This month, I want to introduce you to some people that I think you should know. I want to introduce you to lesa Williams and Sandra Dee DeBose. Today, we will meet Lesa. I asked Lesa some questions and I want you to read her response.
1. Tell us about your company? Butter
by Jolez came from the fact that all our
products have some kind of natural organic butter ( shea, mango, cocoa, etc. ) and JOLEZ
is from my family's name combined: the
"JO" in Johnnie, the "LE"
in Lesa, and last but certainly not least the "Z" is our daughter Zaley.
Lesa's lovely daughter Zaley
Butter by Jolez is paraben-free,
vegan friendly and color-free, but is much more than a body care maintenance
system. It is a home based, all natural hair care and skin care product line.
All of our products are hand mixed and made with the love that we have for this
company, and what our products do for our customers. Butter by Jolez products
are herbal, mostly organic, nourishing, full of natural ingredients; and many
of our customers use them on their newborns or small children. A company that
takes pride in providing a line of must have products, for anyone who wishes to
take better care of their hair, and skin.
2. What made you venture out to create your
own line? Well when I went Natural back in 2000’ natural hair care products
was very limited, so for a while I kept my hair very short. When I decided to grow my hair out, the
products that I found either didn’t work, or were too expensive. So I decided
to do my own. I asked my husband what he thought about starting our own, and he
was all for it. Now I have all the quality products I need for my hair regimen,
as well as sell for less than most other companies. Now you have Butter By
Jolez.
3.
How
difficult was it to step out and do this and did you find support? Stepping out to start was the easy part. I
secretly would put money away to get products because I didn’t want the burden
of paying back any kind of loan. I did that for about 18 months and then I was
able to get the products. The difficult
came sort of with the concept (name/bottles/labels that kind of thing). My biggest support was my family (Husband,
daughter and my mother)
4.
What
personal challenges did you face as you tried to get your company up and
running? My personal challenge was over extending
what I thought I could produce in the beginning. Right before starting the
company I was overcoming a lot of sickness.
As things picked up, my health wasn’t as sturdy as I would have hoped,
though doing good now, that created a bit of a setback.
5. I know personally you are a woman of
integrity regarding your products and your service, how has setting this
standard affected your business? I think you should sleep, eat, & drink
what you believe in through all aspects (mental, physical, spiritual ) I can’t
sell you the consumer, something that I myself, don’t believe in. I am passionate about my products. I try to be one on one with my customer
service so I can always use feedback as a source of improvement.
6. Starting a business can move slowly, so how
did you keep yourself encouraged? Being that the idea of starting this
business manifest in me a several years before I decided to do it. My husband always kept me encouraged, also
jumping on board 100% as co-owner, he was my rock to lean on when some days I
thought the day wouldn’t come.
7. What is the direction you have for your
business going forward? I as well as my husband would like to venture into
different beauty & skin care areas we have yet to experience. Whether its
facial mask, natural hair care specializing in specific natural hair issues,
cosmetics, getting our products in every natural hair care salon, extending our
accessories or getting distribution in several department stores worldwide. We
are constantly going to the drawing board with new ideas.
8. What would you share with someone trying to
start a business? Stay focused, believe in yourself because if you don’t
believe, no one can plant that belief in you and look to God for the ultimate
guidance, because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me-Philippians 4:13
9. What goals did you set for yourself
regarding your business and what strategies did you use to overcome any
obstacles? Well, since I was really in the natural hair trend, I sat down
and wrote a list of goals I thought I need to get down, in order to get my
business up and running. After I shared with my husband my goals, we became a
team in getting them accomplished. We
created budgets for different categories, the butters, the oils, the
containers, ink for the labels, and ingredients for each product. When we got the basics of it down, a lot of
things changed, the look of the website, the bottles, and some ingredients have
been enhanced. As time progress and business picked up, we created quotas,
increased inventory, and prioritized our supplies. Staying very positive, and sticking to goals
really helped us overcome any obstacles that we faced.
10. What final thoughts would you like to
share? My final thoughts would be no matter what it is you want or trying
to achieve, put God first, believe in yourself, see your dreams manifest with
hard work. I’ve always looked at my
company as my baby, and we always want to take good care of our babies. So instill your dream, and birth it in to
reality. With positivity and faith, God
will hold your hand so you can’t fail.
twitter:
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Vimeo video ~ Butter by Jolez product rating
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