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Join Essence Beauty Editor Akili King and the founder of Hanahana beauty for a deep dive on beauty entrepreneurship.
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00:00Good morning. Good morning, New Orleans. How are we feeling today? Happy Sunday. Thank you. Thank you. I hope everyone
00:12is in good energy today. We have a schedule of so many dope panels for you guys. If y'all
00:22could please come join us to the stage.
00:25Come on. Come on, y'all. Y'all can all sit down. There's so many seats for everyone. I don't
00:31know about you guys, but I thoroughly enjoyed the show last night. My energy today is whatever baby face was
00:40on, the way he was running back and forth on stage, that's how I want to be today.
00:44So our first panel for the day is called Behind the Brand, and we're going to do a deep dive
00:51into beauty entrepreneurship. Oh, wait. Before we start, did not introduce myself. My name is Daisy, and I have the
00:59pleasure of being your host today.
01:02So, again, we're going to do a deep dive into beauty entrepreneurship. We have our Essence Beauty editor, Akilah King,
01:09and our panelists, Abina, Javon, and Irene. So please give them a round of applause.
01:16Come on. Let's show the ladies some love. Let's show the ladies some love.
01:29Hello. Hello, hello, Essence Festival. Day three. How are we? Amazing. Not too tired after all the concerts and everything,
01:42all the things.
01:44Hey, all. Thanks for being here. I'm so excited to be here. So as mentioned, I'm Akilah King, Senior Beauty
01:52Editor for Essence Magazine, and I'm just so excited to be here today for Behind the Brand.
01:59This panel is going to be phenomenal. I already know. We have some incredible founders here. Abina of Hannah Hannah
02:06Beauty.
02:07We have Javon of Nail Bed and Bar. And Irene of Good Good Shea. Wow. Everyone's looking hydrated, glowing, not
02:19exhausted. Love to see it.
02:21We'll get into those secrets soon. But to kick off, I would love for each of you to tell us
02:28just a little bit about what inspired you to get into your career as brand founders,
02:36beauty brand founders specifically, starting with Abina. You have a background in therapy and teaching. Tell us about the pivot
02:44from that work to the work you do now.
02:47Of course. Of course. Hi, everyone. So for me, I was a seventh grade math teacher, which is very much
02:54not in the beauty space. But living in Chicago, I'm Ghanaian.
02:59And so being a seventh grade math teacher, you can't show up being ashy. You've got to be moisturized. You
03:05know what I mean?
03:06And I was really in the time when I started. It was 2017. But I started making products around 2014
03:12just for myself and for my friends and family.
03:15And I would always say curiosity really got the part of me. Being Ghanaian, really having an understanding around who
03:22was making the raw materials.
03:24And so when I started Hanna Hanna, I wanted to be very intentional about how we approach sustainability.
03:30And that's why till this day, nine years later, we work directly with shea butter cooperatives in Ghana, sourcing, paying
03:37two times the asking price and also creating access for health care.
03:40But at the end of the day, too, I'm still not actually at anyone that actually uses the product or
03:46not to.
03:46So that was really the approach around it was just curiosity around how can I create products that are good
03:53from the sourcing all the way to actually for the ingredients and for our body?
03:58Yes, absolutely. I love that. I love that. And Irene, similarly, you come from an education background as well, which
04:06is amazing.
04:07So talk to us as well about your pivot from that work to Good Good Shea.
04:12Okay. So for me, during COVID, I had just a hard time finding shea butter because my mom would always
04:18go back to Ghana.
04:18And of course, nobody was really traveling. So looking for it locally and not just seeing the smell, looking at
04:25it, just not knowing that it was traditional, that I was kind of used to.
04:29So I decided to basically start the line in memory of my mom.
04:34My mom actually passed away during COVID and through healing and making different shea products, I decided that, you know
04:41what, when it was time, I'm going to go back to Ghana.
04:44I'm actually going to go to the cooperatives or the farm and find the raw shea butter, import it and
04:49make products in her memory.
04:51So we are That Good Good Shea by Antia. In terms of my education background, I'm used to educating and
04:57obviously sparking curiosity, having conversations and ensuring that people are equipped with the knowledge that they need to basically start
05:05businesses or even start a project.
05:08So that education background in terms of working in the back end, understand the plan and execute, that's what I
05:15kind of did when I was starting my own business.
05:17Yes. Wonderful. Yes. And Javon, tell us about your sort of story and journey into nail care and what inspired
05:29you to launch your Nail Bed and Bar.
05:32So Abstract Nails was actually born from Nail Bed and Bar.
05:38Nail Bed and Bar has been a in-demand nail art niche studio in Washington, D.C. since 2024.
