both industries,
so the restaurant industry andretail industry.
(09:18):
And the reason why I wanted tolearn in the restaurant industry
part is because I also knew oneday I want to open a small kind
of like a mom and pop shop sizerestaurants and again, I don't
know where, but fast forward tonow, I'm in works with doing
that right now in Uganda, whichmakes sense because they love
(09:42):
our culture there.
So I took the experience.
I became manager.
I was a manager at the time andone day my sister called me and
she was like, oh cause, she'smarried to a Ugandan and she's
been going back and forth there.
They live in the UK, they liveand met in the UK and she said,
shari, why don't you come toUganda?
(10:04):
A client of mine gave me theidea to open a nail spa because
she's a big nail tech.
Um, she was in the uk and whilevisiting there, someone said to
her why don't you open a placehere?
And she said you know what?
Let me do that.
Then she called me and said whydon't you come?
So I was like you know what?
I'm gonna have the have apicnic, I'm going to get married
.
Let me go.
(10:24):
Now would be the opportune timeto go out there and do it.
And I never been to Africabefore.
When I went, never been toAfrica before, and within nine
months of that phone call, I wason a plane to Uganda.
Wow, wow.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yes, I know.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I'm crazy, wow, wow, yes.
Yes, I know I'm crazy.
No, I don't know.
Like you said, it's it's time,it's where you are at a point in
your life and the opportunity,just like you said you're single
, you're not have no kids.
It was the perfect time rightTo do it.
Right, so let's talk aboutUganda.
Right, and you already answeredour question.
Why Uganda?
(11:03):
Your brother-in-law is Ugandan.
And so talk to me aboutactually the setting up of the
business, the culture, how youmanage, because it's far you
know far.
So talk to me about that.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
All right, so setting up of the business Now.
Now, this one is the kicker.
Never been to africa before,never met a ugandan before.
No, no, nothing.
My sister went before me, whichwas, which was good.
Initially we were looking for aspace together and when she
went there and was lookingaround, looking around, it just
(11:46):
wasn't happening.
It was not happening.
She had a lot of issues findinga space together.
She told me one time there wasthis one lady who she owns a
salon over there, a well-knownsalon, and this mall that we
wanted to go into.
That lady owned a salon in thatmall.
So apparently she never wants,she didn't want any competition
(12:11):
with her.
So, um, we couldn't get thespace in that mall, which,
thankfully.
Now, listen, let me tell youguys something you see, when,
sometime, when God tell you, nois not, no, it's something not
yet right, it's just not yet youunderstand, and or it's not the
right space for this, is notfor you, and I was bummed out.
(12:34):
We were bummed out about itbecause it's a very popular mall
.
It's still a very, it's stillthe popular mall in Kampala,
which is like the king Kingstonof Uganda, right the city, and
we didn't get it.
Anyway, we decided, you knowwhat, let's open our own spaces,
fine, cool.
So she found a mall and I'mstill in New York, finishing up
(12:58):
the last leg of my career here,and you know I save all my money
and everything buying all thisstuff Every time I get my
paycheck.
I was just buying and packingup my apartment started to look
like a warehouse, right, but itwas fine, it was fine.
I knew the end goal.
So now, when she finally got herspace, I asked them for the
measurements.
When I got it, one of myfriend's apartment was around
(13:21):
the same size as the shop I wasgetting at the time and I asked
my friend.
I said, hey, um, can I comeover to your house and just do
some marking out and some stuff?
And he said yeah, okay, and Iwent over, went all the way to
Brooklyn, went to his house andI started to map out, bring tape
(13:42):
, map out how I drew on paper,because I'm a very good artist.
So I drew on paper how I wantedto.
You know how I wanted.
I basically did all the decorfor my shop.
I knew what I wanted it to looklike.
I wanted it to be very girlyand, you know, pretty and
beautiful, even though it was astore space.
And you know, like even a mall,you expect a store to look like
(14:03):
a store.
I wanted it to look fancy,right?
So I marked out everything thatI wanted the space.
I knew how much space I had,what I could put where, the
measurements of the couch.
I started to get things made,all of that stuff.
And when I showed my sister theart, the drawing on the paper,
(14:25):
she was like Shari, where putall of them?
Something here Like this can'tfit Shari, the space too small,
all these things on the set,it's going to fit.
Mind you, I've never been tothe space.
She's there, she's in the space.
And I said, don't worry, it'sgoing to fit.
And I put everything on paper,got it done, and, um, then after
(14:45):
that I bought everything andshipped everything to Uganda.
The day before I left, I I had,I had the worst bubble guts ever
and I was so worried I was like, oh my God, why am I a bubble
guts?
No, why am I of?
You know?
Basically bubble guts.
For all who don't understand,it's basically like diarrhea,
(15:06):
right.
But, um, my mom said to me youneed to relax, it's just nerves.
I call you nervous why thishappened to you, and it was true
Cause I was.
I was starting to questionmyself Like what am I doing?
Who do you think you are?
Why are you doing this?
You know you never even been toAfrica before.
(15:27):
You know what if you don't fitin.
I had so many questions 24hours before going to this trip.
Anyway, I went um the flightfor those who have never been to
east africa, ugandaspecifically um, it is around 21
hours to get to here, here whatmy girl say blood fire pussy
(15:48):
listen in, this trip is not forthe week.
It's not for the week.
Um, I flew emirates airlines,um, and I've been flying them
since.
Emirates and qatar, the twoairlines I trust to go there,
and especially because I alwayshave products for my business
and I packed up all my bags,flew there.
So it's a 14 and a half hourtrip from here to Dubai with
(16:11):
Emirates and then, um, Itransferred to another plane and
the flight from Dubai to Ugandais five and a half hours, yeah,
and when I got there, um, mysister picked me up and stuff
and it was, it was just magicalfor me.
I felt like a kid and I kind offrom the direct the airport to
(16:33):
the house you know when the dogdriving in the car and then head
through the window yeah, thatwas that was you that was me.
I was just.
I was just.
I'm like, I'm Africa.
It was so magical.
Keri Like this is something Iwish every Caribbean person
could experience going back hometo the motherland they'll go
(17:10):
Uganda.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
But when you said 21 megahertz, rolandia, 21 hours,
but you know, by you talkingabout it and, of course,
everyone there at the you knowthe meetup that we had just
hearing your experience, I wasjust like really fascinated.
That one, not only that youstarted this business, but the
recurring theme with those whowent to East Africa,
specifically because we knowWest Africa with Nigeria and
Ghana, we know what that is.
(17:30):
But when you all were talkingabout the East African countries
, particularly Uganda and Kenya,and you all were sharing how
much love they have for theculture, and everything.
It was almost like this feellike Jamaica back in the day,
but right, you know that type ofway that you're talking so you
reach, you excite.
(17:51):
What happened next?
Tell me why you're the storyall right.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So now I'm in Uganda and the first thing is, um, so
my sister had secured, remembershe?
She lives in the uk, so she hadto move, just like I had to
move.
But she just went before me, um, she opened her business.
The same procedure I wentthrough, she went through the
same thing for her business,right, shipping stuff, all of
(18:16):
them, something.
So now, um, she got anapartment for us to stay in and
she got a three-bedroomapartment, very nice place, and
now it's time to get myfurniture made.
Um, so they're just at jamaicathey have like local carpenters
and stuff and obviously it isway cheaper.
You know how?
(18:37):
We buy bed over here for eighthundred dollar, thousand dollar,
fifteen hundred dollar.
No, you can get.
You can get a couple of piecesof furniture made for like like
$500, like couple of pieces offurniture.
So, started the carpentry Cause.
Again, I knew from before what Iwanted and the size of the
things that I needed, startedthe work and then, um, it took
(19:02):
while, let me tell you, this wasthis was when Uganda showed me
Uganda.
It's when somebody in Ugandatell you say, two weeks, just
know, you have around threemonths.
Okay, we can laugh.
Now, you guys I can laugh now,but just know I got into it with
the carpenter like severaltimes.
(19:23):
I got into it with thecarpenter like several times.
I got into it one time I showup at the man's shop, hissed
early in the morning.
I showed up at his shop like Ihad an open date.
I arrived in Uganda like June Ithink June 7th or 17th, one of
those seven numbers and myinitial plan was to open at
(19:47):
least no later than two to threeweeks after arriving, right,
setting up everything, whateverthe carpenter told me, two weeks
for everything to be done,right.
And you know, when I opened,august 17th, august 18th, last
Sunday, august 18th, was myseventh year anniversary.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Thank you, but yeah, it was not fun.
I will not lie to you, it wasnot fun.
The carpenter was taking long.
I got the space painted andstuff.
When the carpenter did come inand was fitting stuff in, the
man use pen.
What carpenter uses?
Pen pencil on my painted walk.
(20:34):
Terry, I was stressed when Itell you and I'm not used to
this Cause I'm just like what iswrong with you on top of that,
you know about colored peopletime.
You know black people have themtime in uganda.
There's a different time.
There's a there.
This is the king of lateness.
(20:55):
If you tell someone to meet youat one o'clock, please be
advised.
You only have two optionseither I'm gonna reach hours
later or none at all.
My word yes, that is the wholetruth and nothing but the truth.
Please know you are the daybefore them and I'm a very
timely person.
Yes, so I was hiring, like,electricians and stuff you know
(21:17):
to.
You know, make sockets in thespace, um, I was hiring
electricians.
I was hiring um, carpenters,painters, all that stuff, and no
matter how, I tell peopleplease come at seven in the
morning so we can get the jobdone in one day.
I don't want anything to be athree, four or five day process.
People show up 11 o'clock inthe morning and stuff, and at
(21:38):
the time, because I don't knowanybody it's not like here that
you know that okay, if you hirea company and they don't show up
, you can just whatever.
You are canceled, you findsomebody else to replace them
quickly.
You know everything you'relearning the place um, you learn
, you know what I mean.
Um, I used to get veryfrustrated.
I was getting very frustratedbecause you know, like my plan
was okay, cool, yes, we go therewith money, because obviously
(22:01):
you have to plan this in orderto go, but I don't want to keep
spending my money without makingmoney.
You understand, I don't have norich parents and I'm not sugar
daddy, it's just me and themoney that I saved myself and I
went with it.
So eventually, finally, after acouple of threats, a couple
(22:24):
choice words, you're going to gomad at the people.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
As I should Right.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
As to go mad at the people, right as I should, right
as I should.
I definitely did Like they, andthey're very so.
Ugandans are very mal-manneredpeople, very, very, but they're
not confrontational at all.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Right, so I will bring the Jamaican beaches.
Yes, ignorant Cross Angry, he'sa rebel.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Listen, they're not used to that.
They legit think you're crazy.
They think you're crazy.
So, after the whole process, Ifinally got to open August 18th
in 2017.
