Season 2 · Episode 14

Dayja Smith - Coko's Crown

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0:01welcome welcome welcome to alienize photos industry talk and I'm sitting with
0:10Miss Deja Smith Cleveland Ohio owner of Coco's crown natural hair care line and
0:17I've used her products even though she I bought the product blindly and I loved
0:23it and we have more to come on that also a plethora of things multifaceted
0:30entrepreneur professional consultant company the list goes on but Deja you
0:36can introduce yourself way better than I can tell the people who you are. Hi I am
0:42Deja Smith I am born and raised in Cleveland Ohio I currently sit as the
0:49vice president of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland's young professionals
0:53I also sit as co-chair for the Urban Land Institute's real estate
0:59development initiative where we teach minority professionals post-baccalaureate
1:04real estate development so yes I am really community-based in Cleveland I
1:10am Cleveland State as well as a little alum and I also graduated from
1:16Lakeland Community College before I graduated from high school so I also
1:20hold a business administration technology certification as well as
1:25the state development certification and health care management and
1:29psychology bachelors so. You're very well rounded. How did you get started with all these
1:35different avenues and things? Really so with natural hair care I got
1:41started after high school and I was going to college and I needed to
1:45figure out hair products for myself so I got in a wave of creating my
1:49own products from what I had present for me in the kitchen and since
1:54then and going to school and studying chemistry biology psychology figuring
2:00out sciences behind how to create products I pretty much have perfected I
2:06would say for my community and the type of product that I would like to
2:10have that's how I created it I was also working at a natural hair care
2:14well the name of the store is natural hair natural beauty hair
2:17boutique at the time but we weren't selling natural hair products we were
2:24it because I wanted to sell natural hair products and that's kind of how I got my
2:30start for natural hair care as far as D Smith Development Co. I got my start
2:36doing business administration technology and then I expanded from that so so
2:41going back to the hair care and I said I've used your products and I
2:47just want to say how important just just for not fact just how important
2:52is personal or sales agent for your brand your business not just for you but
2:58like anybody that has a brand because you wasn't there I didn't even know you
3:02at the time I know you were over the brand but I'm like sounds like a good
3:07brand I could get behind and support it and I've tried the products and
3:12loved it I even got the chapstick. Thank you I would say it's super
3:19important to have a spokesperson or a salesperson to represent your product
3:24in a way that maybe you can't it's good to have somebody be readily
3:29available to tell your story as well as market the product and that's really
3:35how you connect excuse me I just want connection but the importance of
3:40having someone out and about speaking about the product the same way
3:45that I am gains attention as well as really just getting a product out
3:49here and into the hands of the people so that's beautiful and well told man I
3:54remember the first time purchasing it I instantly used the lip balm you
4:00prioritized it like a lip balm not a chapstick correct well chapstick it's a
4:05brand. Chapstick is copyrighted. Give me right lip moisturizer. Give me correct and it was
4:14amazing it was just glide I'm like oh this is smooth this is better than
4:17chapstick so thank you which has changed over the years you know I've used so
4:22many different products and even from the hair care even I even did the
4:26refreshing mist before his interview. Thank you. I feel refreshed. I'm glad that you
4:33do that's one of my favorite products actually because you can not
4:37only just use it for your hair you can use it for your skin so spray it
4:41on your face as well as it's TSA approved because all of my products
4:45have antimicrobial and antifungal properties so I like to travel with
4:50that I spray my hands spray my airplane seat with it that's how
4:54multifaceted my products are so you're not just able to use it to grow
4:58your hair and cleanse your scalp and moisturize your scalp but you're also
5:02able to use it to cleanse a natural surface I've studied quite some I've
5:07done a lot of research on creating the products that I have and before my
5:12company started in 2017 I didn't release that specific product until 2021
5:172022 so that just gives you a timeline on how long that I'm testing these
5:22products not only on myself but my friends my family and then just getting
