October 8, 2024 • 32 mins
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Valerie Obaze. R&R Skincare is a premier, woman-owned beauty brand dedicated to crafting high-quality, cruelty-free skincare products that harness the power of Africa’s natural resources.
1. Overview of R&R Skincare as a woman-owned, cruelty-free beauty brand founded in 2010 in Ghana. Emphasis on the brand’s commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability.
2. Valerie's background as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mother.
3. The inspiration behind founding R&R Skincare, highlighting the personal connection to her mission. + Valerie’s clear vision is to establish R&R as one of Africa’s leading beauty brands using indigenous African ingredients, such as Shea and Baobab, and their healing properties.
4. How R&R Skincare empowers African women through job creation and fair trade practices.
5. The role of African culture and heritage in shaping the brand’s identity and product offerings.
6. R&R Skincare prioritizes sustainability in its supply chain and product formulations.
The brand’s approach to creating luxurious products that are environmentally friendly.
7. Overview of R&R Skincare’s plans of expansion into the U.S. market and its significance for the brand, along with future plans for engaging with diverse audiences while showcasing African beauty secrets.
8. Valerie’s commitment to philanthropy and community support through R&R Skincare.
9. Reflections on balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood.
10. (Closing Thoughts) Invitation for listeners to connect with R&R Skincare and explore its product offerings. Encouragement to support ethical and sustainable beauty brands that celebrate African heritage.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I am Rashan McDonald, the host of Money Making Conversations Masterclass,
where we encourage.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
People to stop reading other people's success stories and start
planning their own.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Listen up as I interview entrepreneurs from around the country,
talk to celebrities and ask them how they are running
their companies, and speak with dog profits who are making.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
A difference in their local communities.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Now, sit back and listen as we unlock the secrets
to their success.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
On Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hi, I am Rashon McDonald.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I host this weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. The
interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone.
It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and
really start living your own. I'm here to help you
reach your American dream. My guests founded R and R
Skincare and Nigeria. It's a premier woman owned beauty brand
(00:56):
dedicated to crafting high quality, cruelty free skincare products that
harness the power of Africa's natural resources. Please welco me
with the Money Making Conversations Master Class. Valerie O Bossi Hirish,
thank you for me, Motherland, the Motherland. I will admit,
(01:17):
you know, I made a visit to the Motherland, UH,
to South Africa. Down there, Durban and Johannesburg and Steve
Harvey and I we were broadcasting the morning show from
that area, and I was and I'm gonna just tell
you this, honestly, there were so many stereotypes that I
have been introduced by being raised in America that I
(01:38):
was worried about the technology being available to us to
broadcast a morning show back to America. Does that annoy
you that those type of stereotypes of inefficiencies, poor technology.
'le gonna use the word ignorance UH dominates the media
(01:59):
precent of Africa.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I think ignorance doesn't always have to be an insult.
If you don't know, you just don't know better. Right,
So until you experience or you research personally to find
out more, how are you going to know. You've been
fed stories right your whole life and being told what
Africa is like. So it's intentional, so you don't go
(02:22):
back there. But when you go, you have your own experience,
you get to know the reality on ground. Yes, the
continent is still developing, but we are warhead in so
many different ways that people wouldn't even begin to understand.
So until you get there and until you share your experience,
how is anyone going to know? And thankfully we have
the Internet and we have Instagram and stuff, so people
(02:44):
it's a global village. Now everyone gets to see how
people partied in Legos in December and Acra in January,
and they get to know that there's more to life
than just their immediate purview. And I think that I
don't get annoyed. I think that it's for everybody to
experience themselves. We all have our preconceptions. Until we break
down those barriers, then how are we going to know.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
I'm gonna get a knowing because you know, so you
because you know you, you sell them the product.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Money may come this myself, I can get to know.
I get mad because I was mad.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Because I'm running around worried about and I landed. I
was mad because I was like, wow, it was just
like landing in Atlanta, Georgia, you know, and that really
bothered me because it went.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I went. You know what they.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Promote safaris, They never come back and talk about there's
always a war, conflicts that are promoted. You know, I
grew up a cent a dollar, you could save a
little kid who's.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Starving in Africa.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
This is the stuff that I grew up on, you
know what I'm saying, and and but no one's coming
back to retell that story.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
And so I wanted to make sure, you know, the
perceptions should be shut down.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Like you said, there are social media out there, and
you know, Africa is one of the biggest uh Hollywood
type producing areas in the country.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
In fact, on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
You know, the the amount of content that's coming out
of Africa is now on Netflix is amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And I think that also kills a lot of the.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Stereoy absolutely in the music. Look at the music industry,
you know, that's exactly the Nigerian and African music industry
has really blown up. And so for me, even when
I left the UK to move back to Africa, and
my entry point was Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria. My husband is
Nigerian and I'm from Ghana, but we both grew up
(04:34):
in the UK and I moved there to live with
him after we got married. And for me, it was
a perfect place to go from London to Legos because
Legos is so dynamic and the music industry was really burgeoning.
Then in two thousand and nine, the film industry was huge.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Already absolutely, I think was about to do a big
deal down there.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Yeah, also in Ghana as well. Indurance he's been working
in Ghana to do some so work there to ensure
that production can take place and take place. Well. So
there's so much going on in the fashion industry, absolutely
is huge. I'm wearing a gunion and.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
The sports you know, y'all dominating m and a oh
my god in sports.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, y'all just a dominant force.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
So you know, there's so much going on, There's so
many opportunities. So I like that the world has opened
up to seeing what Africa has to offer and even
me through beauty. People might think that beauty is shallow, right,
but if we can show the richness of our raw
materials and our ingredients through beauty and share that with
the rest of the world, then people can understand that,
(05:38):
you know, good stuff does come out of Africa because
for so many years people have believed that only bad
things come out.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Absolutely absolutely, Now, nice transition using the word beauty.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
You know what I'm saying, are in our skincare?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Why are you? Why are you producing that? Why are
you the face of that brand?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Because it's what came naturally to me, is what God
had put on my heart, and he found a way
for me to access the rest of the world through
what I do. And my experience and background is in
PR and communications. I had my own PR agency when
I lived in London, I worked in the music industry,
in fashion beauty. So landing in Lagos and just finding
out the ground was so fresh to building brands. You
(06:22):
know people definitely, that's big populations. Virginia has like over
two hundred million people, Ghana over thirty million people, right,
And we're so used to bringing in products from the
rest of the world, so we know Europe and America
to be the place where everything great is produced. But
the reality is that, you know, the raw materials are
(06:43):
coming from the continent and going over there to be produced.