And I was scared.
So I had newspapers on theglass of the store, you know,
(23:16):
like the display window, carrie.
I was so scared to rip thenewspaper.
I don't know why.
You know because I knoweverybody was looking, everybody
else, because I have shopneighbors and stuff and I didn't
really talk to anybody.
Um, that's another thing.
Ugandans, when you go to Uganda, please be advised that
Ugandans like to stare.
(23:36):
They don't speak.
You don't understand.
This is something you're gonnahave to get used to, harry.
They stare listen, this remindsme so, of course, my grandpa,
jamaica and you know, like whenyou're a a pit in a primary
school you remember what themused to say when you look at
them while you're staring andnot driving right, well, and and
(23:58):
in america, when someone isstaring at you, um, you know,
when you look, they willprobably like look away and
stuff.
Yeah, they say hello.
So anyway, um, I was scared toopen.
My sister came down to saysorry, you don't take off the
newspaper yet.
Everybody was looking,everybody, all the girls you
(24:24):
know that had shop next door.
They might look because theynever see anything like it
before.
Usually a store look like astore.
Mine was just girly, I had like.
So because I do, um, Ispecialize in eyelash extensions
.
I don't know if you know aboutmicroblading or any pmu service,
right, so I do semi-permanenteyebrows, lip blush, um, hair
(24:49):
wigs At the time I wasn't bigbraiding, I was specializing in
just wigs.
So, like hair extensions, wigs,that kind of stuff and hair
styling, I sell products.
So I brought products from theUS.
So, like you know, nice haircare products for natural hair
and all hair types, that kind ofstuff.
There's a bed that I use.
So I wanted privacy for myclients.
(25:10):
The shop was small, right, andI knew I wanted.
I didn't want when someone isgetting their eyelashes and I
feel like your old privacybecause your eyes close.
You know what I mean Um.
So where the bed is, I put uplike a curtain and if no one is
on the bed then the curtain iskind of like draped, kind of
like how you see it on stage,and then when someone is there
(25:33):
the curtain is closed.
So everyone, the curtain islike draped.
Now everyone is seeing um.
My favorite color is any shadeof purple.
I love lilac, so the shop mygirl.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
My girl is yours.
Yes, Listen, purple lilac,lavender, anything in that.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Oh my gosh, I absolutely.
That is my happy color, that ismy peaceful color.
I love me a lilac.
So I painted my shop.
My company color is lilac.
Right, my business cards, thelogo, everything.
You will find lilac in there.
So, um, everybody was looking.
So now everybody, peoplestarted to come across and
(26:14):
people came down to us Hi, can Icome inside your shop and look?
And they will look.
I had a swing.
I had a swing in the in thewindow display window on.
The mannequin was on the swing,or her hair done.
She was wearing a shirt from mycompany and it was just really
cute, exactly how I imagined it.
That's exactly how it came outand I was very happy.
(26:37):
I cried a little bit.
I was just like, oh my god,like I still like, what am I
doing?
What am I doing here?
It was, it was a shock.
You know what I mean.
Um, then I didn't have a, Ididn't have a launch party or
anything.
I don't know nobody.
I didn't know anybody.
Uh, it was just my sister atthe time and her husband and I
(26:58):
just said you know, let me justdo this.
People started to come and, youknow, ask questions and stuff,
and that's when august 18, 2017was the day I just started
taking clients and starting now.
This is where the wheel startedto turn, now, when I started to
learn about Ugandans and how todeal with them.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Crazy.
So, before we get into that, abit of logistics, because that's
how my brain works.
I mean, we talk about going toUganda, but there's a lot of
things involved like oh, you getinto the country, you know
Jamaican passport, you know allof this, you need the visa you
know, work permit.
You can't show up in othercountries and decide to go to
(27:39):
work.
So a little bit on that.
I like a story time.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
All right.
So going to Uganda, if you'regoing to Uganda, if you ever
plan to go to Uganda, you needto have a yellow fever vaccine
and in New York, if you don'thave insurance, that vaccine can
run you at the time, at thetime, around $300.
Yes, ma'am, that vaccine canrun around $300 if you don't
(28:04):
have insurance.
However, I think I'm hearingthat insurance doesn't cover it.
I'm not sure.
I think someone said it, butI'm not sure.
Don't quote me on that, but Iwould hope so.
So, anyway, I had to get thethe yellow fever vaccine.
I did that.
Um, now, because of caricom,you are allowed as a jamaican
(28:29):
with with a Jamaican passport,to enter the country.
The only drawback is you cannotstay longer than three months.
If you're visiting, youunderstand like you can't stay.
So you can enter visa free, noproblem.
You just cannot stay longerthan three months, which is fine
.
So that part was taken care of.
(28:49):
When you get to the airport,you have no issues.
Sometimes some of the immigrant,the custom officers they don't
I'm not sure why, they don'tknow this, but they'll ask you
like, oh, about your visa?
I'm like no, I don't need avisa, it's a Jamaican passport.
And they look it up and thenthey say, okay, cool, so you
(29:09):
have no issues getting in onceyou show the yellow fever
vaccine if you have a jamaicanpassport.
However, if you are a us umcitizen, you have a us passport.
You do needa visa.
At the time not sure now youneeded to get.
You could get your visa uponarrival right and I think it was
like 70 to 100 for the visa.
Don't know the length of timeand all that stuff.
(29:30):
I don't know that part becauseI use my jamaican um right um,
so I don't know that part, butagain, it's, it was.
It was a smooth enough process.
You know nothing crazy, but youcannot enter without the yellow
fever card.
Now some people said they who,some people entered and they
didn't have it, so then theyprovided in the airport.
(29:51):
I would not be caught dead oralive getting a yellow fever
vaccine in the airport to me.
That no, son kosher, me no, no,I'm sorry, I'm gonna send them
back.
They're never gonna send meanother 21 hours back.
Like no, I just I refuse.
So me, I'm a very detailedperson.
I make sure.
(30:13):
Listen, carrie.
See, if you say, shari, I'minviting you to Long Island, for
example, and you tell me aspecific place, I'm going to do
my research, I'm going to findout where I'm going, what is the
dress code at the place, whatare the rules at the place?
Like, I'm a very detailedperson and I may try it all
because mina, like embarrassment, that's one.
(30:34):
No, no, no, no, I don't want tobe turned back, I don't want to
be.
I just don't want to beinconvenienced in any way, shape
or form, because that's areally long trip.
You know what I mean and Ialready invested so much time
and money into this.
I had to go to the extra mile.
What else did you ask?
The work, the work.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Your obvious is still past three months, so you get
the work permit.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Oh yeah, so I have a lawyer, I got a lawyer and I
just let him deal with the.
You know, I told him what Iwanted to do.
All that stuff.
It is not like a very smooth,smooth process.
It's not too hard, but it's notsmooth.
It bumpy, um, and it it iscostly.
(31:20):
It's very costly, my darling.
It is very costly, um, so youhave to renew sometime over a
couple years, um, depending onwhich one you get.
So they do have different onesthat you can look into.
All this information, honestly,is online.
So for anybody that is watchingand is interested and this
(31:42):
doesn't only go for uganda,right, um, I have other friends
that have businesses indifferent parts of Africa Ivory
Coast, senegal, ghana andNigeria.
It's almost the same process,you know.
So they have different visasand stuff.
So my lawyer dealt with it.
I paid that person, they dealtwith it and helped me to get the
(32:05):
things that I needed to be safe.
And help me to get the thingsthat I needed To be safe, and
that's it.
They just show you.
You know how, in Jamaica youhave to pay your taxes, just
like here.
We have a place called KCCA.
They will go around everyJanuary, or sometimes they'll
come around earlier in the yearLater in the year, sorry and
(32:27):
they will just check businessesTo see if you have your proper
licenses and stuff which you canjust put it up in your business
space and you're good.
I've never really had anyissues with that.
Sometime them try for commonyou know them warm wallet money
if you have the right things.
But I never pay anybody to.
I just I'm not going to take onthat habit.
You see, I feel like it is notthe best idea.
(32:48):
It's not the smartest idea.
Once you open that door, it isopen, can't lock it back, right.
One thing I did experience iswhile creating that shop space,
while, you know, doing the decorand stuff, but right before
opening I realized that men inUganda automatically think that
(33:10):
when there's a business, a manis involved.
So they'll come and ask whereis the boss, where is your
husband?
That's the kind of talk theycome with and I'll always ask I
don't understand why you feellike there's a man involved.
I don't understand why you feellike there's a man involved.
Truth is the truth.
They do undermine women.
(33:31):
You know the men, most of themen.
They undermine women and it'slike, especially if you're a
young girl.
They think, oh, there's no wayyou have money, one man must
involve, one sugar daddy orsomething must involve, or your
father give you the money.
You know there's no way it madeit work.
God forbid, we did work hard,you know.
(33:53):
So those are some, some cons,something I I'm glad I learned
it early, though I learned itearly, um, and as you can
imagine, I'm an alpha female.
It's not something I wear, Italk about all the time, or
whatever.
If you meet me and know I havea strong personality and that
kind of behavior don't sit wellwith me, because I know I work
(34:14):
hard and just to hear somebodyundermine me I'll be like, oh,
where's your husband?
Or you're just a woman.
And if I hire a man to do a joblike an electrician or somebody
you know they they're nottaking me seriously.
Until me unleash the b word,they don't take you seriously.
Carry, yeah, that is.
(34:34):
That is another con.
Yeah, trust me, I've changed.
I've changed.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Yeah, wow well, thanks for sharing that.
And so now you're celebratingseven years.
I take each year in a big,undifferent space by yes, ma'am,
yes, so yeah, tell me you knowcliff notes of how the seven
years has been going and youknow all of the all these things
(35:02):
me love a story here all right,so, uh, so first things first.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
It was my first business and I was learning
while the business is growing,never opened a space before and
luckily I took all those yearsof training living in America,
in New York specifically, andworking in the retail and
(35:30):
restaurant space, so I knew theback end and hotel handle, books
and all of them something.
Because you see, carrie, onething is, you learn these things
I did.
I did POB in school cool, cute.
But there's nothing greaterthan experience, right?
So I um one second, one second.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
So audience.
Pob is principle of business.
It is a subject that umjamaican kids it your tech,
maybe other places in thecaribbean, but I don't know.
So, jamaicans, we just want tosay there's a pob, what that
principle of business?
It's essentially a businessclass class that you get to
select this class in your 10thgrade year, right?
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Right.
So I started to learn with thebusiness.
I started to implement certainrules and stuff things that
would help my business grow eachday.
I've made a couple of mistakesover the years.
Obviously Now people didn'treally like was happy that I was
there.
Microblading at the time was notas popular Even in America.