5:26feedback as well as how can I make it better so just the evolution of the
5:31product before I even release it to the public it is heavily and vastly
5:35researched so it can do its multifunctional things that it's
5:41heavily researched tested feedback that's what I heard and how important is all of that
5:46gaining that feedback and tested because some people are like oh I got
5:49this product I'm putting it out really took your time like you said you
5:53research you gather feedback made iterations changed it tailored it how
5:59important is that extremely important especially when it comes to the
6:04product itself and the brand I want to be one of those trusted brands
6:07where it's like I know when I go to use her product I know that the quality is
6:11gonna be a one if not the quality that is gonna be a one I know that it
6:16can help me do that in a third or it's a solution for me so it's
6:21extremely important I know for my oil I used to have just a regular
6:26screw top and now I have a push-down top so medicinal dropper
6:31instead highly important for lifespan of the product so really yes now the
6:37product is virtually with that click top dropper the medicinal style dropper the
6:43product is now virtually not able to expire so that's the it's a really
6:49cool part about the oil and it's packaged in the hydrolytic resistant
6:53bottles so so I can't just put in a little plastic bottle and be like oh you
6:57could but at some point the quality of the product will be compromised so
7:03I pride myself on the science on my packaging as well as the product
7:09working together and creating a very potent and high quality style product
7:15but as far as tailoring the product in changing it and as well as I don't
7:21want to be the person keep releasing a whole bunch of different things like
7:25the Jordans I don't want to keep I don't want to keep releasing the
7:28thing and a whole bunch of different things I want my one product to stand
7:32for itself and it's only going to get better from here and that's one thing
7:36that I can say that my company has upheld thus far be a brand ambassador
7:42yes you know what I can't wait for you to be a brand ambassador because
7:45you're here is extremely long you bought the product blindly it's a real
7:50review that's kind of my I can be it send products to people I can give
7:55products to people but the customers who are blindly purchasing the product
8:00and saying hey I like this and I love this let me go out and actually take the
8:05initiative to come back and speak to me to give me that real review those are
8:08the customers that I pride myself in having and I can say that that's how my
8:13company has sustained itself thus far because my social growth online is not
8:19that much but my word of mouth grow is being very pertinent to their
8:25survival of my business and the success of my business so it's only
8:29yes I'm excited we're growing and I'm coming from being a one-woman show to
8:35relinquishing trust unto other people I just met with a friend of mine today
8:40and we were just thinking about how can we outsource you you have your hand
8:45in so many different places and pots for the success in the growth of your
8:49business you have to be willing to expand and take on a team and so
8:54that's kind of where I'm at right now it's like my business is in the
8:57growing stage the best thing that I can do to scale and foster that growth is
9:02to create the team so keeping that success going so what would you say is
9:07your first hire has been thus far a business solutions advisor that's how
9:14you actually purchased my product the first time around yes the importance
9:21of a podcast the pull-up experience yes an omnipresent presence is
9:27extremely impactful when growing your business and just having people who are
9:32just as passionate and believe in the goal just as much as you I think that
9:37that is what creates success around business I can all credit miss Lutri
9:41step light we just recently did a chase coaching for impact and I just
9:47recently graduated that program but oh you are okay that's amazing
9:53congratulations but I would say it's having that mentorship having the
9:59advocacy having the people in finance Tim also works for Bank of America so
10:04he's always figuring out how can this business be more innovative within
10:08whether it be technology whether it be on a marketing standpoint or in a
10:13communication standpoint so and then Latrice is kind of that lady who's
10:18like she's a powerhouse you know Lutri she's a powerhouse especially
10:22with mentorship and telling you this is where you need to be and this is how you
10:27go to make that business bankable this is how you properly scale that
10:31business this is who you need to speak to and then go from there so
10:35I'll say mainly just getting the financial people in order first and then
10:39the marketing people in order next is that's gonna be the main thing for a