Whether that's leather, right, whether that's shade, butter, whatever it is. Yeah,
it leaves the continent raw and then it's produced into
finished products elsewhere. And chocolates, look at chocolate chocolates not
from Switzerland, let me tell you, it is from Aricas
and it's from Ghana. But the raw cacao or cocoa
(07:04):
is leaving the continent and being value added elsewhere, and
we believe that chocolate's from Belgium, you know. So I
think that the time has come a new generation of
people are going back home and creating finished products, brands,
African owned brands coming out of the continent using materials.
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
That's important because so many because people don't know, we
get we get confused about where the final destination of
products are being distributed versus where it was sourced. And
Africa has been the sourcing capital of the world for
so many years. And the fact that you as an entrepreneur,
let's put it right, You're an entrepreneur, a business owner
(07:47):
made the conscious decision woman owned business owner. So do
you right now to get your product is online?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
It's virtually on.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
But you do have stores, we do. Where are they located?
Speaker 3 (07:58):
We have three water owned stores, one in Legos that
was the first door we ever opened in twenty thirteen,
and then we are now headquartered in Acra, Ghana, which
is where I'm from, and we have two stores there,
so one in the center of town in Labori, which
is a vibrant hub of hospitality, food, restaurants, clubs.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
You good storyteller, I'm like to gots.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Been multiple times. And we also have a store at
the airport, So in the departure lounge at Ghana's and
Acara Airport, ca to Co International Airport. So as you're leaving,
you pick up a piece of Ghana and come and
share it with your friends. Your family will keep it
for yourself.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So what is the experience like going into you the
first stores in twenty thirteen. Is there an experience? Do
you do hair there?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Or is just products being product based?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We wanted to create an experience come in and buy
products that are made here, you know, buy us for everybody,
so you know, you just want to walk into a store.
Because one of my frustrations when I moved back, I
would go to the store, I find something I like
today and I go back next week and it's gone right.
You know, they're not manufacturing it here, so I'd have
to be importing it, and so there's always gaps. There's
(09:12):
always gaps. You can't always get what you need. So
the purpose gradually grew so that at the end of
the day, we get it today, when you come back
next month, is still there because we're producing locally, We're
sourcing locally, and you're always going to be able to
find that product. So we wanted people to experience that
brand feeling when you walk into our stores.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Awesome, awesome, let's talk about the product now, you know
we have it right here, or the logo or that
look really resonates with me, you know, because it's it's
a thought process. Talk about that whole design and then
we're going to get into the product. And how was
just you know, started the evolution of our at our skillcare.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
So the logo actually, I'm so glad you touched on that.
This is a new logo, Okay, so when we start graduation,
thank you. We have another logo and we recently rebranded
just in June. So June twenty fourth, we relaunched Our
in our we used to be called our Luxury okay,
and we rebranded as Are in our Skincare. Not that
we've dropped the luxury. The luxury is in the quality
(10:14):
of what we do. But we found that the name
used to alienate people. People think that the price point
would be beyond what they could reach, but actually our
products are so affordable. So we thought that luxury is
something that you should feel won't say. So we dropped
the luxury and we're now in our skincare. So we
did have a logo similar to ours in a symbol,
(10:36):
but our creative team decided to change the logo against
my wishes at the time that when they came back
with what they had, I absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Love that beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
It's really is much and I'm glad you dropped luxury
because when I hear R in our luxury, I think
of I think.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Of a resort, I think of a rob report, you know, luxury.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I don't think of anything that's related to something that
I would put on my face or take care of
my body.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Because of that, and so this is a very smart
to me.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I like to consider myself a branding and marketing expert.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Home Run, thank you the logos.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Home Run, you're telling them what you do skincare. People
know exactly what they're getting where they walk in the
store and they walk out and they share with other people.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Excellent move. Now twenty ten, was this an idea or product?
In twenty ten when it was founded.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
It was in need. Okay talk to me about telling
I just give them birth, becoming a mother for the
first time. I have three kids now three daughters. Actually
they did have them quite kind of quick. There'll be
girls now they're fourteen, twelve, and ten. But when I
had my first baby, I just needed something natural to
(11:50):
use on her skin. I didn't want to use the
products that everybody used for babies for years, because I
mean the important right, because we know that it's not
necessarily the best thing. So being in Nigeria, I wanted
to use something local and regional, you know, and indigenous
to the soil. And Shaye precedes everything that I've done.
It's been around for centuries, right, and we know the
(12:13):
goodness of shake because.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Everybody uses it absolutely.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
The proof in concept is there all the big brands
you shake in their formulations. But we weren't turning it
into an enjoyable product. It was just the raw shape
butter and you'd have to put it in the microwave
on the stove whip it up. Yeah, and people were
willing to do that, but I wasn't one of those people.
You know, when you have a crying baby, you don't
(12:37):
have time to now put things on the stove and
start whipping up your formulations. There are people that are
very good at that. That's not me. So I was
thinking about the fact that I would love to create
a product that makes using these raw materials from the
continent enjoyable and suitable for a baby, but suitable for
the rest of the family too. So when we discovered
Shay in a liquid form, which is our shape oil,
(12:59):
that was a game changer for me. That was our
first product. That was our first product.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
And will you say shade are how is it used?
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It's used directly on your skin, So shade same way
you do shave butter right, okay, pure she rubbing it
onto your skin to moisturize and looking moisture. Okay, this
is the oil version. So sha is made up of
two parts. Get two technical solid and liquid. When you
separate the liquid from the solid parts, so you have
steering and oilink. So the olin is the oil and
that's what we are giving you. So it still has
(13:29):
all the amazing properties moisturizing, healing, all of those good things,
all of the good stuff. And we've bottled it and
we learned how to blend essential oil.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So lem it to lower you down, Valerie, Okay, now
this is your first product, you Shay first product.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Okay, are you selling it?
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Okay, not yet?
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Okay, cool, continue with your story point.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
So I was sharing with my husband actually that oh,
I've come across Shaye in an oil and this is
what we're going to use for the baby. And he
was like, you know what, I've never seen that before
and I don't think it's widely available in legos or
in Nigeria. Yeah, bulbs, you're talking.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, money maker, money maker exactly.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
As a branding person, I've thought that, you know, this
is there's definitely an opportunity here. So before we go
spending too much money, let's get like samples and stuff
from the suppliers, bottle it, share it with our friends
and family, use it first, then share it with our
friends and family. And what we did. I even had
someone mock up a logo for me. I ordered like
(14:32):
a box of plastic bottles online and I just shared
it with the people close to me and I just said,
if you like it, come back and buy it. And
that's how it started.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Okay. So and they we talked about R and R means.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Work, so ur and is my daughter's initials name is Rebecca.