(36:37):
It was still just starting toget a buzz.
So in Uganda it was justnon-existent at the time.
So I was the first person tobring microblading to Uganda.
So people were asking like whatis that?
Like, oh, you draw eyebrows,like what is it?
So I took time.
I said you know what?
This is the perfect, theperfect way to market my
(36:59):
business.
So, even though I did otherservices, I mostly advertised
that one because it was so newto the country.
I made sure to just capitalizeoff that.
I got popular very quickly,very, very quickly, and I
started to grow, started to growand I was so invested I became
(37:23):
obsessed.
When I tell you it was, you guyswon't believe this, but I think
the first time I took a breakfrom work was when I got sick.
So my body forced me to take abreak.
I got sick.
To this day I don't know whathappened to me.
I got really, really sick.
I never took a day off.
(37:43):
I never felt like.
You know that saying I know youguys might think this sound
cliche.
It is not.
I promise you it is not.
Felt like you know that sayingI know you guys might think this
sound cliche, it is not.
I promise you it is not.
You know, when I say when youdo what you love, you will never
work a day in your life.
It is a hundred percent thetruth.
I never got up one day, even ifI had to work seven days in a
row.
I never.
There was never a morning I gotup and be like I forgot work.
(38:04):
I gotta go to work.
No, I never felt like that, notone day.
I was happy every single day.
Yes, trials came, tribulationscame.
Yes, I'm not saying that didnot happen, but I was happy.
I was happy.
I was doing what I felt likeGod called me to do.
I was meeting women, and part ofthe reason why I opened this
(38:24):
business also was I wanted togive back to women.
I wanted to be a voice.
I wanted to be an example towomen.
Um, I didn't have a lot of thatgrowing up.
I have my mom and I have oneauntie that is my dearest,
dearest love, love her so much.
(38:45):
Her name is Robin Sabig ofyourself, um, that was an
example to me and I wanted to bethat example to other young
women you know, women on a whole, but specifically young women
to show them that you know youcan do this, you don't need to
do certain things in order toget ahead in life and stuff.
So I'm going to share this withyou guys.
(39:05):
I prayed one day and I asked God.
I realized my purpose on earthand that is to help other people
.
And if you can allow me to doyour work but also do my work, I
would be very happy.
I would, I'll be very happy andthe stars aligned, I'm doing my
work, and what does my workentail?
(39:27):
Meeting women.
I am so happy and I can tellyou that I've had very tearful
moments with clients.
I've had women who theirpartners they'll tell me oh I,
you know I need a makeover.
My husband hasn't looked at mein a while or, if they're not
(39:50):
married, things like you know, Ifeel old or I don't look good.
I don't feel good in myself, Idon't feel confident and I
remember when I was young, likeyou know.
I think I would assume thatevery young woman has felt that
way at some point.
You're too skinny, your headtoo big.
I have a big forehead.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
I used to get I was about to say the forehead when I
saw you as a man, the girl thatcould have caused me no candy.
We on the forehead, theforehead, listen honey growing
up, my mother would say listen,the forehead reach before you
honey, let me tell you myforehead was teased properly in
(40:32):
school.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Right, I was very skinny like you could have catch
water in yourself.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
Yeah, my grandmother used to put her hand in her soul
right, so catch water.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
For for my non-caribbean people who don't
understand, when they say whatwater could I catch yourself?
Means that you know you're soskinny, you know that sinkhole,
because you're so skinny, youcan pour water in there, and it
stayed.
That was me.
So I used to get teased a lotin school.
Then I had very bold legs oh mygod, my legs were so bold.
I used to get teased for thatas well.
So I was skinny, my head big,my forehead big, like I was just
(41:11):
being teased right.
Um, my self-esteem was low andthen I said you know what, get
older, I got more confident.
Now I'm at this level where youcan't tell me none like me, not
even listen to you.
You just go heal.
That's my response.
You may even tell, say, you'rea big tool, go and heal my good
sister.
Go and heal, right.
(41:32):
So all these stories that I hear, the most rewarding thing for
me during this business is themoney is always going to be nice
.
But I can tell you this when aclient look in the mirror and
say, oh my God, or they hug meor they cry and they tell me
their story and tell me how, ohmy God, I feel like a new person
(41:52):
, or my partner hasn't looked atme in years, or whatever.
The sad story is.
It is the most rewarding thingever.
You hear me, it's been sevenyears and it always feel like
the first time.
Every time it happens,sometimes I find myself cry and
I have to go off to the side andjust gather myself and then
(42:15):
come back.
I've cried many tears.
I've sent my space to be likeokay, shari, you're doing what
you want to do, but you're alsoministering, in a way, to women,
(42:36):
you know, and it hasn't beeneasy.
It hasn't been easy.
I've met some.
I've met some nasty people.
I've met some nasty people,some people who I just know that
you need to heal.
Yeah, you deal with somethinginside, because there's no way
you, you're that ugly.
There's no way.
You know, and I try earlier,when I was much younger, I used
(42:57):
to judge people heavily, like,oh lord god, why is this?
And you know me to say you know, I used to judge, you know, I
think we were all, we're all inthe same boat.
But now I look at thingsdifferently.
I you ask myself, I'minterested to know what you went
through while you're like this.
But yeah, so I've now gotten toa space, seven years later,
(43:19):
where I'm well known over there.
It's easy over there.
It's so interesting.
They like to call people celebsor socialites.
You know what I mean, and Iguess I'm one of those two.
It doesn't matter to me.
I don't like those kind oftitle.
I'm a very private person.
So that was a big challenge forme.
I, I'm a very private person.
(43:41):
I like a very quiet, humblelife.
I um the people that are in mycircle, them alone.
I like to know my business andwhatever else.
I don't like being in thelimelight per se.
So that was a challenge for mein the beginning, because I
didn't know if I didn't know ifI wanted to market myself as the
(44:03):
owner of the business.
And then I had to give myselfthat pep talk like Shari.
You're going to have to be abrand If you want this to be a
business that you can carry on,even if you decide to give up
three years later.
Right now, this is what youhave.
You're going to have to be yourown brand and I just changed my
marketing game and now I pushme out.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Yeah, I have a question really quick, just so
what happened during the COVIDCause?
We know COVID in America.
What was COVID in Uganda?
Speaker 2 (44:34):
You know what I don't want to say that word?
Covid was a time Uganda.
It wasn't as bad.
It wasn't as bad in thebeginning.
I think we got like after acertain, I think we got like
after a certain time.
We got like like 40, 40something, thousand cases.
Uganda, by the way, um, ladiesand gentlemen, has a population
(44:55):
of 45 million people.
Uganda is huge.
Uganda is huge, right, um.
So 44 000, 50, 000, 60 like it,when covid was dying down,
that's when the numbers kind oflike, you're like, I don't know
how much it got to, but maybelike 7, 60 round there.
Um, we were in lockdown.
(45:17):
I was stuck in uganda, by theway, from march till I didn't
come back to new york.
Till january, almost a year Icouldn't come back.
The airport was closed.
We went through three phases oflockdown.
The airport was closed.
The president um decided thatno salons or anything could be
open.
(45:38):
So you know what I did for thefirst month or two, I think.
You couldn't drive cars around,you had to be like a military
person, doctor, that kind ofthing, people that walk, go work
or walk to the market, walk tothe supermarket, whatever girl.
One day I walked from my housewhich, luckily, I don't live
(46:03):
crazy far from work.
It's a little journey but notcrazy and I had to walk from
home to go to my shop to getpack up the shop, pack up
products, everything because Idecided that I'm going to start
operating from my home.
So I opened up the downstairsand at the time I lived in this
really cute house.
(46:23):
It was a one bedroom house andit's in a nice private compound.
When you open the front doorit's like it opens up to a
garden.
So I was like this would be theperfect, you know scenic space.
For what?
For my spa.
So I got the products andpacked it up.
I was making a lot of moneyduring that time.
In Uganda, by the way, womendon't really know how to do
(46:47):
their own hair, so you'll findthat a lot of them have shaved
their hair, like you know, short, like men type hairstyles and
stuff, or they wear braids a lotor you know any kind of
extensions.
They don't know how to reallydo their hair.
You know very beautiful women,but they're just not skilled in
that department, which is okay,right.
So I was busy and unfortunatelymy assistant was.
(47:11):
She lived very far away, shecould not come to work.
So it was just me at the houseand I was booked every single
day, from morning straight back,and on top of that I was doing
deliveries for the products thatI sold in the shop.
So, me and the clients I workedon clients and in between that
I answer the phone.
Hi, thank you me.
I handle clients, I work fromclients and in between that I
answer the phone.
Hi, thank you for calling ShireRichie Beauty.
(47:32):
Oh yeah, I want a delivery, Iwant this and that.
So pop the bag, leave theclient, pop the bags, send it
off with a delivery person, andso I was making money.
I was making money.
I sold out everything out of myshop, right, but the lockdown
for me wasn't as intense as itwas, unfortunately, for New
Yorkers and um, I am happy,though, that I wasn't in New
York because I'm asthmatic, soit wouldn't work out for me at
(47:54):
all.
It was much better in Uganda.
I'm not gonna lie to you, butbusiness-wise it was successful.
Thank God I I think one of mybiggest flexes that I survived
COVID, and I'm so grateful toGod, kerry, because so many big
businesses, big brands we knowvery big businesses closed down.
You know, people lost their jobsand stuff.
(48:16):
And at the time, before Istarted to make money during
COVID, I didn't.
I wasn't making anything forlike two months, but I still
decided to pay my staff.
I still decided to pay my staffbecause you know they don't
have money, you know what I mean.
And even though I wasn't makingany, I still was able to you
know pay my rent and still paymy bills and things.
(48:36):
Was I worried?
Yes, I was a little bit worriedbecause I wasn't sure what was
going on.
Are we all going to die?
Am I going to get through this?
But here we are are, sevenyears later and a couple of
years after COVID, survivingCongratulations.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
I mean I'm just loving the story because it is,
I mean it's just amazing theexperiences that we have and we
could share, even even on aseparate, on a different
continent.
You know there's some throughline in the experiences
different people are having, butI'm glad that no me no,
somebody are you Uganda, Mecan't flex Say yeah, you have to
visit.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
You have to pay attention to the time and you
have to visit.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
No, no, no, for real, for real.
Um, we talked about that offthe air.
No, I want to as we start towrap up.
I mean, what is, what is theexperience in terms of?
You know, we didn't get toomuch into this jamaican culture.
How is that in uganda?
Speaker 2 (49:36):
how are you?
Speaker 1 (49:37):
able to you know how is that and and how are you able
to just kind of move our ownlisten?
Speaker 2 (49:45):
I learned.
When I just got there, Irealized I used to hear a lot of
you know, party and keep yourear, hear dancehall, reggae and
reggae music and I used to say,huh, it's okay, cool, you know
that.