10:44successful business after that my brand ambassadors maybe or I'm
10:51definitely in the need of some type of secretary or personal assistant or any
10:56type of intern who's willing to follow my company and then grow with me in any
11:02type of succession plan that I'm looking forward for to create this to
11:06go passively but that's currently finances is my first go-to for my
11:21so what about colleges here colleges cosmetology school I think that that's
11:30a good idea however I know that those ladies are looking to earn hours as far
11:36as service hours for the services that they provide but I would be looking I
11:42would be interested in figuring out how I could possibly teach the
11:46side of the cosmetology industry the beauty industry because it's one thing
11:52to have a skill but it's another thing to have the knowledge to support that
11:56skill so that's a good idea thank you so even time that's who what you're
12:04doing in a partner with Urban League greater Cleveland young professionals
12:10president yes probably since October we're in May right now I am succeeding
12:20mr. Devinson so he's pretty cool but I am in in in collaboration and
12:26leadership with mr. Colin Jackson as a president you know it's funny he
12:33would love something like that we check all the time already I can
12:37tell you he's a good friend so what about independent workshops so
12:45independent workshops and that's amazing that you brought that up my
12:50co-working space where my professional development company D Smith development
12:54co I have a co-working space the address is 25863 shard and row Richmond
13:00Heights Ohio four four one four three you can drop in and schedule any type
13:06workshop that you would like to teach or would like to receive and we can
13:11figure out that for you but we do offer working content rooms as well as
13:16boardrooms you can drop in and work from home from there we have cubicle
13:20spaces handicap accessible yeah drop in and work from home yeah so they're
13:28they're called drop-in desks I have people drop in cubicles available
13:33let's say you don't want to really work from home you need a new
13:36workspace the library doesn't really support taking calls and things like that
13:41so you can do that right here at decent development co I guess and is
13:46that a something you kind of pawn to your real estate development that is
13:50actually yes it's funny that you brought that up um I came across the
13:56real estate for the space started okay your wine and let's go to how did I
14:04get into contact with the real estate development people was figuring I was
14:10in a space this before I had the business solutions advisor I was in a
14:13space to where I was like okay how do I get my business out here I was just
14:18messaging random people on Instagram like and I spiked your event I ran
14:23into Melanie she is pretty much the executive director of the urban land
14:29Institute she said sure we're having a women's day event you can come and
14:34sponsor I said sure I'd be willing to give you all free products hundreds of
14:38free products for gift bags and so she was like wow that's amazing sure come
14:45pick them up and so she came and she picked him up she invited me to the
14:49event and after she was like would you be interested in doing a real
14:53estate development initiative I said sure and yeah I went from being a
15:00sponsor to a student and a participant in the ready program to now it being my
15:06program I'm the co-chair wait you came with your your brand your product partner
15:13basically partner with another business another brand and now you
15:18leverage your own brand to basically overtake another brand yeah I wouldn't
15:25say overtake though because I definitely grew in that space and they
15:28have supported me so greatly as far as like just being hungry and wanting more
15:34opportunities because I don't have a real estate development or any real
15:38estate background in any type of capacity I was just the girl sponsor in
15:42the event you know I do have those connections at Cleveland State and I
15:46do have the connections within the community and I do have the willingness
15:50to learn as well as be teachable so Melanie was like would you be
15:56interested I'm looking for students I said yes that's how I got all the way
16:03to being the co-chair of the real estate development initiative to D Smith
16:09Development Co. in that aspect I was looking up places okay I finally want
16:13to get my feet wet I got my certifications in real estate development
16:16I have a network of a global network because Urban Land Institute is a
16:20global network of within real estate whether it be construction
16:26architects anything you can think of a global network so I'm like okay I have
16:30a global network I need to figure out projects for myself how can I get our
16:35RFPs those are requests for proposals how can I get RFPs so mentor one