Was my first daughter and she's named after my mother
and my husband's mother. So my mom is Rebecca and
my mother in law is Rose.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
So we named it after the two of them. And
she's got Rebecca Roh's And when you have a child,
you always sends a name of your business. It's such
a woman thing to do. But yeah, so we decided
Arena would be the name of the company. And it
also stands for rest and recuperation or rest and relaxation,
so you have like a double meaning there, and I
just felt that it was exactly and so Arena means
(15:23):
a lot to me because it not only represents my daughter,
also represents my mother, my mother in law, so generational heritage,
you know, it speaks to the legacy aspects of the brand.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashan MacDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass
continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making
(15:58):
Conversations Masterclass Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
This that first time I've said down with an individual
who's developed an idea. The whole idea is I have
a dream, That's what it really is. Yeah, Now when
you start sharing that dream with people, what were they
saying to you, Valerie about I think I can put
this on the shares. I think people would buy this
(16:23):
from What were they telling you? Were they motivating you
or they're looking at you like really?
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Yeah? Well you definitely have some of the people that
were like hmm, okay, let's see where this goes. But
I think the majority of people were very very passionate
about the idea. They were They've got behind us pretty quickly,
and they saw they saw the potential for the business,
(16:48):
and they were very supportive. So from my mother to
my mother in law, we turned my mother in law's
garage and sw a manufactory. After my husband kicked me
out of the house, I mean kick me out of
his kitchen, not actually out of his house, but kick
me out of his kitchen because I'd taken over the
dining room, everything that were boxes everywhere. So we converted
his mom's space, her garage into our factory compliant, fully
(17:12):
compliant factory so that we could start producing on a
slightly larger scale. Because the interest did start to flow
in and definitely I think support more than you know.
Negativity has surrounded this brand for day one.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
This is the part when I started asking the entrepreneur question, Okay,
what did your business plan look like?
Speaker 3 (17:31):
I didn't have one.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Okay, so you started a business without a business plan?
Was that smart?
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Yep? Listen. I didn't go to business school. I come
from the school of hard knocks in right and experience. Okay.
I went to university. I studied branding, communications, culture and media.
I went to work in the PR world, initially music,
then consumer pr. I've worked with brands. I understand what
people like, what people don't like. And I'm African. I
(17:58):
lived in the diaspora for my childhood and early adulthood.
I left England at twenty nine moved back to the continent. Well,
I say moved back. I never actually lived on the continent.
I was back and forth all the time. But I
did my entire schooling up until the age, up until
university in the UK, and moved to Africa in twenty nine.
And I realized that Africa was having your renaissance in
(18:21):
the creative space, especially, and we were starting to take
ownership of what was ours and I had to be
part of that, and I had a responsibility as well,
like God put this responsibility on me to empower our economy,
not just human beings, but the economy in general. Because
you know that if you bring in more than you
put out, you're always going to be a poor nation
(18:43):
or poor continent. So we have a responsibility to put
out more than we bring in. And so creating a
brand was one a gap a need, but also I
saw in need. But I also over time realized that
there was a responsibility on my shoulders.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Is cruel cruelty free?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, when you do the tested on your or your product, we.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Test on humans, not animals. And because there's yeah, they
can say out. And also because there's no need. You know,
the ingredients we use are historically, you know backed my
great grandmother and her probably ancestors as well, use these
raw materials to cook, to eat with, to do several
(19:27):
things with my phone. No, I'm good, Yeah, to do
all of these things. So Shae has been around for centuries.
It's okay, I didn't invent shape.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Well, let's talk about this because of the fact that
it's not so much you're inventing it, but you're bringing
a brand to America and exposing it to a miracle
a polish brand. Yes, but you want to maintain that
the African slaver to.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Why is that important?
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Because we have to maintain the authenticity and the integrity
of who we are. I think it's important people to
know where we've come from. We don't intend to hide
that in any way. We just wanted to make our
raw materials sexy. If I can say that, you know,
let's bring it back. We have to make it appealing
(20:15):
and elegant and classy. But you know, in terms of
what's in the bottle, that all comes from other nature.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Okay, cool, Let's start talking about some of the stuff
that the infamous black soap. I've seen it in the
square and so why are you or why should I be.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Encouraged to use this liquid.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Black soap again, it's like the modernization of historical context.
Chay and sorry. Black soap is a traditional cleansing method
has been used also for decades, and how do we
make that more appealing and more accessible to people? Not
everybody wants to use a soap bar, although nowadays, with
(20:58):
the circular economy people wanting to have less waste, people
are more happy to use soap bars again. But if
you're a shower gel person, right.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
That's what I'm saying. That's why immediately gravitated it.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I am not a barshaal question I have so this
is something I will be buying because I enjoy I
just enjoy that aspect of it versus a soap that
it eventually looks ugly.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Exactly. I'm exactly the same. I'm a liquid soap person.
I love a shower gel. So a lot of the
need is created from my own personal needs and creating
something that is easy to use. You don't want to
make using these things difficult, otherwise people will use it
once twice and they'll be like, let me go back
to what I'm familiar with. So I want to make
(21:41):
it so that it can sit on the shelf next
to all of those brands that you've used your whole
life and be happy to switch it out.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Because now what is the difference, Because I want to
I think you have right here, you have the body all, yes,
this what's your first product.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Exactly, and then you have right.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Here you have the the body butter.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Yeah, why do you need both?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Because everyone's preferences are different. Some people like more of
a thicker application.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That's what the butter.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
That's what you're gonna get with the butter. So it's
a with butter, so it's still very light compared to
how rawschit butter is. We whip it, we add our
essential oils or you know, little proprietary bits and pieces
which are all one hundred percent natural oil sourced locally,
and some people just prefer butter. Some people want an
oil something that's a bit lighter and easier and quicker
(22:34):
to apply. So it just all depends comes down to.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Preference, right, because then you have the hand cream.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yes, now I'm just asking, okay, because I have the oil,
I have the butter, and then I have the hand cream.