Okay, that's cool.
You know jamaica, a verypopular country, and one day I
was in a uber because uber isthere, by the way and the radio
(50:06):
the driver channel radio wasplaying some kind of dancehall
music I don't remember who?
and I said driver, do you?
You guys play a lot of jamaicanmusic here.
And he said oh, we love jamaica, we love jamaica here.
So I was like huh.
I said I'm jamaican, you people.
The man stopped the car.
(50:26):
He pulled over, stopped the car.
I was so scared because I waslike what the hell did I say?
Like?
I was like shari, what did yousay?
The man turned around.
He's like are you jamaican?
I was like yeah, he's like oneone.
He was so happy.
He was so happy.
He started asking me the usualquestion you know, if I know
(50:50):
you're saying bolt, if, if Iknow, if I, you know, if I knew
about bob marley.
He was asking me the typicalquestions that non-jamaicans ask
.
He was so happy.
He asked me if that's how wereally dance.
Now he's talking about you knowthe dance hall where they jump
off?
Oh, he was talking to Dagarine,right?
So it was such a.
After the man dropped me home,we stood at my gates and that
(51:14):
man came out of the car, satdown with me and he was just
listening to me talk.
He was so fascinating.
It's almost like the man met acelebrity.
Ugandans are very, very open toJamaicans.
They love the music.
Right right now.
Sometimes I hear some music,ugandan music and I'm like, oh,
oh, is this a Jamaican song?
(51:35):
Or they love patois.
When I tell clients I'mJamaican, they're like you're
Jamaican, can you tell me patois?
And I have to talk to them inpatois, they love, they love it.
I introduced some of my clientsand my sister's family in-laws
to Jamaicanamosa they call itsamosas, you know it, which look
(51:57):
like um, what do you call thatthing?
That?
The empanadas?
(52:17):
empanadas yeah they look just,they look just like empanadas,
you know, and I find it just ourpatties are flat and there's
exactly a little puffed, right.
So we bake ours, they fry theirs, basically Right.
They have this thing calledluwambo, which is just a stew,
like how we put food in bananaleaf and stuff.
They do the same thing.
(52:37):
They eat the same food like wedo.
They're surprised when I tellthem we have watermelon, papaya,
all of those things.
They have everything there.
But I promise you they loveJamaica, so I've been having no
issues.
I have no issues like movingaround there or there's not too
much culture shock.
(52:57):
You know, as a Jamaican RightRight, and I found my people
there as well, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
You know, Jamaica is everywhere.
No, no, they're everywhereright.
So what are you looking forwardto as you wrap up, Because
clearly we can't talk forever,but, Sharia, you have to come
back again.
But what are you lookingforward to?
You know, in this next chapterof you know your life and
business, what's next for you?
Speaker 2 (53:29):
I want to.
So I expanded the business,like I got a new space.
At some point Um two years agoI got a new space, a bigger
space.
In Uganda it is very popular torent a house to turn it into a
business right, or buy a houseand turn it into a business,
whichever you prefer.
I did that because?
Did that because, um, they,they love privacy over there.
I said, hmm, this makes sense.
(53:50):
So I did just that.
So the space is big enough.
Now my plan is to just kind ofcapitalize on the space I have
and the fact that they love umjamaica so much that adding food
to it, because you know, youever did a spa or or at the
salon the whole day you do here.
So instead, of me sending mystaff out to go buy food, you
(54:15):
know, in different places, likeyou know what.
Let me just incorporate it here.
So that is my plan.
It's already in the works andhopefully I can get it done by
the end of the year.
Um, I'm in New York now and I'mgoing to be here for a little
bit because I want to get somestuff shipped in and just make
plans.
I do have other businessventures that I want to get into
(54:36):
and I'm starting those now andhopefully by the end of the year
it's early 2025, I can getthose done.
I don't want to limit myselfever.
I don't believe in that.
I feel like we're humans arevery magical beings and if you
stop doing what you want to do,if you stop being, if you stop
dreaming, if you stop aspiring,then you just limit yourself.
(54:59):
I don't want to do that Right.
So the spa I don't wish to openanother location right now.
I want to do other things.
If the stars align and allthose things can happen at once,
amazing, um.
But right now I want to openthe food parts.
That's the only expansion Iwant to do onto the business and
then also get into otherbusiness ventures.
Speaker 1 (55:22):
Wonderful.
I mean, shari, this was, thiswas a magical trip, like you
know, like a story frombeginning to end, from Jamaica
to UK, to Uganda, and you'regiving us a little bit and I
just love that.
I know somebody who's Jamaicanand living in Uganda and running
a business and you, you knowthat is the beauty of community
(55:46):
right, because I met you throughsomeone and through someone and
it's just how we continue tobuild and connect and I'm sure
someone's listening to this whoare just like I've been meaning
to travel, I've been meaning togo somewhere, and now they know
someone in another country.
So I really thank you for justcoming on sharing your
experience.
Love, love, love that.
(56:09):
I'm now connected with you andcongrats on everything.
Seven years, you know, thankyou.
It's a long time and I'm I'mexcited for you.
I'm super happy for you.
So big up yourself.
So why don't you tell thecommunity of friends a little
bit about where they could findyou, connect with you and know
all the things we're here goingwith?
Speaker 2 (56:31):
Yeah, so my Ugandan business page is at Shari Richie
Beauty, so this is on Instagramand also on TikTok, shari
Richie Beauty, and it'sS-H-A-R-I-R-I-C-H-I Beauty.
Also, you can find me, mypersonal page, which is just me
doing the branding on myself.
(56:51):
You get to know me personallyoutside of my business.
It's on Instagram or on TikTokat Shari Richies
S-H-A-R-I-R-I-C-H-I, andhopefully I get to connect with
you.
Ask me questions.
I'm very open.
If you need advice, even liketo connect with you.
(57:12):
Ask me questions.
I'm very open if you need advice.
If you know, even if it's notabout uganda, like in terms of
maybe you want to open anotherbusiness or something in the
same field as I am.
You know I'm into beauty, I'malso into fashion ask me
questions.
Or, you know, maybe you're justyou're just a woman that want
to talk.
I talk to men too.
Um, just behave please, um, butyeah, if you just want to talk,
if you need advice on how tomove forward with certain things
, I'm a very open person.
I'm nice.
(57:33):
I might look mean sometimes,but I'm not mean, I'm not nice.
Speaker 1 (57:36):
You know the face.
We come with it.
Speaker 2 (57:41):
We know the vibes, we know the vibes the forehead do
it Right.
Speaker 1 (57:49):
The forehead the far end do it right.
Well, shari, thank you.
Thank you so much for being onthe podcast.
Thank you again for just comingand whenever you're ready for
comeback just.
Whatsapp me.
I don't know the ting.
Thank, you for having me ofcourse, and as I love to say at
the end of every episode walkgood thank you, darling.
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of
Carry On Friends the CaribbeanAmerican experience, and I'm so
excited to have this beautifulguest on the podcast.
Yes, yes, yes, I met her a fewweeks ago walking into a domino
game, and the rest is history.
Shari, welcome to Carry OnFriends.
(00:26):
How are you feeling, my darling?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thank you so much, keri.
I'm feeling great.
Actually, I'm excited aboutthis podcast.
It's actually my second timebeing on a podcast.
The first one was with someonefrom St Lucia and now this is my
first time with someoneactually from Jamaica.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
All right.
So you know, says vibes Beerteens.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So let's get into it.
Why don't you tell thecommunity of friends a little
bit about who you are we justkind of give away the Caribbean
country, but drop it that wayCaribbean country you represent
and a little bit about the workyou do.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
So my name is Shari.
I am originally from Jamaica,born and raised, and I left
Jamaica, came to America to live.
First I went to the UK, so Ididn't tell you about that.
I lived in the UK for a littlebit, didn't like it.
I decided one day, out of theblue, I wanted to open a
(01:23):
business.
It has been a dream of mine toopen my own business, just
didn't know where.
And I got an opportunity.
My sister called me one day andsaid Shari, let's go to Africa.
And I pack up my bag and Ihopped on the flight.
And now, seven years later, Iam a business owner.
I opened a spa in Uganda whichis located in East Africa for
(01:46):
those who don't know which isvery similar to the life we live
in Jamaica, very, very similar.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, wow.
So yes, that's why I bring herup on the podcast, because you
know we talk all these things.
So, before we get to that, talkto me about around what age you
left Jamaica to go to UK,specifically like that
experience where you didn't likeabout it, what you liked about
it coming to New York, etc.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, I think I was probably around 18, 17, 18.
And my intention was to go andstay and live with family.
The same way I'm living in NewYork now.
That was my intentionoriginally and after about eight
months to a year, I don'tremember um, this was around in
2000, around 2005, ish four, andI didn't like the weather.
(02:40):
My island girl so you know,island girl, we love, we love
sunshine, we love beach, we loveall that kind of thing.
Um, I didn't like the weather.
The island girl, so you know,island girl, we love sunshine,
we love beach, we love all thatkind of thing.
I didn't like the weather.
It was my first time now havingto leave Jamaica and leave my
friends and the life that I knewbefore, and I was willing to
make the change.
You know, it was still mydecision, but it was just a
culture shock for me.
(03:01):
A lot of things were justdifferent for me in the UK.
It was just a culture shock forme.
A lot of things were justdifferent for me in the UK.
Didn't like the weather, didnot like the average food there.
Of course I cooked at home, butI found the experience I had
with people there just different.
They can be a littlestandoffish no offense to only
UK people but wouldn't have veryfriendly.
(03:23):
Uk people are not so friendly.
You know I met some greatpeople there.
I had great times.
I did love the architecture.
I'm very much into arts.
Everything about the arts, I'minto it.
So whether it's clothing,whether it's beauty, anything
about the arts, I love it.
So I really love thearchitecture there.
I did love the fashion there,and you know I'm into fashion,
(03:44):
so I really enjoyed that.
At the time I was modeling, Iwas a model.
I was a Pulse model.
I was discovered by PulseInternational in Jamaica, so I
was moving around looking foragencies there in the UK and
after some time I just realizedthat you know what this is not
for me.
And luckily I had experiencedNew York prior and I was like I
(04:05):
feel like New York is home and Isaid goodbye to my family and
then I just left.
They didn't want me to leave,but I left.
I just knew that my heart wasnot there and I'm the kind of
person that you know.
So once something is here, if Idon't get it that way, I'm just
not gonna be happy, right?
So packed my bags again, leftUK, went back home for a little
(04:31):
bit, just like probably like twoweeks or so, and then I went to
New York and I've been heresince all right, so you've been
to New York.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
What about New York?
Because New York different time?