16:42of my mentors who was teaching the class they were like you just got to
16:45go out and you got to go out and find them don't get your feet wet
16:47don't be afraid to get your feet wet so I meet a guy I see an open
16:51space and at the time my sister's looking for something to put her
16:56esthetician business and so I go and talk to the man I say hey my sister's
17:00looking for a place to put her business it didn't end up sitting right
17:04with my sister she didn't care for the space really so I said okay I'll
17:08take the space because I really like it and the space was kind of beat
17:12up I had developed the space put my own knowledge to use and yeah I'm
17:18development co so yeah I'm trying to be well-rounded multifaceted important
17:25for me to say that if there's anything that I've ever thought that I wanted to
17:28do I did it so this is kind of me kind of knowing you advance and run
17:34into each other in public or introvert or extrovert Wow okay I would
17:40say that I am a introvert you how as an introvert how do you push past
17:46all that is to these different hands building these different businesses and
17:52brands and certifications like how do you push past that understanding that
17:58I have a greater purpose so I do have family is a major thing for me that
18:06drives me I am my oldest I'm the oldest sister so it's kind of like
18:10your parents really depend on me keeping things in order and in
18:15behind people so it's kind of like I've always been like I've always been the
18:19boss but now it's to the point of okay and I pull up with me how can I know
18:27that not only is my family depending on me but every other young lady who
18:31looks like me is depending on me to be better you know she my goals mainly
18:38my family but also to women like me I am and think about greatness and
18:44I think about accessing spaces I know that not many of me are in that space
18:49just being able to infiltrate different spaces bring women up with me but also
18:56black people in totality so with that being said has there ever been like a
19:04difficult or hard time that you try to do this and kind of go away or you
19:14think about several times where I've had to pivot within my professional life I am
19:20currently a full-time entrepreneur but I haven't always been that and I am
19:25also in a space to where I am wanting to grow within my education and
19:31I'm thinking about okay I'm out of school since 2019 how can I be an
19:35entrepreneur I've been in that the philanthropist and in the community
19:39space and in the advocacy phase how can I take the skills that I'm
19:43already having that it's been on a hiatus since the pandemic within the
19:48health care industry and I take what I'm doing now and put it towards what
19:54it is that I'm doing or want to do later on that's something that I'm
19:58currently navigating in this in the process I'm in the process of doing
20:01that but as far as my business their industry is a billion-dollar industry
20:09people are consistently coming up with ideas that are like yours or similar to
20:14yours so you're figuring out how can I stand out it's my product different
20:18than everyone else's product you know that all too well yeah you know what I
20:21mean big in the podcast industry in the audio visual industry in
20:25communication and marketing you have to figure out okay this one might pick
20:30up the camera and I don't think they're a photographer and this is
20:33something that you actually you want a professional level and so it's kind
20:37of with me being a scientist while I am putting out a hair product I'm a
20:42scientist my product is multifaceted my product not only grows your hair but
20:48helps with topical numbing it also me with my anti-microbial it also helps
20:54with skin diseases it also helps with building confidence and making yourself
20:58feel better so my thing is pivoting really is a part of my story as the
21:03entrepreneur that I am let's cheers to you and we love it it's so good like
21:14the party the sangria yes to you wines in South Creek Ohio one of my brand
21:20partners man definitely check it out but um like you got a lot on your
21:33energy all of this and continue to keep going at a high level I'm doing
21:39anything that I am not passionate about so the thing is I feel like anything
21:46that I take to or anything that I start it's because I truly believe in
21:51it I know a lot of people are into things that are just join or they're
21:58they're supporting just a sport support you know social media has
22:01trends in me personally I am human rights is like me so my communal work
22:09I'm human first in believing everything for my professional development you're
22:14gonna get everyone to have the education that they need to support
22:17whatever endeavor that they want my natural hair care line it's am wanting
22:22people to have access to healthy products that are created small and