I'm assuming the hand cream is strictly for the hand,
but they don't. You got these dry knuckles. Yeah, means so,
(22:59):
so I used it.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
You can put that in your car, in your little
man pers if you have one, and or your briefcase,
and then the ladies put it in their handbag, so
you just carry around with you when you need a
little moisture top up because you know the weather can
be dry. Even in West Africa, we have a season
called Hammertan, which is very very very dry, so your
(23:23):
lips get dry, your skin gets very dry, so it's
good to have that on your all times. Just top up.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Your product is named after your first daughter?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Yes, now, but your mother of three entrepreneur? How do
you balance that?
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I love that question, and I'll tell you why because
I like to say that no one asks the men
these questions. They always ask the women, how do you balance?
Because our load is heavy? But kids until then?
Speaker 1 (23:56):
But then I gotta go back to the source.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yes, and I think that it's difficult at times. You
can't give everything one hundred percent all the time, so
there's seasons. So right now I'm away from my kids.
Right right, they're facetiming me and they're like, oh, Mommy
this or Mummy that their dad is there, but they're
calling me, who is one thousand miles away, to ask
me the most inane question. So I think that it's
(24:20):
just you. You can't always balance everything, but you know,
sometimes you just pick up the heaviest balls and focus
on those at that specific time. There Sometimes when the
girls are good, they don't really need me. They've got
everything working in their favor and there they're good to go.
But there's other times where I need to put on
my mom hat and put everything aside. But I'm very,
very fortunate to have a lot of good support. My
(24:42):
husband is an amazing support. He's actually you know, one
of the partners. He like I said, to help me
conceptualize his business, and I couldn't have done it without him.
I have an amazing team in Ghana, in Nigeria and
now in the US.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
So there's going to be real that that just away
for vacation. You know, money made conversations. I see expansion
in my vision visionary.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Talk about your expansion ideas because you have three stores
back home, which is fantastic because finally you're keeping You're
not our source, you're not sourcing out your product, making
the product their employing people. Yes, revenue is staying in
the community, which I admire. So that's been the main
issue with Africa in general. But you're over here, come
(25:32):
on now, talk to me now.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Because you know, I think that we've also found our
tribe over here, and I've been here several times. I
did like essence first in twenty nineteen, so pre COVID,
there's pre covid and then post covid and pre COVID
we did some activations here and we realized that as
we spoke to people, people experienced our products, the feedback
was just unbelievable. And we really truly felt that we
(25:56):
found our people outside of the continent. And I knew
eventually we had to come back. So with the rebrand
and these new opportunities, and I just thought that this
was the right time to come back to America and
meet our people again. So I'm here right now because
we've got some activations, having some conversations. Right we did
(26:18):
something in Miami just yesterday, and the land in Atlanta
today and straight into your studios. So and thank you
for having me.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
And well, you know, first of all, I don't we're
not rapping this interview up because that sounds like you're
about to go there, you know, because I really want
people to slow down and understand that the product is
available down the online it is okay, and you don't
have to.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Wait to the product to get to that.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
So this this interview is by breaking down misconception.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
You know, oh it's in Africa, when I'm gonna get
it next year, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
So let's talk about the whole process that the art
of being placed how has handled in Africa, so we
can develop that trust with an audience over here.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
There has a lot of misconceptions.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Nurse, I'm sure's the one person gonna go shut what
you're talking about?
Speaker 3 (27:06):
I trust them?
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Well, that's you.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
But we're trying to sell to everybody. We want everybody
to have the same trust that they have walking in
their local drugs. Yeah, those products have been tested. They
feel that it's on that.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Shelf, they can buy it absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Now you're here with a product that I want to buy,
but it's sitting in a manufacturing location and a store
in Africa.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Talk about that process.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
So we take quality control very seriously and compliance so
no one needs to worry about testing or quality because
we have Food and Drugs Authority for Ghana testing, we
have Ghana Standards Authority. We have all of the compliance
sides ticked and we're entering the US. Everything goes through
FDA checks before it's released. And yes, we manufacture everything
(27:52):
on the continent, but we bring it to you here fresh.
It's toward in our warehouse partners or our logistics partners,
and then it shipped out to you this country. So
you don't have to wait a million years, even if
we're shipping it, even if we were shipping it from
the million years, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
But but you know what people for distance absolutely, you know,
like I said, you know Chicago, I know that's that,
you know, Mexico, Canada, Africa and so. And we're trying
to encourage people to go online to be able to
try the product because the product can't get shifted to
you in a very time to matter and if you
like it, you order it again. And so with that
(28:30):
being said, how do you market your brain?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
You over here?
Speaker 2 (28:33):
You know you over but you're over there? How are
you marketing your brain? You know you already told.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Me for sean. You know, before I started this, I
had a PR.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Yes, so you are much aware about marketing. Tell us
about this and.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Art and for me, PR is what I do. It
comes naturally. But we have a marketing team, both local
and global marketing team that are helping us get the
word out there.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
You just say all local and global global.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Yeah, shout out to my global team. They are doing
a great job. The tribes, they are doing a great job.
But again, it takes time, it takes experience. And one
of the great things that people can access is social media.
Social media is free and we've been building our audience
for over a decade now, and say Instagram for example,
(29:21):
So you can go on there, you can feel, you
can touch, you can read our story, you can watch
our story. We've done so many documentaries in house about
our story and about our production facility. So we produce
our own raw materials. You can see the women that
are part of that. You can understand where it comes from.
We have quality and processes. We meet all of the
(29:42):
standards good manufacturing practice. If you're into manufacturing, you know
about that. We're clean where that is concerned. And to
see the women at the end of the value chain
who pick the nuts, produce into butter, make the soaps.
They're all part of this story. So every single product
you you know, it does eventually go back to them.
(30:03):
It feeds back into that and the supply chain. Yeah,
pride and also our hope and our goal is to
change their lives in terms of their economic prospects.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Right, well, I'm gonna just tell you I'm impressed by
the process. First of all, you know you are standing communicator, but.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
You because let's be just a story.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
We're trying to tell you know, the logo are in
our skincare very impressive.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
I love it was just kind of like a brown
and green.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Yeah, very neutral and earthy, very.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Neutral, but it also feels like it is Africa in
a sense, you know, feel like earth tones strong earth
tones here. And the fact that you're giving us the
hand cream, You're giving us the which I love, you know,
the lotion body for bath, and then you have the
body body off, which was the first, and then you
have the cream of all. What is the big picture
(31:00):
we talked about it earlier as we close. What is
the big picture for our and our skincare?