05:44And with everyone that couldn't get to the salon, especially during the pandemic, they still wanted to have something that
05:53was representative of their style, their personal style, something that was reflective and also still felt good.
06:00So when we launched Abstract Nail Art Press Ons, it was an answer to those that needed nail art, who
06:08still appreciated nail art.
06:10But the salon definitely helped to foster that to bring it to life.
06:15Yes, absolutely. I love to hear it.
06:18And then going back to the educators in the room, like I'm curious how your background in education sort of
06:26informs how you approach teaching your customers and consumers about self-care, about body care.
06:34Do you feel like that plays a role in like your messaging?
06:37Yeah, I feel like for me in education, you always want to make things feel exciting and you're learning something
06:45new.
06:46So utilizing social and creating a level of transparency.
06:50I feel like when we started, people didn't really see how Shea was being made.
06:55They didn't know the women behind the brand.
06:57They also didn't even, they see me in the kitchen all the way to the cooperatives, to building a big
07:03team, to all these different places.
07:05And so I think there's this aspect of transparency and strategic creativity with it, right?
07:11Like we recently just launched a new product with our glow minis and we really take our time on how
07:19we do launches.
07:20That it's not just about, it looks good, but it's speaking to the customers so they see themselves in it
07:26and have that understanding of how to utilize the product.
07:29So I think just strategic creativity is so important and really understanding your customer.
07:35We survey our customers at all times.
07:38So we're making sure that we're launching things that they want to have.
07:41Yes, I love that.
07:42And what about you, Irene?
07:44I was going to say that obviously I'm an English teacher and as an English teacher, your job is to
07:49always communicate.
07:49So for me, communicating the benefits of shea butter, the uses of shea butter, talking about the experience, how to
07:57apply.
07:57When you're building community, you want to make sure that people are equipped with the knowledge that they need to,
08:02to use the products.
08:03And also like Abna had mentioned, improvement is important.
08:07So getting that customer feedback directly while having conversations with people allows you to continue to improve your product line,
08:14continue to improve upon, you know, what the customers actually want.
08:17So I think my knowledge of just always communicating through writing, through oral communication,
08:22and obviously just through listening, that's so important to make sure that you have the knowledge
08:27so you can continue to work hard to build a business that is rooted in building the community.
08:33That's amazing.
08:34And Javon, I feel like the nail industry, in terms of ingredients, it's not necessarily known for the healthiest ingredients,
08:42but I feel like you pride, or your brand is built on clean ingredients, which is amazing.
08:48And just tell us a little bit about why that was important to you to do.
08:53Well, I'll say I always, when I created Nail Bed and Bar, it was definitely supposed to be eco-friendly,
09:03not supposed to be, but is eco-friendly, very clean product line, and that also transitioned into clean products for
09:13abstracts nail art press-ons.
09:15And so it's very important because we don't always think about what some of the damaging products or ingredients are
09:21in nail products.
09:22And so that was always at the forefront of my mind.
09:25When you walk into my salon in particular, you don't smell the smells that you would in a traditional nail
09:31salon
09:31because we don't use those products.
09:34And I also wanted to have an educational component to that nail care experience
09:39because I want women and people that love nail care to understand that you don't have to have the damaging
09:46ingredients to still get the look.
09:48And so you can still have beautiful, healthy nails and not have to inhale the chemicals, wear the chemicals,
09:55because those things over time impact your body, impact your health.
10:00I know the latest trend was the TPO and some of the gel products.
10:06Well, that does have a lasting impact to women with fertility.
10:11I've never used products that had TPO because that was always at the forefront of my mind that,
10:17sure, we're going to service all walks of women.
10:20And we know that black women, African-American women, we are always prone to things out more than the average,
10:29right?
10:30So we have higher levels of exposure of other things than other cultures.
10:36So it is definitely within my brand and everything that we do to protect black women,
10:42especially those of us that love a beauty service like nails.
10:45Yes, absolutely. Wonderful. Amazing work.
10:49And Abana, your brand is heavily rooted in your Ghanaian background, which is so beautiful.
10:55And you travel a lot back and forth.
10:58Tell me about that balance, why it's important to go back home for you.
11:02And, you know, you have your local team there.
11:05And also a little bit about like ethically sourcing your shea butter back home as well.
11:11Yeah, no, I love that.
11:13So when I launched, I was in grad school, y'all.
11:17So I was finishing my master's in counseling psych.
11:19And when I graduated, I remember telling my mom, I was like, I'm going to go to Ghana and I'll
11:25study for my license and I'll come back.
11:28I didn't study for that license.