22:26have any ulterior motive I'm gonna be brands my real estate development is to
22:34make sure that minorities have access to real estate and land and education
22:39on how to sustain that in community and neighborhoods so it's really for
22:45me I'm not doing anything that I don't genuinely believe in or that I
22:48don't genuinely support so I don't have an issue going that thousandth
22:54I don't have an issue you had a hundred tenth percent genuinely support it you
23:00genuinely want a better you just have to be the change you want to see in
23:04the world yeah try to show up in ways that I would like to see that all
23:10that you believe in everything that you see but what about stuff that you
23:17don't believe in or like the enemy to what you're doing um thing that
23:22I'll say is you have to have discernment and you they prayed up I have to have
23:29discernment I say that I'm very intuitive on being able to ran a space
23:35isn't for me you direct myself out of the space as far as I'm gonna always
23:42be an odd but as long as you stay ready you don't have to get ready you
23:45know long as I'm prepared for whatever it is that can come towards me as
23:49and even the diversities that I'm not prepared for know that as long as I
23:55stay faithful inconsistent and determined it's always gonna follow up
23:59next you know keep going in face of an enemy in the face of any
24:05adversities you just got to keep going and you'll you'll understand like
24:09you have a vision it's bigger than the problem the vision will always be
24:13bigger than the problem so I'm trying to win the war the battles I can
24:17battle here or there but I'm trying to win the war you know these are things
24:20that I have to mentally tell myself and reaffirm myself but I'm grateful that
24:25I do have the mindset and the confidence that I do to be able to keep
24:29showing up as you say that quote and they lose the battle but you're
24:34gonna win the war is there was like the last few books that you've read
24:40I gotta plug my ladies in I know this is crazy 107 days Kamala Harris
24:47107 days I just recently met her I have a signed copy and she is a light I
24:54didn't I've never met someone to where their aura kind of boss exudes
25:01like I'm gonna be like her one day and I'm 31 so it's like I passed the
25:05age where it's like oh but I'm at the age to where I could recognize okay she
25:11has great skill great achievements she has a great personality great woman to
25:18show up as wait qualities so 107 days by Kamala Harris I'd like to plug okay
25:25well as becoming Michelle Obama the first edition where the covers blue and
25:30yes so are you running for office no just curious have all these stands and
25:38what you believe in and then like two books you recommend is like political
25:43figures in the sense um I say no I am NOT running for office but I would
25:50like to plug my friend who is running for office you money yes money
25:54Edwards Edwards I was thinking Kamala Harris but her name is Imani Edwards
25:59she's how I met Kamala Harris Imani Edwards okay so what she's running for
26:04she is running for councilwoman downtown ward so we've been voting for her
26:09election day but by the time this is published I don't know we gotta vote
26:15today so even if you might have to edit this we're not sure I don't mean
26:19like I don't know how sure she's gonna be better when my when I say
26:25qualities of a great woman a great leader even if she doesn't win can't
26:30wait to support any next endeavor for her but yeah I'm gonna need money
26:34Edwards what does she do besides she works for Taff so she is a greater
26:42Cleveland's young professional general body member we are really grateful to
26:50her on our public advocacy committee as well as she simply just did
26:56something for our women's initiative on it during the month of March where
27:00we hosted pretty much the largest panel that we have in 2026 so yeah
27:07we're really excited to have her as well as a lot of our new members who
27:11are out and about making a difference we I would say for our IPs is we
27:17have everyone in different sectors whether it be sports whether it be the
27:21arts whether it be event curating whether it be really say the education
27:25business finance like more really well-rounded as an organization and we
27:31truly support each other in that aspect yes but no policy for me I am
27:39a science girl I love science scenes research clinical studies those type
27:46of things love neurology brain studies the human-computer interaction that's
27:53my main thing for psychology that I'm truly into right now so is it mainly
28:01science because you have like after of things like a well-rounded palette of
28:06different intersect industries since I will be your like thing on alternate
28:13go or like no I think I don't want to box myself in in that aspect as far as
28:22my education goes I would say I the first before I had a high school