Speaker 3 (31:06):
I think just growing an African brand and taking it
to the rest of the world and sharing the beauty
of Africa through our formulations, through what we do, and
letting people know that this is just a small representative
of the entire continent and what is capable of.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Well, my friend, thank you for coming on Money Making
Conversation having really I appreciate it. I appreciate you taking
the time to come in here and share your story
but also share an international perspective on success.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
Thank you. The pleasure is all mine. Thank you so
much for having me.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Which are so thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
posted by me Rashaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you our listening to
audience now. If you want to listen to any episode
I want to be a guest on the show, visit
Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversation.
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
(32:03):
your gifts. Keep winning mm hmmm.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I am Rashan McDonald, the host of Money Making Conversations Masterclass,
where we encourage.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
People to stop reading other people's success stories and start
planning their own.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Listen up as I interview entrepreneurs from around the country,
talk to celebrities and ask them how they are running
their companies, and speak with dog profits who are making.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
A difference in their local communities.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Now, sit back and listen as we unlock the secrets
to their success.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
On Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hi, I am Rashon McDonald.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I host this weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. The
interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone.
It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and
really start living your own. I'm here to help you
reach your American dream. My guests founded R and R
Skincare and Nigeria. It's a premier woman owned beauty brand
(00:56):
dedicated to crafting high quality, cruelty free skincare products that
harness the power of Africa's natural resources. Please welco me
with the Money Making Conversations Master Class. Valerie O Bossi Hirish,
thank you for me, Motherland, the Motherland. I will admit,
(01:17):
you know, I made a visit to the Motherland, UH,
to South Africa. Down there, Durban and Johannesburg and Steve
Harvey and I we were broadcasting the morning show from
that area, and I was and I'm gonna just tell
you this, honestly, there were so many stereotypes that I
have been introduced by being raised in America that I
(01:38):
was worried about the technology being available to us to
broadcast a morning show back to America. Does that annoy
you that those type of stereotypes of inefficiencies, poor technology.
'le gonna use the word ignorance UH dominates the media
(01:59):
precent of Africa.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I think ignorance doesn't always have to be an insult.
If you don't know, you just don't know better. Right,
So until you experience or you research personally to find
out more, how are you going to know. You've been
fed stories right your whole life and being told what
Africa is like. So it's intentional, so you don't go
(02:22):
back there. But when you go, you have your own experience,
you get to know the reality on ground. Yes, the
continent is still developing, but we are warhead in so
many different ways that people wouldn't even begin to understand.
So until you get there and until you share your experience,
how is anyone going to know? And thankfully we have
the Internet and we have Instagram and stuff, so people
(02:44):
it's a global village. Now everyone gets to see how
people partied in Legos in December and Acra in January,
and they get to know that there's more to life
than just their immediate purview. And I think that I
don't get annoyed. I think that it's for everybody to
experience themselves. We all have our preconceptions. Until we break
down those barriers, then how are we going to know.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
I'm gonna get a knowing because you know, so you
because you know you, you sell them the product.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Money may come this myself, I can get to know.
I get mad because I was mad.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Because I'm running around worried about and I landed. I
was mad because I was like, wow, it was just
like landing in Atlanta, Georgia, you know, and that really
bothered me because it went.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I went. You know what they.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Promote safaris, They never come back and talk about there's
always a war, conflicts that are promoted. You know, I
grew up a cent a dollar, you could save a
little kid who's.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Starving in Africa.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
This is the stuff that I grew up on, you
know what I'm saying, and and but no one's coming
back to retell that story.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
And so I wanted to make sure, you know, the
perceptions should be shut down.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Like you said, there are social media out there, and
you know, Africa is one of the biggest uh Hollywood
type producing areas in the country.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
In fact, on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
You know, the the amount of content that's coming out
of Africa is now on Netflix is amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And I think that also kills a lot of the.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Stereoy absolutely in the music. Look at the music industry,
you know, that's exactly the Nigerian and African music industry
has really blown up. And so for me, even when
I left the UK to move back to Africa, and
my entry point was Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria. My husband is
Nigerian and I'm from Ghana, but we both grew up
(04:34):
in the UK and I moved there to live with
him after we got married. And for me, it was
a perfect place to go from London to Legos because
Legos is so dynamic and the music industry was really burgeoning.
Then in two thousand and nine, the film industry was huge.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Already absolutely, I think was about to do a big
deal down there.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Yeah, also in Ghana as well. Indurance he's been working
in Ghana to do some so work there to ensure
that production can take place and take place. Well. So
there's so much going on in the fashion industry, absolutely
is huge. I'm wearing a gunion and.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
The sports you know, y'all dominating m and a oh
my god in sports.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, y'all just a dominant force.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
So you know, there's so much going on, There's so
many opportunities. So I like that the world has opened
up to seeing what Africa has to offer and even
me through beauty. People might think that beauty is shallow, right,
but if we can show the richness of our raw
materials and our ingredients through beauty and share that with
the rest of the world, then people can understand that,
(05:38):
you know, good stuff does come out of Africa because
for so many years people have believed that only bad
things come out.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Absolutely absolutely, Now, nice transition using the word beauty.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
You know what I'm saying, are in our skincare?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Why are you? Why are you producing that? Why are
you the face of that brand?
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Because it's what came naturally to me, is what God
had put on my heart, and he found a way
for me to access the rest of the world through
what I do. And my experience and background is in
PR and communications. I had my own PR agency when
I lived in London, I worked in the music industry,
in fashion beauty. So landing in Lagos and just finding
out the ground was so fresh to building brands. You
(06:22):
know people definitely, that's big populations. Virginia has like over
two hundred million people, Ghana over thirty million people, right,
And we're so used to bringing in products from the
rest of the world, so we know Europe and America
to be the place where everything great is produced. But
the reality is that, you know, the raw materials are
(06:43):
coming from the continent and going over there to be produced.
Whether that's leather, right, whether that's shade, butter, whatever it is. Yeah,
it leaves the continent raw and then it's produced into
finished products elsewhere. And chocolates, look at chocolate chocolates not
from Switzerland, let me tell you, it is from Aricas
and it's from Ghana. But the raw cacao or cocoa
(07:04):
is leaving the continent and being value added elsewhere, and
we believe that chocolate's from Belgium, you know. So I
think that the time has come a new generation of
people are going back home and creating finished products, brands,
African owned brands coming out of the continent using materials.