We are still, you know, I know,but at the time.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
We never know.
You know, I didn't know likeyou remember the first time you
came to New York.
You're young, you're excited,everything, big buildings, and
you know, even if you came hereat 30, this is new to you.
New York is like no other place.
You understand, understand.
It is like no other place.
First time I came I was stillmodeling and I came with my
(05:09):
agent.
At the time it was KingsleyCooper who unfortunately just
passed, you know.
Rest in peace, mr Cooper.
He was a very great man and hebrought us up here and we were
looking for agencies.
So usually in the modelingindustry you have a home agent
and which is in your country,and then you we will get scouted
by other agents in differentparts of the world.
(05:30):
So you'll end up havingsometimes three, four, five
agencies anyway.
Um, I love me, I'm a vibrantperson, so New York gives that.
You know you have to haveenergy to live in New York.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
There's definitely a buzz here.
You know you have to haveenergy to live in New York.
There is definitely a buzz here, Even when you don't feel like
you want to be buzzed.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
there's a buzz, exactly it's.
It's such a vibrant place and Ifeel like it, just it, just, we
just clicked.
I just knew you know thatlittle voice in your head
telling like, oh, this is home,this is it, whatever it is.
That's how I felt and I said,listen, I've always been a very
open person, I will trysomething and if it doesn't work
out, for me, it doesn't workout and I move on to the next
(06:09):
thing.
So when I came, I felt at home.
I hit the ground runningimmediately.
I said you know what?
I need to find my footing here,because I don't really know.
I don't know anybody too much.
You know everybody.
Every Jamaican have friendsthat are family members that
live in new york.
Every jamaican have at leastone person will live in new york
(06:30):
.
And I knew my cousin.
You know my cousin and my aunt,and I stayed with them in
jersey for a short time and thenI just moved into the city by
myself and it's been historysince like I haven't moved
officially from New York becauseI still, even though I have my
business there, I still live inNew York.
So that is the next crazieststory you can imagine.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
my life is crazy listen, listen, we already
established, say you just aregoing to do a thing, and you're
right.
But I think that is why Iwanted to have this conversation
, because I'm so fascinated byyou, know, just you and the
movement.
And then you add in themargling ting and all of these
things.
So, yeah, you're still a NewYorker, you know?
(07:15):
give up the New York life andyou're in New York for a little
bit.
What is happening in New York?
What are you doing in New Yorkbefore a sister call you up and
say ring Shari Lego, and yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Okay.
So when I just came to New Yorkme and Pitney you know young
girl, teenager going into mytwenties and, um, I think I was
about 19 at the time when Ifinally moved in and I just
wanted to get a job you know,finally moved in and I just
wanted to get a job, you know, Istarted in the retail industry,
which is so easy here.
(07:49):
You just want one job, so easyhere.
I started working in retail andI was doing that for a couple
of years.
You know, high end retail.
So I was like you know, thosedesigner stores, the Dolce and
Gabbana's and any other brandthat you could think of.
I was working in a few of themfor a couple years and I moved
from like sales associate up tomanagement eventually and I kind
(08:14):
of stayed.
So when I was 12 backstory whenI was 12 I remember distinctly
one day I said I know I want toopen my own business.
I't sure I thought I was goingto open a fashion business, like
a boutique or something.
I knew I wanted to open my ownbusiness.
I didn't know where, I didn'tknow what type of business
exactly, but I knew I wanted todo it.
(08:36):
So when I came to New York andI got the opportunity to work in
the hospitality industry.
I said you know what?
Hmm, all right, so if I'm goingto open my own business one day
, I need the experience.
I specifically chose to work inretail and then, years after, I
chose also the restaurantindustry, because corporate life
(08:57):
was not for me.
It wasn't the money part of it,because I knew I was going to
open my own business, but Ineeded the experience.
So I wanted the only way youcan learn, kerry, I don't care
how you go on YouTube and allthese things.
All the way you can learn is ifyou have experience.
So I wanted to learn thebackend part of both industries,
so the restaurant industry andretail industry.
(09:18):
And the reason why I wanted tolearn in the restaurant industry
part is because I also knew oneday I want to open a small kind
of like a mom and pop shop sizerestaurants and again, I don't
know where, but fast forward tonow, I'm in works with doing
that right now in Uganda, whichmakes sense because they love
(09:42):
our culture there.
So I took the experience.
I became manager.
I was a manager at the time andone day my sister called me and
she was like, oh cause, she'smarried to a Ugandan and she's
been going back and forth there.
They live in the UK, they liveand met in the UK and she said,
shari, why don't you come toUganda?
(10:04):
A client of mine gave me theidea to open a nail spa because
she's a big nail tech.
Um, she was in the uk and whilevisiting there, someone said to
her why don't you open a placehere?
And she said you know what?
Let me do that.
Then she called me and said whydon't you come?
So I was like you know what?
I'm gonna have the have apicnic, I'm going to get married
.
Let me go.
(10:24):
Now would be the opportune timeto go out there and do it.
And I never been to Africabefore.
When I went, never been toAfrica before, and within nine
months of that phone call, I wason a plane to Uganda.
Wow, wow.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yes, I know.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I'm crazy, wow, wow, yes.
Yes, I know I'm crazy.
No, I don't know.
Like you said, it's it's time,it's where you are at a point in
your life and the opportunity,just like you said you're single
, you're not have no kids.
It was the perfect time rightTo do it.
Right, so let's talk aboutUganda.
Right, and you already answeredour question.
Why Uganda?
(11:03):
Your brother-in-law is Ugandan.
And so talk to me aboutactually the setting up of the
business, the culture, how youmanage, because it's far you
know far.
So talk to me about that.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
All right, so setting up of the business Now.
Now, this one is the kicker.
Never been to africa before,never met a ugandan before.
No, no, nothing.
My sister went before me, whichwas, which was good.
Initially we were looking for aspace together and when she
went there and was lookingaround, looking around, it just
(11:46):
wasn't happening.
It was not happening.
She had a lot of issues findinga space together.
She told me one time there wasthis one lady who she owns a
salon over there, a well-knownsalon, and this mall that we
wanted to go into.
That lady owned a salon in thatmall.
So apparently she never wants,she didn't want any competition
(12:11):
with her.
So, um, we couldn't get thespace in that mall, which,
thankfully.
Now, listen, let me tell youguys something you see, when,
sometime, when God tell you, nois not, no, it's something not
yet right, it's just not yet youunderstand, and or it's not the
right space for this, is notfor you, and I was bummed out.
(12:34):
We were bummed out about itbecause it's a very popular mall
.
It's still a very, it's stillthe popular mall in Kampala,
which is like the king Kingstonof Uganda, right the city, and
we didn't get it.
Anyway, we decided, you knowwhat, let's open our own spaces,
fine, cool.
So she found a mall and I'mstill in New York, finishing up
(12:58):
the last leg of my career here,and you know I save all my money
and everything buying all thisstuff Every time I get my
paycheck.
I was just buying and packingup my apartment started to look
like a warehouse, right, but itwas fine, it was fine.
I knew the end goal.
So now, when she finally got herspace, I asked them for the
measurements.
When I got it, one of myfriend's apartment was around
(13:21):
the same size as the shop I wasgetting at the time and I asked
my friend.
I said, hey, um, can I comeover to your house and just do
some marking out and some stuff?
And he said yeah, okay, and Iwent over, went all the way to
Brooklyn, went to his house andI started to map out, bring tape
(13:42):
, map out how I drew on paper,because I'm a very good artist.
So I drew on paper how I wantedto.
You know how I wanted.
I basically did all the decorfor my shop.
I knew what I wanted it to looklike.
I wanted it to be very girlyand, you know, pretty and
beautiful, even though it was astore space.
And you know, like even a mall,you expect a store to look like
(14:03):
a store.
I wanted it to look fancy,right?
So I marked out everything thatI wanted the space.
I knew how much space I had,what I could put where, the
measurements of the couch.
I started to get things made,all of that stuff.
And when I showed my sister theart, the drawing on the paper,
(14:25):
she was like Shari, where putall of them?
Something here Like this can'tfit Shari, the space too small,
all these things on the set,it's going to fit.
Mind you, I've never been tothe space.
She's there, she's in the space.
And I said, don't worry, it'sgoing to fit.
And I put everything on paper,got it done, and, um, then after
(14:45):
that I bought everything andshipped everything to Uganda.
The day before I left, I I had,I had the worst bubble guts ever
and I was so worried I was like, oh my God, why am I a bubble
guts?
No, why am I of?
You know?
Basically bubble guts.
For all who don't understand,it's basically like diarrhea,
(15:06):
right.
But, um, my mom said to me youneed to relax, it's just nerves.
I call you nervous why thishappened to you, and it was true
Cause I was.
I was starting to questionmyself Like what am I doing?
Who do you think you are?
Why are you doing this?
You know you never even been toAfrica before.
(15:27):
You know what if you don't fitin.
I had so many questions 24hours before going to this trip.
Anyway, I went um the flightfor those who have never been to
east africa, ugandaspecifically um, it is around 21
hours to get to here, here whatmy girl say blood fire pussy
(15:48):
listen in, this trip is not forthe week.
It's not for the week.
Um, I flew emirates airlines,um, and I've been flying them
since.
Emirates and qatar, the twoairlines I trust to go there,
and especially because I alwayshave products for my business
and I packed up all my bags,flew there.
So it's a 14 and a half hourtrip from here to Dubai with
(16:11):
Emirates and then, um, Itransferred to another plane and
the flight from Dubai to Ugandais five and a half hours, yeah,
and when I got there, um, mysister picked me up and stuff
and it was, it was just magicalfor me.
I felt like a kid and I kind offrom the direct the airport to
(16:33):
the house you know when the dogdriving in the car and then head
through the window yeah, thatwas that was you that was me.
I was just.
I was just.
I'm like, I'm Africa.
It was so magical.
Keri Like this is something Iwish every Caribbean person
could experience going back hometo the motherland they'll go
(17:10):
Uganda.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
But when you said 21 megahertz, rolandia, 21 hours,
but you know, by you talkingabout it and, of course,
everyone there at the you knowthe meetup that we had just
hearing your experience, I wasjust like really fascinated.
That one, not only that youstarted this business, but the
recurring theme with those whowent to East Africa,
specifically because we knowWest Africa with Nigeria and
Ghana, we know what that is.
(17:30):
But when you all were talkingabout the East African countries
, particularly Uganda and Kenya,and you all were sharing how
much love they have for theculture, and everything.
It was almost like this feellike Jamaica back in the day,
but right, you know that type ofway that you're talking so you
reach, you excite.
(17:51):
What happened next?
Tell me why you're the storyall right.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So now I'm in Uganda and the first thing is, um, so
my sister had secured, remembershe?