28:28diploma I had a business administration technology so I was
28:32already not only well-rounded in business but I was also well-rounded
28:37in the technology space in an administration space that's something
28:41that I can do with my eyes closed yes just like and do that now for as my
28:49psychology more so of passion and interest the brain why people do the
28:56things we do behavior yes so that's actually why I do health care
29:05management as well management marketing health care of interaction is
29:11what I kind of um why why people think that we think what would make you buy
29:15this product over the next one what colors are gonna make you shop what
29:20colors are gonna make you click things are yeah things am I gonna say to
29:26where it entices people to want to do something you know what I mean what
29:31language or what words can I use to get the reader a little bit harder to
29:35where they're gonna wanna what's the matter sensory you know I trigger for
29:38upon reading this so somatosensory what your emotions your five senses and
29:45your five senses and the emotions that follow the five senses it goes really
29:50hand-in-hand in marketing so if you were looking like should I do psych
29:54should I do business together they're really good really great yes what
29:59about the color for your brand and Coco's crown so um do you really want to know the truth I want to know the truth and
30:10okay I wanted to do black and white like I know that's crazy so at the time 2017
30:19when I would think it was 2016 when I was thinking about like how I want my
30:23logo to look ten years ago okay okay this is ten years ago um how am I
30:27little to look and so I know I wanted it to be clean plain white
30:33I knew I wanted it to be white but got milk is black and white and we are Coco's
30:40crown so Coco the color of cocoa black and what kind you think about the
30:44cocoa yeah brown yeah you know milk chocolate so that's basically where I
30:52got Coco's crown milk chocolate yeah those are the colors the cleanness of
30:59that so now anything that you see of Coco's crown it's only gonna say
31:02Coco's crown and then everything else will have something around it everything
31:07else but the logo itself is just clean white cursive I went for cursive
31:12because of crown royal or elegant lux feel yeah like a more lux feel for it
31:20but really how I have it no other variation to where you got the brown
31:25and the white I don't really do that unless it's on a piece of content to
31:29have to be back but kind of got the inspiration from a powerful campaign by
31:35the way they got me listen and I'm like doesn't tolerate so for you and
31:41um so I'll say what would you say you do for fun like was your passions
31:47outside of business and entrepreneurship and policy Coco's
31:51crown caring for others I like to do for fun my dogs play with my pets
31:58my dogs my nails I'm really good randomly I'm really good at nails I've
32:04been doing nails since I was probably 12 years old I would say earlier than
32:1212 maybe 10 no yeah it's years old I probably got my first nail kit but as
32:18of lately my nails probably around the 2010s college like 2018 2019 I
32:26graduated in 2019 but 20 9 2018 to about 2020 I was like I'm not getting my
32:32nails done anymore I was like my nails done heavily um but now I'm so good at
32:39doing my own like manicure I prefer to do my own nails before I would
32:43prefer to have someone else do them and it's just to the point you
32:48were like have done my mom's done my sisters are like yeah I even like
32:56if you go to the makeup artist and it's not what you want or happens it rained
33:02on or you cry your makeup off so I've been really good at lately a really
33:08light natural beat I'll plug my favorite makeup artist right now her
33:11name is Madeline Nicole like the last seven years I've been getting my
33:15makeup done by Maddie if I'm going like event style and going all out but
33:21I'm currently in a space to where I want to pour into myself in a way to where
33:26it makes me feel better and I think that it's honing in on my own beauty
33:32standards in a natural aspect have really I would say built a love for
33:39myself as well as a confidence for myself that I probably didn't have
33:43before when someone else was doing the service I think it's because I can
33:47tell the evolution of how of me getting better at doing the service to how I
33:52like point into myself on that aspect on a self-care aspect allows for me to
33:58be gentle with myself in other places offer me to be teachable like hey
34:04don't know how to do this you can learn over time and yeah I think just
34:11admitting administering self-care to myself is how I become a hobby for
34:15myself and I've gotten so good at it to where I can do it for my sister's
34:20hobby so with that being said what is your definition of self love oh that's