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
That's important because so many because people don't know, we
get we get confused about where the final destination of
products are being distributed versus where it was sourced. And
Africa has been the sourcing capital of the world for
so many years. And the fact that you as an entrepreneur,
let's put it right, You're an entrepreneur, a business owner
(07:47):
made the conscious decision woman owned business owner. So do
you right now to get your product is online?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
It's virtually on.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
But you do have stores, we do. Where are they located?
Speaker 3 (07:58):
We have three water owned stores, one in Legos that
was the first door we ever opened in twenty thirteen,
and then we are now headquartered in Acra, Ghana, which
is where I'm from, and we have two stores there,
so one in the center of town in Labori, which
is a vibrant hub of hospitality, food, restaurants, clubs.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
You good storyteller, I'm like to gots.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Been multiple times. And we also have a store at
the airport, So in the departure lounge at Ghana's and
Acara Airport, ca to Co International Airport. So as you're leaving,
you pick up a piece of Ghana and come and
share it with your friends. Your family will keep it
for yourself.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So what is the experience like going into you the
first stores in twenty thirteen. Is there an experience? Do
you do hair there?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Or is just products being product based?
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We wanted to create an experience come in and buy
products that are made here, you know, buy us for everybody,
so you know, you just want to walk into a store.
Because one of my frustrations when I moved back, I
would go to the store, I find something I like
today and I go back next week and it's gone right.
You know, they're not manufacturing it here, so I'd have
to be importing it, and so there's always gaps. There's
(09:12):
always gaps. You can't always get what you need. So
the purpose gradually grew so that at the end of
the day, we get it today, when you come back
next month, is still there because we're producing locally, We're
sourcing locally, and you're always going to be able to
find that product. So we wanted people to experience that
brand feeling when you walk into our stores.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Awesome, awesome, let's talk about the product now, you know
we have it right here, or the logo or that
look really resonates with me, you know, because it's it's
a thought process. Talk about that whole design and then
we're going to get into the product. And how was
just you know, started the evolution of our at our skillcare.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
So the logo actually, I'm so glad you touched on that.
This is a new logo, Okay, so when we start graduation,
thank you. We have another logo and we recently rebranded
just in June. So June twenty fourth, we relaunched Our
in our we used to be called our Luxury okay,
and we rebranded as Are in our Skincare. Not that
we've dropped the luxury. The luxury is in the quality
(10:14):
of what we do. But we found that the name
used to alienate people. People think that the price point
would be beyond what they could reach, but actually our
products are so affordable. So we thought that luxury is
something that you should feel won't say. So we dropped
the luxury and we're now in our skincare. So we
did have a logo similar to ours in a symbol,
(10:36):
but our creative team decided to change the logo against
my wishes at the time that when they came back
with what they had, I absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Love that beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
It's really is much and I'm glad you dropped luxury
because when I hear R in our luxury, I think
of I think.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Of a resort, I think of a rob report, you know, luxury.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I don't think of anything that's related to something that
I would put on my face or take care of
my body.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Because of that, and so this is a very smart
to me.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I like to consider myself a branding and marketing expert.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Home Run, thank you the logos.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Home Run, you're telling them what you do skincare. People
know exactly what they're getting where they walk in the
store and they walk out and they share with other people.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Excellent move. Now twenty ten, was this an idea or product?
In twenty ten when it was founded.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
It was in need. Okay talk to me about telling
I just give them birth, becoming a mother for the
first time. I have three kids now three daughters. Actually
they did have them quite kind of quick. There'll be
girls now they're fourteen, twelve, and ten. But when I
had my first baby, I just needed something natural to
(11:50):
use on her skin. I didn't want to use the
products that everybody used for babies for years, because I
mean the important right, because we know that it's not
necessarily the best thing. So being in Nigeria, I wanted
to use something local and regional, you know, and indigenous
to the soil. And Shaye precedes everything that I've done.
It's been around for centuries, right, and we know the
(12:13):
goodness of shake because.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Everybody uses it absolutely.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
The proof in concept is there all the big brands
you shake in their formulations. But we weren't turning it
into an enjoyable product. It was just the raw shape
butter and you'd have to put it in the microwave
on the stove whip it up. Yeah, and people were
willing to do that, but I wasn't one of those people.
You know, when you have a crying baby, you don't
(12:37):
have time to now put things on the stove and
start whipping up your formulations. There are people that are
very good at that. That's not me. So I was
thinking about the fact that I would love to create
a product that makes using these raw materials from the
continent enjoyable and suitable for a baby, but suitable for
the rest of the family too. So when we discovered
Shay in a liquid form, which is our shape oil,
(12:59):
that was a game changer for me. That was our
first product. That was our first product.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
And will you say shade are how is it used?
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It's used directly on your skin, So shade same way
you do shave butter right, okay, pure she rubbing it
onto your skin to moisturize and looking moisture. Okay, this
is the oil version. So sha is made up of
two parts. Get two technical solid and liquid. When you
separate the liquid from the solid parts, so you have
steering and oilink. So the olin is the oil and
that's what we are giving you. So it still has
(13:29):
all the amazing properties moisturizing, healing, all of those good things,
all of the good stuff. And we've bottled it and
we learned how to blend essential oil.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So lem it to lower you down, Valerie, Okay, now
this is your first product, you Shay first product.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Okay, are you selling it?
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Okay, not yet?
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Okay, cool, continue with your story point.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
So I was sharing with my husband actually that oh,
I've come across Shaye in an oil and this is
what we're going to use for the baby. And he
was like, you know what, I've never seen that before
and I don't think it's widely available in legos or
in Nigeria. Yeah, bulbs, you're talking.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, money maker, money maker exactly.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
As a branding person, I've thought that, you know, this
is there's definitely an opportunity here. So before we go
spending too much money, let's get like samples and stuff
from the suppliers, bottle it, share it with our friends
and family, use it first, then share it with our
friends and family. And what we did. I even had
someone mock up a logo for me. I ordered like
(14:32):
a box of plastic bottles online and I just shared
it with the people close to me and I just said,
if you like it, come back and buy it. And
that's how it started.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Okay. So and they we talked about R and R means.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Work, so ur and is my daughter's initials name is Rebecca.