11:29I literally went and I moved back to Ghana because as a teacher living in Chicago, it's all about if
11:36I'm going to teach in a certain neighborhood, I should be near that neighborhood.
11:40So if I'm going to create impact or want to have an understanding about a neighborhood, I should live there.
11:44Even though I'm Ghanaian, I never traveled to the north.
11:48I wasn't living in the north.
11:49So that's what I did.
11:51So I took two years of really focusing and living there and understanding the culture.
11:56That's how we've been able to build the circle of care, which is how we do our health care days,
12:01all of that.
12:02And for us, it's all about accessibility.
12:04I have the understanding that Hana Hana would not be where it's out without our cooperatives, right?
12:10So it's important that they give us access.
12:13We also give them access.
12:15And so I feel like during that time, I really focused more on impact.
12:19However, 2020 hit and I had to come back.
12:22I got stuck in the States.
12:24And so we kept it within our vision, but also really focused on strategic growth.
12:29And so it just continues to back and forth.
12:32I go, I was just in Ghana in April.
12:34I love going, like, I try to go twice a year and stay there at least up to like two
12:39months or so
12:40to really be within the community and have an understanding of what's going on.
12:44And also we want to grow there too.
12:46So, yeah.
12:47I love that.
12:47I love that.
12:48Beautiful.
12:49And Irene, similarly, your brand is also rooted in your Ghanaian background.
12:55Tell me a bit about why it's important for you to champion your roots in your brands
13:01and also as you scale up, keeping that integrity intact.
13:07So, so important to obviously focus on my heritage because growing up with my mom, my aunties,
13:13just seeing how they had all of their beauty traditions, you know, shea butter, of course,
13:17was something that was always there.
13:19I had really bad eczema, so I always used it.
13:21So seeing the benefits of me using shea butter and knowing that it's been used for centuries,
13:26that was so important for me to be able to go back to Ghana, go to the northern part of
13:31Ghana,
13:31where I'm not from, and actually see the traditions, like, in work, seeing them actually doing the work,
13:38making the shea butter from the nut to the butter to, like, all the different processes
13:42that I have to go through to actually make it.
13:43So that's so important for me to showcase that to people so they know that this is an authentic product
13:49and it's in use and we're using it in our formulations.
13:52We use it in our butters and our lotions and our body wash.
13:55So them knowing that where it comes from and it's focused on our Ghanian beauty traditions.
14:01Absolutely. Gorgeous, gorgeous.
14:04And then Javon, I feel like, well, all of you really, but I'll direct this towards Javon.
14:10I feel like culture is at the center of what you do and it's not just a marketing, you know,
14:17term or jargon that you throw out there.
14:20Why is that important for that to be really what's driving you and what your brand is rooted in as
14:26well?
14:27So I've been in the beauty industry for, I'm still 21, but I've been in the beauty industry for more
14:34than 20 years now.
14:36And one thing that was very important was to understand how black women shift the culture.
14:44We are the trendsetters and not only are we the trendsetters with what we do, what we look like, what
14:51we wear,
14:52but definitely our hair, our nails, our skincare, skincare routines, all of those things are trendsetting.
14:59So we really shift the culture in that way.
15:03So it was also important for me to utilize what I was creating at my salon.
15:09And, and because we have been doing nails or wearing, you know, lots of designs on our nails for many,
15:17many years.
15:18And so it was important for me to amplify that how we impact the nail environment or the nail industry.
15:26Um, and so making sure that with every collection that I drop is an ode to the culture.
15:34Sure. Um, we, we are over in beauty con and every nail set is basically created on a real woman.
15:42So we create it on, on nails and then we mass produce that for the masses.
15:49So it's, it's transferred from wearable art that we create in our salon to a nail product.
15:56Incredible. Amazing. I'll have to stop by the booth for sure and check it out.
16:00Yes, we're right there.
16:01It sounds amazing. And then similarly, Abana, I feel like your brand is so rooted in community.
16:09I know we throw that word around a lot these days, but truly I feel like your brand is so
16:15rooted in that.
16:16And even I've been to many of your events. We did ice cold plunges the other day.
16:21And like that event helped me get over that fear and just, I don't know. I want you to talk
16:27about, you know, why that's at the center of your brand, what that means to you and where that comes
16:35from for you as well.
16:36Yeah. I mean, in general, beauty wellness is next to next. Right. And so we always talk about like skin
16:45care is self care and building community around that as much as it is strategic.
16:52It's also just what makes sense, even just rooted within culture of things.
16:58When we talk about community, it's not just influencers. It's the people that actually are sustaining our brand. That's within
17:06it.
17:06When we talk about sustainability, we say like we're not just thinking about environmental sustainability. We're really thinking about community.