She lives in the uk, so she hadto move, just like I had to
move.
But she just went before me, um, she opened her business.
The same procedure I wentthrough, she went through the
same thing for her business,right, shipping stuff, all of
(18:16):
them, something.
So now, um, she got anapartment for us to stay in and
she got a three-bedroomapartment, very nice place, and
now it's time to get myfurniture made.
Um, so they're just at jamaicathey have like local carpenters
and stuff and obviously it isway cheaper.
You know how?
(18:37):
We buy bed over here for eighthundred dollar, thousand dollar,
fifteen hundred dollar.
No, you can get.
You can get a couple of piecesof furniture made for like like
$500, like couple of pieces offurniture.
So, started the carpentry Cause.
Again, I knew from before what Iwanted and the size of the
things that I needed, startedthe work and then, um, it took
(19:02):
while, let me tell you, this wasthis was when Uganda showed me
Uganda.
It's when somebody in Ugandatell you say, two weeks, just
know, you have around threemonths.
Okay, we can laugh.
Now, you guys I can laugh now,but just know I got into it with
the carpenter like severaltimes.
(19:23):
I got into it with thecarpenter like several times.
I got into it one time I showup at the man's shop, hissed
early in the morning.
I showed up at his shop like Ihad an open date.
I arrived in Uganda like June Ithink June 7th or 17th, one of
those seven numbers and myinitial plan was to open at
(19:47):
least no later than two to threeweeks after arriving, right,
setting up everything, whateverthe carpenter told me, two weeks
for everything to be done,right.
And you know, when I opened,august 17th, august 18th, last
Sunday, august 18th, was myseventh year anniversary.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Thank you, but yeah, it was not fun.
I will not lie to you, it wasnot fun.
The carpenter was taking long.
I got the space painted andstuff.
When the carpenter did come inand was fitting stuff in, the
man use pen.
What carpenter uses?
Pen pencil on my painted walk.
(20:34):
Terry, I was stressed when Itell you and I'm not used to
this Cause I'm just like what iswrong with you on top of that,
you know about colored peopletime.
You know black people have themtime in uganda.
There's a different time.
There's a there.
This is the king of lateness.
(20:55):
If you tell someone to meet youat one o'clock, please be
advised.
You only have two optionseither I'm gonna reach hours
later or none at all.
My word yes, that is the wholetruth and nothing but the truth.
Please know you are the daybefore them and I'm a very
timely person.
Yes, so I was hiring, like,electricians and stuff you know
(21:17):
to.
You know, make sockets in thespace, um, I was hiring
electricians.
I was hiring um, carpenters,painters, all that stuff, and no
matter how, I tell peopleplease come at seven in the
morning so we can get the jobdone in one day.
I don't want anything to be athree, four or five day process.
People show up 11 o'clock inthe morning and stuff, and at
(21:38):
the time, because I don't knowanybody it's not like here that
you know that okay, if you hirea company and they don't show up
, you can just whatever.
You are canceled, you findsomebody else to replace them
quickly.
You know everything you'relearning the place um, you learn
, you know what I mean.
Um, I used to get veryfrustrated.
I was getting very frustratedbecause you know, like my plan
was okay, cool, yes, we go therewith money, because obviously
(22:01):
you have to plan this in orderto go, but I don't want to keep
spending my money without makingmoney.
You understand, I don't have norich parents and I'm not sugar
daddy, it's just me and themoney that I saved myself and I
went with it.
So eventually, finally, after acouple of threats, a couple
(22:24):
choice words, you're going to gomad at the people.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
As I should Right.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
As to go mad at the people, right as I should, right
as I should.
I definitely did Like they, andthey're very so.
Ugandans are very mal-manneredpeople, very, very, but they're
not confrontational at all.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Right, so I will bring the Jamaican beaches.
Yes, ignorant Cross Angry, he'sa rebel.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Listen, they're not used to that.
They legit think you're crazy.
They think you're crazy.
So, after the whole process, Ifinally got to open August 18th
in 2017.
And I was scared.
So I had newspapers on theglass of the store, you know,
(23:16):
like the display window, carrie.
I was so scared to rip thenewspaper.
I don't know why.
You know because I knoweverybody was looking, everybody
else, because I have shopneighbors and stuff and I didn't
really talk to anybody.
Um, that's another thing.
Ugandans, when you go to Uganda, please be advised that
Ugandans like to stare.
(23:36):
They don't speak.
You don't understand.
This is something you're gonnahave to get used to, harry.
They stare listen, this remindsme so, of course, my grandpa,
jamaica and you know, like whenyou're a a pit in a primary
school you remember what themused to say when you look at
them while you're staring andnot driving right, well, and and
(23:58):
in america, when someone isstaring at you, um, you know,
when you look, they willprobably like look away and
stuff.
Yeah, they say hello.
So anyway, um, I was scared toopen.
My sister came down to saysorry, you don't take off the
newspaper yet.
Everybody was looking,everybody, all the girls you
(24:24):
know that had shop next door.
They might look because theynever see anything like it
before.
Usually a store look like astore.
Mine was just girly, I had like.
So because I do, um, Ispecialize in eyelash extensions
.
I don't know if you know aboutmicroblading or any pmu service,
right, so I do semi-permanenteyebrows, lip blush, um, hair
(24:49):
wigs At the time I wasn't bigbraiding, I was specializing in
just wigs.
So, like hair extensions, wigs,that kind of stuff and hair
styling, I sell products.
So I brought products from theUS.
So, like you know, nice haircare products for natural hair
and all hair types, that kind ofstuff.
There's a bed that I use.
So I wanted privacy for myclients.
(25:10):
The shop was small, right, andI knew I wanted.
I didn't want when someone isgetting their eyelashes and I
feel like your old privacybecause your eyes close.
You know what I mean Um.
So where the bed is, I put uplike a curtain and if no one is
on the bed then the curtain iskind of like draped, kind of
like how you see it on stage,and then when someone is there
(25:33):
the curtain is closed.
So everyone, the curtain islike draped.
Now everyone is seeing um.
My favorite color is any shadeof purple.
I love lilac, so the shop mygirl.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
My girl is yours.
Yes, Listen, purple lilac,lavender, anything in that.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Oh my gosh, I absolutely.
That is my happy color, that ismy peaceful color.
I love me a lilac.
So I painted my shop.
My company color is lilac.
Right, my business cards, thelogo, everything.
You will find lilac in there.
So, um, everybody was looking.
So now everybody, peoplestarted to come across and
(26:14):
people came down to us Hi, can Icome inside your shop and look?
And they will look.
I had a swing.
I had a swing in the in thewindow display window on.
The mannequin was on the swing,or her hair done.
She was wearing a shirt from mycompany and it was just really
cute, exactly how I imagined it.
That's exactly how it came outand I was very happy.
(26:37):
I cried a little bit.
I was just like, oh my god,like I still like, what am I
doing?
What am I doing here?
It was, it was a shock.
You know what I mean.
Um, then I didn't have a, Ididn't have a launch party or
anything.
I don't know nobody.
I didn't know anybody.
Uh, it was just my sister atthe time and her husband and I
(26:58):
just said you know, let me justdo this.
People started to come and, youknow, ask questions and stuff,
and that's when august 18, 2017was the day I just started
taking clients and starting now.
This is where the wheel startedto turn, now, when I started to
learn about Ugandans and how todeal with them.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Crazy.
So, before we get into that, abit of logistics, because that's
how my brain works.
I mean, we talk about going toUganda, but there's a lot of
things involved like oh, you getinto the country, you know
Jamaican passport, you know allof this, you need the visa you
know, work permit.
You can't show up in othercountries and decide to go to
(27:39):
work.
So a little bit on that.
I like a story time.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
All right.
So going to Uganda, if you'regoing to Uganda, if you ever
plan to go to Uganda, you needto have a yellow fever vaccine
and in New York, if you don'thave insurance, that vaccine can
run you at the time, at thetime, around $300.
Yes, ma'am, that vaccine canrun around $300 if you don't
(28:04):
have insurance.
However, I think I'm hearingthat insurance doesn't cover it.
I'm not sure.
I think someone said it, butI'm not sure.
Don't quote me on that, but Iwould hope so.
So, anyway, I had to get thethe yellow fever vaccine.
I did that.
Um, now, because of caricom,you are allowed as a jamaican
(28:29):
with with a Jamaican passport,to enter the country.
The only drawback is you cannotstay longer than three months.
If you're visiting, youunderstand like you can't stay.
So you can enter visa free, noproblem.
You just cannot stay longerthan three months, which is fine
.
So that part was taken care of.
(28:49):
When you get to the airport,you have no issues.
Sometimes some of the immigrant,the custom officers they don't
I'm not sure why, they don'tknow this, but they'll ask you
like, oh, about your visa?
I'm like no, I don't need avisa, it's a Jamaican passport.
And they look it up and thenthey say, okay, cool, so you
(29:09):
have no issues getting in onceyou show the yellow fever
vaccine if you have a jamaicanpassport.
However, if you are a us umcitizen, you have a us passport.
You do needa visa.
At the time not sure now youneeded to get.
You could get your visa uponarrival right and I think it was
like 70 to 100 for the visa.
Don't know the length of timeand all that stuff.
(29:30):
I don't know that part becauseI use my jamaican um right um,
so I don't know that part, butagain, it's, it was.
It was a smooth enough process.
You know nothing crazy, but youcannot enter without the yellow
fever card.
Now some people said they who,some people entered and they
didn't have it, so then theyprovided in the airport.
(29:51):
I would not be caught dead oralive getting a yellow fever
vaccine in the airport to me.
That no, son kosher, me no, no,I'm sorry, I'm gonna send them
back.
They're never gonna send meanother 21 hours back.
Like no, I just I refuse.
So me, I'm a very detailedperson.
I make sure.
(30:13):
Listen, carrie.
See, if you say, shari, I'minviting you to Long Island, for
example, and you tell me aspecific place, I'm going to do
my research, I'm going to findout where I'm going, what is the
dress code at the place, whatare the rules at the place?
Like, I'm a very detailedperson and I may try it all
because mina, like embarrassment, that's one.
(30:34):
No, no, no, no, I don't want tobe turned back, I don't want to
be.
I just don't want to beinconvenienced in any way, shape
or form, because that's areally long trip.
You know what I mean and Ialready invested so much time
and money into this.
I had to go to the extra mile.
What else did you ask?
The work, the work.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Your obvious is still past three months, so you get
the work permit.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Oh yeah, so I have a lawyer, I got a lawyer and I
just let him deal with the.
You know, I told him what Iwanted to do.
All that stuff.
It is not like a very smooth,smooth process.
It's not too hard, but it's notsmooth.
It bumpy, um, and it it iscostly.
(31:20):
It's very costly, my darling.