Was my first daughter and she's named after my mother
and my husband's mother. So my mom is Rebecca and
my mother in law is Rose.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
So we named it after the two of them. And
she's got Rebecca Roh's And when you have a child,
you always sends a name of your business. It's such
a woman thing to do. But yeah, so we decided
Arena would be the name of the company. And it
also stands for rest and recuperation or rest and relaxation,
so you have like a double meaning there, and I
just felt that it was exactly and so Arena means
(15:23):
a lot to me because it not only represents my daughter,
also represents my mother, my mother in law, so generational heritage,
you know, it speaks to the legacy aspects of the brand.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashan MacDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass
continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making
(15:58):
Conversations Masterclass Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
This that first time I've said down with an individual
who's developed an idea. The whole idea is I have
a dream, That's what it really is. Yeah, Now when
you start sharing that dream with people, what were they
saying to you, Valerie about I think I can put
this on the shares. I think people would buy this
(16:23):
from What were they telling you? Were they motivating you
or they're looking at you like really?
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Yeah? Well you definitely have some of the people that
were like hmm, okay, let's see where this goes. But
I think the majority of people were very very passionate
about the idea. They were They've got behind us pretty quickly,
and they saw they saw the potential for the business,
(16:48):
and they were very supportive. So from my mother to
my mother in law, we turned my mother in law's
garage and sw a manufactory. After my husband kicked me
out of the house, I mean kick me out of
his kitchen, not actually out of his house, but kick
me out of his kitchen because I'd taken over the
dining room, everything that were boxes everywhere. So we converted
his mom's space, her garage into our factory compliant, fully
(17:12):
compliant factory so that we could start producing on a
slightly larger scale. Because the interest did start to flow
in and definitely I think support more than you know.
Negativity has surrounded this brand for day one.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
This is the part when I started asking the entrepreneur question, Okay,
what did your business plan look like?
Speaker 3 (17:31):
I didn't have one.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Okay, so you started a business without a business plan?
Was that smart?
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Yep? Listen. I didn't go to business school. I come
from the school of hard knocks in right and experience. Okay.
I went to university. I studied branding, communications, culture and media.
I went to work in the PR world, initially music,
then consumer pr. I've worked with brands. I understand what
people like, what people don't like. And I'm African. I
(17:58):
lived in the diaspora for my childhood and early adulthood.
I left England at twenty nine moved back to the continent. Well,
I say moved back. I never actually lived on the continent.
I was back and forth all the time. But I
did my entire schooling up until the age, up until
university in the UK, and moved to Africa in twenty nine.
And I realized that Africa was having your renaissance in
(18:21):
the creative space, especially, and we were starting to take
ownership of what was ours and I had to be
part of that, and I had a responsibility as well,
like God put this responsibility on me to empower our economy,
not just human beings, but the economy in general. Because
you know that if you bring in more than you
put out, you're always going to be a poor nation
(18:43):
or poor continent. So we have a responsibility to put
out more than we bring in. And so creating a
brand was one a gap a need, but also I
saw in need. But I also over time realized that
there was a responsibility on my shoulders.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Is cruel cruelty free?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, when you do the tested on your or your product, we.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Test on humans, not animals. And because there's yeah, they
can say out. And also because there's no need. You know,
the ingredients we use are historically, you know backed my
great grandmother and her probably ancestors as well, use these
raw materials to cook, to eat with, to do several
(19:27):
things with my phone. No, I'm good, Yeah, to do
all of these things. So Shae has been around for centuries.
It's okay, I didn't invent shape.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Well, let's talk about this because of the fact that
it's not so much you're inventing it, but you're bringing
a brand to America and exposing it to a miracle
a polish brand. Yes, but you want to maintain that
the African slaver to.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Why is that important?
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Because we have to maintain the authenticity and the integrity
of who we are. I think it's important people to
know where we've come from. We don't intend to hide
that in any way. We just wanted to make our
raw materials sexy. If I can say that, you know,
let's bring it back. We have to make it appealing
(20:15):
and elegant and classy. But you know, in terms of
what's in the bottle, that all comes from other nature.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Okay, cool, Let's start talking about some of the stuff
that the infamous black soap. I've seen it in the
square and so why are you or why should I be.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Encouraged to use this liquid.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Black soap again, it's like the modernization of historical context.
Chay and sorry. Black soap is a traditional cleansing method
has been used also for decades, and how do we
make that more appealing and more accessible to people? Not
everybody wants to use a soap bar, although nowadays, with
(20:58):
the circular economy people wanting to have less waste, people
are more happy to use soap bars again. But if
you're a shower gel person, right.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
That's what I'm saying. That's why immediately gravitated it.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I am not a barshaal question I have so this
is something I will be buying because I enjoy I
just enjoy that aspect of it versus a soap that
it eventually looks ugly.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Exactly. I'm exactly the same. I'm a liquid soap person.
I love a shower gel. So a lot of the
need is created from my own personal needs and creating
something that is easy to use. You don't want to
make using these things difficult, otherwise people will use it
once twice and they'll be like, let me go back
to what I'm familiar with. So I want to make
(21:41):
it so that it can sit on the shelf next
to all of those brands that you've used your whole
life and be happy to switch it out.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Because now what is the difference, Because I want to
I think you have right here, you have the body all, yes,
this what's your first product.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Exactly, and then you have right.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Here you have the the body butter.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Yeah, why do you need both?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Because everyone's preferences are different. Some people like more of
a thicker application.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That's what the butter.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
That's what you're gonna get with the butter. So it's
a with butter, so it's still very light compared to
how rawschit butter is. We whip it, we add our
essential oils or you know, little proprietary bits and pieces
which are all one hundred percent natural oil sourced locally,
and some people just prefer butter. Some people want an
oil something that's a bit lighter and easier and quicker
(22:34):
to apply. So it just all depends comes down to.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Preference, right, because then you have the hand cream.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yes, now I'm just asking, okay, because I have the oil,
I have the butter, and then I have the hand cream.
I'm assuming the hand cream is strictly for the hand,
but they don't. You got these dry knuckles. Yeah, means so,
(22:59):
so I used it.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
You can put that in your car, in your little
man pers if you have one, and or your briefcase,
and then the ladies put it in their handbag, so
you just carry around with you when you need a
little moisture top up because you know the weather can
be dry. Even in West Africa, we have a season
called Hammertan, which is very very very dry, so your
(23:23):
lips get dry, your skin gets very dry, so it's
good to have that on your all times. Just top up.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Your product is named after your first daughter?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Yes, now, but your mother of three entrepreneur? How do
you balance that?
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I love that question, and I'll tell you why because
I like to say that no one asks the men
these questions. They always ask the women, how do you balance?
Because our load is heavy? But kids until then?