17:13We know that people are spending their dollars. And even if they're not, we want them to get access to
17:18what we're building.
17:19And so I really try to think about it in a most parallel experience of like, what would our customer
17:25want? How can I create this opportunity for you to experience it?
17:31I always say, I feel like my purpose is being able to create experiences where people can learn about themselves
17:36in some type of way. Right.
17:38So from a teacher, it was math. From a therapist, it was themselves. But then beauty, it's also about their
17:44skin, their experience and what they should receive.
17:46So that's something that we try to do in every community event so that you feel like it's a really
17:51luxurious experience.
17:53Yeah, I love it. I love it. The storytelling is on point for sure.
17:57Yeah. And then I would love for each of you to get into maybe something about being an entrepreneur, a
18:06founder that you feel is misunderstood or maybe something you didn't even expect along the way that you had to
18:13overcome and deal with.
18:15Would love to start with Irene.
18:16Irene. So I think that there's sometimes a perception that when you have a brand that you're a team of
18:24people can answer emails on the fly because, you know, they're coming in at 1 a.m.
18:31and you're just you have someone there to just click and answer it right away.
18:35But for most of our founders that are here, a lot of times we're solo founders.
18:39We're doing a lot of things. We're wearing a lot of hats.
18:42You know, we're doing marketing. We're doing the Instagrams, TikToks.
18:46We're answering the emails. You know, we're working with, you know, formulators, buyers, whoever it might be.
18:53So we're wearing a lot of hats a lot of times.
18:55And people don't realize that the team might just be one or two.
18:59And it might be the interns for the summer or someone that's assisting, helping you.
19:03And it's not this, you know, fanfare of people that can just, you know, answer all the emails and decide
19:08all the decisions.
19:09You know, the decision maker just might be one person.
19:12So there's a myth sometimes that, you know, there's this whole machine happening when it's really just one person doing
19:17it all.
19:18And obviously requires a lot of patience, hard work.
19:21But also you have to be in a state where you can be open to ideas and really be OK
19:26hearing no's and being OK not knowing everything
19:30and going to the people that could actually assist and help you.
19:33So I think that's a myth that the founders a lot of times have this big machine behind them and
19:38they really don't.
19:40Absolutely. That's so real. And then Javon.
19:44So for me, one thing that I try to communicate and also convey in my messaging is that this brand
19:56represents every woman.
19:58And when I start or, you know, when you're a founder of a product, they always say, know your customer.
20:05But then you come to a space like Essence Fest and I see all my customers sitting and we all
20:10have different walks of lives.
20:12We all wear our hair different. We all wear our nails different.
20:15So trying to make sure that I have something for everybody has been the most challenging, but it's also rewarding
20:23because it's just a reminder of how amazing and brilliant we are
20:28and that we can have a product that is suitable for us in every way.
20:33So sure, we have a long, we got short, we got a red, we got black, we got blue.
20:37We have a lot of design, a little design.
20:38And so understanding who my customer is has been a challenge because that's ever evolving because the black woman is
20:46ever evolving.
20:47Exactly. Exactly. I love that. Something for everyone as well. Absolutely.
20:53Abana?
20:54I would say, hmm, I think a perception about entrepreneurship that has definitely shifted for me more so is around
21:03releasing control.
21:06I've been in the business now for nine years.
21:08I always say, like, the first four years versus the last five years has been different.
21:11And I think it's really been this accepting and understanding of, like, my faith and really being able to have
21:18that backing.
21:18I'm like, I didn't create this world, God did. I didn't even create myself, so I should probably release that.
21:24And I think it's just so important to have a better, like, just something above you.
21:29For me, it's through Christ, but I think everyone should have faith outside of themselves to really do it.
21:34Because, like, entrepreneurship, it's ups and downs, you know?
21:38Like, there's no level of true consistency, right?
21:41And so you really need to be able to be present and enjoy it.
21:45And I think it really takes something outside of yourself for that.
21:50Because I think a lot of times it feels like it's all on you, and it really isn't.
21:54It's just a job. Let's be for real.
21:57You are building something, but it's a job.
22:00As much as it is your livelihood and different things.
22:03So you have to really experience everything outside of it, too.
22:06Absolutely. No. And I think that's a beautiful mic drop moment to leave off on.
22:13Thank you, ladies, for your wisdom, your time, vulnerably sharing your stories.
22:19Yes, clap it up for these ladies.
22:21So inspiring.
22:22Thank you for being here and just sharing everything with us today.
22:27And thank you all as well for coming through.
22:30Yes.
22:32Love to see it.
22:33Keep enjoying Essence Fest, and we'll talk to you soon.
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