It is very costly, um, so youhave to renew sometime over a
couple years, um, depending onwhich one you get.
So they do have different onesthat you can look into.
All this information, honestly,is online.
So for anybody that is watchingand is interested and this
(31:42):
doesn't only go for uganda,right, um, I have other friends
that have businesses indifferent parts of Africa Ivory
Coast, senegal, ghana andNigeria.
It's almost the same process,you know.
So they have different visasand stuff.
So my lawyer dealt with it.
I paid that person, they dealtwith it and helped me to get the
(32:05):
things that I needed to be safe.
And help me to get the thingsthat I needed To be safe, and
that's it.
They just show you.
You know how, in Jamaica youhave to pay your taxes, just
like here.
We have a place called KCCA.
They will go around everyJanuary, or sometimes they'll
come around earlier in the yearLater in the year, sorry and
(32:27):
they will just check businessesTo see if you have your proper
licenses and stuff which you canjust put it up in your business
space and you're good.
I've never really had anyissues with that.
Sometime them try for commonyou know them warm wallet money
if you have the right things.
But I never pay anybody to.
I just I'm not going to take onthat habit.
You see, I feel like it is notthe best idea.
(32:48):
It's not the smartest idea.
Once you open that door, it isopen, can't lock it back, right.
One thing I did experience iswhile creating that shop space,
while, you know, doing the decorand stuff, but right before
opening I realized that men inUganda automatically think that
(33:10):
when there's a business, a manis involved.
So they'll come and ask whereis the boss, where is your
husband?
That's the kind of talk theycome with and I'll always ask I
don't understand why you feellike there's a man involved.
I don't understand why you feellike there's a man involved.
Truth is the truth.
They do undermine women.
(33:31):
You know the men, most of themen.
They undermine women and it'slike, especially if you're a
young girl.
They think, oh, there's no wayyou have money, one man must
involve, one sugar daddy orsomething must involve, or your
father give you the money.
You know there's no way it madeit work.
God forbid, we did work hard,you know.
(33:53):
So those are some, some cons,something I I'm glad I learned
it early, though I learned itearly, um, and as you can
imagine, I'm an alpha female.
It's not something I wear, Italk about all the time, or
whatever.
If you meet me and know I havea strong personality and that
kind of behavior don't sit wellwith me, because I know I work
(34:14):
hard and just to hear somebodyundermine me I'll be like, oh,
where's your husband?
Or you're just a woman.
And if I hire a man to do a joblike an electrician or somebody
you know they they're nottaking me seriously.
Until me unleash the b word,they don't take you seriously.
Carry, yeah, that is.
(34:34):
That is another con.
Yeah, trust me, I've changed.
I've changed.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Yeah, wow well, thanks for sharing that.
And so now you're celebratingseven years.
I take each year in a big,undifferent space by yes, ma'am,
yes, so yeah, tell me you knowcliff notes of how the seven
years has been going and youknow all of the all these things
(35:02):
me love a story here all right,so, uh, so first things first.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
It was my first business and I was learning
while the business is growing,never opened a space before and
luckily I took all those yearsof training living in America,
in New York specifically, andworking in the retail and
(35:30):
restaurant space, so I knew theback end and hotel handle, books
and all of them something.
Because you see, carrie, onething is, you learn these things
I did.
I did POB in school cool, cute.
But there's nothing greaterthan experience, right?
So I um one second, one second.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
So audience.
Pob is principle of business.
It is a subject that umjamaican kids it your tech,
maybe other places in thecaribbean, but I don't know.
So, jamaicans, we just want tosay there's a pob, what that
principle of business?
It's essentially a businessclass class that you get to
select this class in your 10thgrade year, right?
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Right.
So I started to learn with thebusiness.
I started to implement certainrules and stuff things that
would help my business grow eachday.
I've made a couple of mistakesover the years.
Obviously Now people didn'treally like was happy that I was
there.
Microblading at the time was notas popular Even in America.
(36:37):
It was still just starting toget a buzz.
So in Uganda it was justnon-existent at the time.
So I was the first person tobring microblading to Uganda.
So people were asking like whatis that?
Like, oh, you draw eyebrows,like what is it?
So I took time.
I said you know what?
This is the perfect, theperfect way to market my
(36:59):
business.
So, even though I did otherservices, I mostly advertised
that one because it was so newto the country.
I made sure to just capitalizeoff that.
I got popular very quickly,very, very quickly, and I
started to grow, started to growand I was so invested I became
(37:23):
obsessed.
When I tell you it was, you guyswon't believe this, but I think
the first time I took a breakfrom work was when I got sick.
So my body forced me to take abreak.
I got sick.
To this day I don't know whathappened to me.
I got really, really sick.
I never took a day off.
(37:43):
I never felt like.
You know that saying I know youguys might think this sound
cliche.
It is not.
I promise you it is not.
Felt like you know that sayingI know you guys might think this
sound cliche, it is not.
I promise you it is not.
You know, when I say when youdo what you love, you will never
work a day in your life.
It is a hundred percent thetruth.
I never got up one day, even ifI had to work seven days in a
row.
I never.
There was never a morning I gotup and be like I forgot work.
(38:04):
I gotta go to work.
No, I never felt like that, notone day.
I was happy every single day.
Yes, trials came, tribulationscame.
Yes, I'm not saying that didnot happen, but I was happy.
I was happy.
I was doing what I felt likeGod called me to do.
I was meeting women, and part ofthe reason why I opened this
(38:24):
business also was I wanted togive back to women.
I wanted to be a voice.
I wanted to be an example towomen.
Um, I didn't have a lot of thatgrowing up.
I have my mom and I have oneauntie that is my dearest,
dearest love, love her so much.
(38:45):
Her name is Robin Sabig ofyourself, um, that was an
example to me and I wanted to bethat example to other young
women you know, women on a whole, but specifically young women
to show them that you know youcan do this, you don't need to
do certain things in order toget ahead in life and stuff.
So I'm going to share this withyou guys.
(39:05):
I prayed one day and I asked God.
I realized my purpose on earthand that is to help other people
.
And if you can allow me to doyour work but also do my work, I
would be very happy.
I would, I'll be very happy andthe stars aligned, I'm doing my
work, and what does my workentail?
(39:27):
Meeting women.
I am so happy and I can tellyou that I've had very tearful
moments with clients.
I've had women who theirpartners they'll tell me oh I,
you know I need a makeover.
My husband hasn't looked at mein a while or, if they're not
(39:50):
married, things like you know, Ifeel old or I don't look good.
I don't feel good in myself, Idon't feel confident and I
remember when I was young, likeyou know.
I think I would assume thatevery young woman has felt that
way at some point.
You're too skinny, your headtoo big.
I have a big forehead.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
I used to get I was about to say the forehead when I
saw you as a man, the girl thatcould have caused me no candy.
We on the forehead, theforehead, listen honey growing
up, my mother would say listen,the forehead reach before you
honey, let me tell you myforehead was teased properly in
(40:32):
school.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Right, I was very skinny like you could have catch
water in yourself.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
Yeah, my grandmother used to put her hand in her soul
right, so catch water.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
For for my non-caribbean people who don't
understand, when they say whatwater could I catch yourself?
Means that you know you're soskinny, you know that sinkhole,
because you're so skinny, youcan pour water in there, and it
stayed.
That was me.
So I used to get teased a lotin school.
Then I had very bold legs oh mygod, my legs were so bold.
I used to get teased for thatas well.
So I was skinny, my head big,my forehead big, like I was just
(41:11):
being teased right.
Um, my self-esteem was low andthen I said you know what, get
older, I got more confident.
Now I'm at this level where youcan't tell me none like me, not
even listen to you.
You just go heal.
That's my response.
You may even tell, say, you'rea big tool, go and heal my good
sister.
Go and heal, right.
(41:32):
So all these stories that I hear, the most rewarding thing for
me during this business is themoney is always going to be nice
.
But I can tell you this when aclient look in the mirror and
say, oh my God, or they hug meor they cry and they tell me
their story and tell me how, ohmy God, I feel like a new person
(41:52):
, or my partner hasn't looked atme in years, or whatever.
The sad story is.
It is the most rewarding thingever.
You hear me, it's been sevenyears and it always feel like
the first time.
Every time it happens,sometimes I find myself cry and
I have to go off to the side andjust gather myself and then
(42:15):
come back.
I've cried many tears.
I've sent my space to be likeokay, shari, you're doing what
you want to do, but you're alsoministering, in a way, to women,
(42:36):
you know, and it hasn't beeneasy.
It hasn't been easy.
I've met some.
I've met some nasty people.
I've met some nasty people,some people who I just know that
you need to heal.
Yeah, you deal with somethinginside, because there's no way
you, you're that ugly.
There's no way.
You know, and I try earlier,when I was much younger, I used
(42:57):
to judge people heavily, like,oh lord god, why is this?
And you know me to say you know, I used to judge, you know, I
think we were all, we're all inthe same boat.
But now I look at thingsdifferently.
I you ask myself, I'minterested to know what you went
through while you're like this.
But yeah, so I've now gotten toa space, seven years later,
(43:19):
where I'm well known over there.
It's easy over there.
It's so interesting.
They like to call people celebsor socialites.
You know what I mean, and Iguess I'm one of those two.
It doesn't matter to me.
I don't like those kind oftitle.
I'm a very private person.
So that was a big challenge forme.
I, I'm a very private person.
(43:41):
I like a very quiet, humblelife.
I um the people that are in mycircle, them alone.
I like to know my business andwhatever else.
I don't like being in thelimelight per se.
So that was a challenge for mein the beginning, because I
didn't know if I didn't know ifI wanted to market myself as the
(44:03):
owner of the business.
And then I had to give myselfthat pep talk like Shari.
You're going to have to be abrand If you want this to be a
business that you can carry on,even if you decide to give up
three years later.
Right now, this is what youhave.
You're going to have to be yourown brand and I just changed my
marketing game and now I pushme out.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Yeah, I have a question really quick, just so
what happened during the COVIDCause?
We know COVID in America.
What was COVID in Uganda?
Speaker 2 (44:34):
You know what I don't want to say that word?
Covid was a time Uganda.
It wasn't as bad.
It wasn't as bad in thebeginning.
I think we got like after acertain, I think we got like
after a certain time.
We got like like 40, 40something, thousand cases.
Uganda, by the way, um, ladiesand gentlemen, has a population
(44:55):
of 45 million people.
Uganda is huge.
Uganda is huge, right, um.
So 44 000, 50, 000, 60 like it,when covid was dying down,
that's when the numbers kind oflike, you're like, I don't know
how much it got to, but maybelike 7, 60 round there.
Um, we were in lockdown.
(45:17):
I was stuck in uganda, by theway, from march till I didn't
come back to new york.