Speaker 1 (23:56):
But then I gotta go back to the source.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yes, and I think that it's difficult at times. You
can't give everything one hundred percent all the time, so
there's seasons. So right now I'm away from my kids.
Right right, they're facetiming me and they're like, oh, Mommy
this or Mummy that their dad is there, but they're
calling me, who is one thousand miles away, to ask
me the most inane question. So I think that it's
(24:20):
just you. You can't always balance everything, but you know,
sometimes you just pick up the heaviest balls and focus
on those at that specific time. There Sometimes when the
girls are good, they don't really need me. They've got
everything working in their favor and there they're good to go.
But there's other times where I need to put on
my mom hat and put everything aside. But I'm very,
very fortunate to have a lot of good support. My
(24:42):
husband is an amazing support. He's actually you know, one
of the partners. He like I said, to help me
conceptualize his business, and I couldn't have done it without him.
I have an amazing team in Ghana, in Nigeria and
now in the US.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
So there's going to be real that that just away
for vacation. You know, money made conversations. I see expansion
in my vision visionary.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Talk about your expansion ideas because you have three stores
back home, which is fantastic because finally you're keeping You're
not our source, you're not sourcing out your product, making
the product their employing people. Yes, revenue is staying in
the community, which I admire. So that's been the main
issue with Africa in general. But you're over here, come
(25:32):
on now, talk to me now.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Because you know, I think that we've also found our
tribe over here, and I've been here several times. I
did like essence first in twenty nineteen, so pre COVID,
there's pre covid and then post covid and pre COVID
we did some activations here and we realized that as
we spoke to people, people experienced our products, the feedback
was just unbelievable. And we really truly felt that we
(25:56):
found our people outside of the continent. And I knew
eventually we had to come back. So with the rebrand
and these new opportunities, and I just thought that this
was the right time to come back to America and
meet our people again. So I'm here right now because
we've got some activations, having some conversations. Right we did
(26:18):
something in Miami just yesterday, and the land in Atlanta
today and straight into your studios. So and thank you
for having me.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
And well, you know, first of all, I don't we're
not rapping this interview up because that sounds like you're
about to go there, you know, because I really want
people to slow down and understand that the product is
available down the online it is okay, and you don't
have to.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Wait to the product to get to that.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
So this this interview is by breaking down misconception.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
You know, oh it's in Africa, when I'm gonna get
it next year, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
So let's talk about the whole process that the art
of being placed how has handled in Africa, so we
can develop that trust with an audience over here.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
There has a lot of misconceptions.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Nurse, I'm sure's the one person gonna go shut what
you're talking about?
Speaker 3 (27:06):
I trust them?
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Well, that's you.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
But we're trying to sell to everybody. We want everybody
to have the same trust that they have walking in
their local drugs. Yeah, those products have been tested. They
feel that it's on that.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Shelf, they can buy it absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Now you're here with a product that I want to buy,
but it's sitting in a manufacturing location and a store
in Africa.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Talk about that process.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
So we take quality control very seriously and compliance so
no one needs to worry about testing or quality because
we have Food and Drugs Authority for Ghana testing, we
have Ghana Standards Authority. We have all of the compliance
sides ticked and we're entering the US. Everything goes through
FDA checks before it's released. And yes, we manufacture everything
(27:52):
on the continent, but we bring it to you here fresh.
It's toward in our warehouse partners or our logistics partners,
and then it shipped out to you this country. So
you don't have to wait a million years, even if
we're shipping it, even if we were shipping it from
the million years, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
But but you know what people for distance absolutely, you know,
like I said, you know Chicago, I know that's that,
you know, Mexico, Canada, Africa and so. And we're trying
to encourage people to go online to be able to
try the product because the product can't get shifted to
you in a very time to matter and if you
like it, you order it again. And so with that
(28:30):
being said, how do you market your brain?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
You over here?
Speaker 2 (28:33):
You know you over but you're over there? How are
you marketing your brain? You know you already told.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Me for sean. You know, before I started this, I
had a PR.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Yes, so you are much aware about marketing. Tell us
about this and.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Art and for me, PR is what I do. It
comes naturally. But we have a marketing team, both local
and global marketing team that are helping us get the
word out there.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
You just say all local and global global.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Yeah, shout out to my global team. They are doing
a great job. The tribes, they are doing a great job.
But again, it takes time, it takes experience. And one
of the great things that people can access is social media.
Social media is free and we've been building our audience
for over a decade now, and say Instagram for example,
(29:21):
So you can go on there, you can feel, you
can touch, you can read our story, you can watch
our story. We've done so many documentaries in house about
our story and about our production facility. So we produce
our own raw materials. You can see the women that
are part of that. You can understand where it comes from.
We have quality and processes. We meet all of the
(29:42):
standards good manufacturing practice. If you're into manufacturing, you know
about that. We're clean where that is concerned. And to
see the women at the end of the value chain
who pick the nuts, produce into butter, make the soaps.
They're all part of this story. So every single product
you you know, it does eventually go back to them.
(30:03):
It feeds back into that and the supply chain. Yeah,
pride and also our hope and our goal is to
change their lives in terms of their economic prospects.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Right, well, I'm gonna just tell you I'm impressed by
the process. First of all, you know you are standing communicator, but.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
You because let's be just a story.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
We're trying to tell you know, the logo are in
our skincare very impressive.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
I love it was just kind of like a brown
and green.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Yeah, very neutral and earthy, very.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Neutral, but it also feels like it is Africa in
a sense, you know, feel like earth tones strong earth
tones here. And the fact that you're giving us the
hand cream, You're giving us the which I love, you know,
the lotion body for bath, and then you have the
body body off, which was the first, and then you
have the cream of all. What is the big picture
(31:00):
we talked about it earlier as we close. What is
the big picture for our and our skincare?
Speaker 3 (31:06):
I think just growing an African brand and taking it
to the rest of the world and sharing the beauty
of Africa through our formulations, through what we do, and
letting people know that this is just a small representative
of the entire continent and what is capable of.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Well, my friend, thank you for coming on Money Making
Conversation having really I appreciate it. I appreciate you taking
the time to come in here and share your story
but also share an international perspective on success.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
Thank you. The pleasure is all mine. Thank you so
much for having me.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Which are so thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
posted by me Rashaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you our listening to
audience now. If you want to listen to any episode
I want to be a guest on the show, visit
Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversation.
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
(32:03):
your gifts. Keep winning mm hmmm.
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