Till january, almost a year Icouldn't come back.
The airport was closed.
We went through three phases oflockdown.
The airport was closed.
The president um decided thatno salons or anything could be
open.
(45:38):
So you know what I did for thefirst month or two, I think.
You couldn't drive cars around,you had to be like a military
person, doctor, that kind ofthing, people that walk, go work
or walk to the market, walk tothe supermarket, whatever girl.
One day I walked from my housewhich, luckily, I don't live
(46:03):
crazy far from work.
It's a little journey but notcrazy and I had to walk from
home to go to my shop to getpack up the shop, pack up
products, everything because Idecided that I'm going to start
operating from my home.
So I opened up the downstairsand at the time I lived in this
really cute house.
(46:23):
It was a one bedroom house andit's in a nice private compound.
When you open the front doorit's like it opens up to a
garden.
So I was like this would be theperfect, you know scenic space.
For what?
For my spa.
So I got the products andpacked it up.
I was making a lot of moneyduring that time.
In Uganda, by the way, womendon't really know how to do
(46:47):
their own hair, so you'll findthat a lot of them have shaved
their hair, like you know, short, like men type hairstyles and
stuff, or they wear braids a lotor you know any kind of
extensions.
They don't know how to reallydo their hair.
You know very beautiful women,but they're just not skilled in
that department, which is okay,right.
So I was busy and unfortunatelymy assistant was.
(47:11):
She lived very far away, shecould not come to work.
So it was just me at the houseand I was booked every single
day, from morning straight back,and on top of that I was doing
deliveries for the products thatI sold in the shop.
So, me and the clients I workedon clients and in between that
I answer the phone.
Hi, thank you me.
I handle clients, I work fromclients and in between that I
answer the phone.
Hi, thank you for calling ShireRichie Beauty.
(47:32):
Oh yeah, I want a delivery, Iwant this and that.
So pop the bag, leave theclient, pop the bags, send it
off with a delivery person, andso I was making money.
I was making money.
I sold out everything out of myshop, right, but the lockdown
for me wasn't as intense as itwas, unfortunately, for New
Yorkers and um, I am happy,though, that I wasn't in New
York because I'm asthmatic, soit wouldn't work out for me at
(47:54):
all.
It was much better in Uganda.
I'm not gonna lie to you, butbusiness-wise it was successful.
Thank God I I think one of mybiggest flexes that I survived
COVID, and I'm so grateful toGod, kerry, because so many big
businesses, big brands we knowvery big businesses closed down.
You know, people lost their jobsand stuff.
(48:16):
And at the time, before Istarted to make money during
COVID, I didn't.
I wasn't making anything forlike two months, but I still
decided to pay my staff.
I still decided to pay my staffbecause you know they don't
have money, you know what I mean.
And even though I wasn't makingany, I still was able to you
know pay my rent and still paymy bills and things.
(48:36):
Was I worried?
Yes, I was a little bit worriedbecause I wasn't sure what was
going on.
Are we all going to die?
Am I going to get through this?
But here we are are, sevenyears later and a couple of
years after COVID, survivingCongratulations.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
I mean I'm just loving the story because it is,
I mean it's just amazing theexperiences that we have and we
could share, even even on aseparate, on a different
continent.
You know there's some throughline in the experiences
different people are having, butI'm glad that no me no,
somebody are you Uganda, Mecan't flex Say yeah, you have to
visit.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
You have to pay attention to the time and you
have to visit.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
No, no, no, for real, for real.
Um, we talked about that offthe air.
No, I want to as we start towrap up.
I mean, what is, what is theexperience in terms of?
You know, we didn't get toomuch into this jamaican culture.
How is that in uganda?
Speaker 2 (49:36):
how are you?
Speaker 1 (49:37):
able to you know how is that and and how are you able
to just kind of move our ownlisten?
Speaker 2 (49:45):
I learned.
When I just got there, Irealized I used to hear a lot of
you know, party and keep yourear, hear dancehall, reggae and
reggae music and I used to say,huh, it's okay, cool, you know
that.
Okay, that's cool.
You know jamaica, a verypopular country, and one day I
was in a uber because uber isthere, by the way and the radio
(50:06):
the driver channel radio wasplaying some kind of dancehall
music I don't remember who?
and I said driver, do you?
You guys play a lot of jamaicanmusic here.
And he said oh, we love jamaica, we love jamaica here.
So I was like huh.
I said I'm jamaican, you people.
The man stopped the car.
(50:26):
He pulled over, stopped the car.
I was so scared because I waslike what the hell did I say?
Like?
I was like shari, what did yousay?
The man turned around.
He's like are you jamaican?
I was like yeah, he's like oneone.
He was so happy.
He was so happy.
He started asking me the usualquestion you know, if I know
(50:50):
you're saying bolt, if, if Iknow, if I, you know, if I knew
about bob marley.
He was asking me the typicalquestions that non-jamaicans ask
.
He was so happy.
He asked me if that's how wereally dance.
Now he's talking about you knowthe dance hall where they jump
off?
Oh, he was talking to Dagarine,right?
So it was such a.
After the man dropped me home,we stood at my gates and that
(51:14):
man came out of the car, satdown with me and he was just
listening to me talk.
He was so fascinating.
It's almost like the man met acelebrity.
Ugandans are very, very open toJamaicans.
They love the music.
Right right now.
Sometimes I hear some music,ugandan music and I'm like, oh,
oh, is this a Jamaican song?
(51:35):
Or they love patois.
When I tell clients I'mJamaican, they're like you're
Jamaican, can you tell me patois?
And I have to talk to them inpatois, they love, they love it.
I introduced some of my clientsand my sister's family in-laws
to Jamaicanamosa they call itsamosas, you know it, which look
(51:57):
like um, what do you call thatthing?
That?
The empanadas?
(52:17):
empanadas yeah they look just,they look just like empanadas,
you know, and I find it just ourpatties are flat and there's
exactly a little puffed, right.
So we bake ours, they fry theirs, basically Right.
They have this thing calledluwambo, which is just a stew,
like how we put food in bananaleaf and stuff.
They do the same thing.
(52:37):
They eat the same food like wedo.
They're surprised when I tellthem we have watermelon, papaya,
all of those things.
They have everything there.
But I promise you they loveJamaica, so I've been having no
issues.
I have no issues like movingaround there or there's not too
much culture shock.
(52:57):
You know, as a Jamaican RightRight, and I found my people
there as well, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
You know, Jamaica is everywhere.
No, no, they're everywhereright.
So what are you looking forwardto as you wrap up, Because
clearly we can't talk forever,but, Sharia, you have to come
back again.
But what are you lookingforward to?
You know, in this next chapterof you know your life and
business, what's next for you?
Speaker 2 (53:29):
I want to.
So I expanded the business,like I got a new space.
At some point Um two years agoI got a new space, a bigger
space.
In Uganda it is very popular torent a house to turn it into a
business right, or buy a houseand turn it into a business,
whichever you prefer.
I did that because?
Did that because, um, they,they love privacy over there.
I said, hmm, this makes sense.
(53:50):
So I did just that.
So the space is big enough.
Now my plan is to just kind ofcapitalize on the space I have
and the fact that they love umjamaica so much that adding food
to it, because you know, youever did a spa or or at the
salon the whole day you do here.
So instead, of me sending mystaff out to go buy food, you
(54:15):
know, in different places, likeyou know what.
Let me just incorporate it here.
So that is my plan.
It's already in the works andhopefully I can get it done by
the end of the year.
Um, I'm in New York now and I'mgoing to be here for a little
bit because I want to get somestuff shipped in and just make
plans.
I do have other businessventures that I want to get into
(54:36):
and I'm starting those now andhopefully by the end of the year
it's early 2025, I can getthose done.
I don't want to limit myselfever.
I don't believe in that.
I feel like we're humans arevery magical beings and if you
stop doing what you want to do,if you stop being, if you stop
dreaming, if you stop aspiring,then you just limit yourself.
(54:59):
I don't want to do that Right.
So the spa I don't wish to openanother location right now.
I want to do other things.
If the stars align and allthose things can happen at once,
amazing, um.
But right now I want to openthe food parts.
That's the only expansion Iwant to do onto the business and
then also get into otherbusiness ventures.
Speaker 1 (55:22):
Wonderful.
I mean, shari, this was, thiswas a magical trip, like you
know, like a story frombeginning to end, from Jamaica
to UK, to Uganda, and you'regiving us a little bit and I
just love that.
I know somebody who's Jamaicanand living in Uganda and running
a business and you, you knowthat is the beauty of community
(55:46):
right, because I met you throughsomeone and through someone and
it's just how we continue tobuild and connect and I'm sure
someone's listening to this whoare just like I've been meaning
to travel, I've been meaning togo somewhere, and now they know
someone in another country.
So I really thank you for justcoming on sharing your
experience.
Love, love, love that.
(56:09):
I'm now connected with you andcongrats on everything.
Seven years, you know, thankyou.
It's a long time and I'm I'mexcited for you.
I'm super happy for you.
So big up yourself.
So why don't you tell thecommunity of friends a little
bit about where they could findyou, connect with you and know
all the things we're here goingwith?
Speaker 2 (56:31):
Yeah, so my Ugandan business page is at Shari Richie
Beauty, so this is on Instagramand also on TikTok, shari
Richie Beauty, and it'sS-H-A-R-I-R-I-C-H-I Beauty.
Also, you can find me, mypersonal page, which is just me
doing the branding on myself.
(56:51):
You get to know me personallyoutside of my business.
It's on Instagram or on TikTokat Shari Richies
S-H-A-R-I-R-I-C-H-I, andhopefully I get to connect with
you.
Ask me questions.
I'm very open.
If you need advice, even liketo connect with you.
(57:12):
Ask me questions.
I'm very open if you need advice.
If you know, even if it's notabout uganda, like in terms of
maybe you want to open anotherbusiness or something in the
same field as I am.
You know I'm into beauty, I'malso into fashion ask me
questions.
Or, you know, maybe you're justyou're just a woman that want
to talk.
I talk to men too.
Um, just behave please, um, butyeah, if you just want to talk,
if you need advice on how tomove forward with certain things
, I'm a very open person.
I'm nice.
(57:33):
I might look mean sometimes,but I'm not mean, I'm not nice.
Speaker 1 (57:36):
You know the face.
We come with it.
Speaker 2 (57:41):
We know the vibes, we know the vibes the forehead do
it Right.
Speaker 1 (57:49):
The forehead the far end do it right.
Well, shari, thank you.
Thank you so much for being onthe podcast.
Thank you again for just comingand whenever you're ready for
comeback just.
Whatsapp me.
I don't know the ting.
Thank, you for having me ofcourse, and as I love to say at
the end of every episode walkgood thank you, darling.
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