34:26a good one um I think that love is very complex why is that um like it's
34:34complex to name or to describe I think love is simple that's fair but I
34:45when it comes to self-love I think that self-love looks differently than
34:53loving other people so you have to love yourself first like a reflection
34:59yeah how you love other people and so that's why other people love you love
35:03you exactly so I would say down to discipline can be a part of love
35:10that's true you know what I mean so I think that looks it can be complex
35:14but you you do things out of love I would define self-love as showing up for
35:21oneself in a manner to which no one else can show up for you you know what
35:27you need you know what I'm saying you know what makes you feel good you know
35:30what makes you happy you know makes you sad you know what I'm saying you
35:33know how to console yourself you know you're always gonna be with you
35:36that's right so I think that that you are a multifaceted being not just me
35:43but other people just being aware where starts with self-awareness and knowing
35:49oneself okay going to last time or last activity that you like yeah really
35:55practice self-love I love myself I'm like what was that last a moment you
36:00had that like probably say last week my birthday just passed
36:06late it yes thank you April 29th you just turned it up I was giving your
36:12moment I'm preparing for my birthday yeah myself the attention that I
36:22deserve the reflection that I'm meeting I'm putting first I think it's
36:27easy to say my birthday because everyone like around your day you have
36:31a reason to be selfish you have a reason to not do things for others
36:35but it also can highlight a time to where it's like okay isn't me today so I
36:42would say I would recognize my birthday just passing that's the last
36:46time that I can say okay girl you love you you look good you know what I mean
36:51just like into myself into a manner to which I don't think anyone else
36:54could afford into me so kind of pivoted that's all myself but talking
37:03about myself just a little bit as you know I'm into media visual photography
37:07videography podcast and helping creative entrepreneurs get their brand out so
37:14how would you say media influence your market industry major major I think
37:21about ten years ago you know it's first started in the company we're we
37:27were living like this is traditional so wins now ladies are doing well
37:31then then ladies were doing like the foreclosures and things like that now
37:36the ladies are into like the wood things like that and now people are
37:39trying to transition back to the natural space it was like okay I like
37:42natural hair um so I would say that especially for hair care the industry
37:49that I'm in if favorite influencer drops a new hairstyle or a new hair
37:55color or a new length that she wants or you know now that's what everyone's
37:59gonna be doing for the next six months you know forgive when everyone was doing
38:04the feeder braids and then they were calling them like this braids and they're
38:08just straight backs right you know what I mean but somehow they have a name
38:12to them now and I'm you know good as for getting to put on and having
38:17and be able to like coin a style or even like the pop braids those are
38:22just braids going down you know what I mean these are just cornrows right
38:25but we are like in a space to wear and those braids ran like the pandemic for
38:32quite some time I don't know if you know let's say like so yeah you know
38:37did we clock smokeless you know guys so and even that's Dior like she's
38:41that girl right now but she's not wearing grades but when she was it
38:44was like okay I'll raise just like that so I would say social media truly
38:50impact on how we carry ourselves but it's significantly made the world
38:56smaller so something that you may have not have seen or had access to you
39:01have right at your fingertips you can log on and you can go and see
39:04someone from China that's right before you could have to get on to the
39:08internet and Google search hey someone from China and then before that
39:13you used to have to actually go to China you know it's a social has
39:18greatly greatly world smaller and that also imposes self-expression which
39:25is like our hairstyles it's cool though it goes in constant more
39:32accessible yep yep what is like a and like the hair industry that you see
39:38or that you admire that you would like to work with that I admired or
39:43like to work with yes no your hair is amazing it's beautiful um I say are a
39:54Shahidi or Tracy Ellis Ross oh yeah pattern he's done her thing with
40:00pattern beauty even Riri Rihanna a little little crush back when she first
40:07came but I would say her status as far as the business and entrepreneur as a
40:20business owner it's greatly grown I shouted Rihanna out in some a previous
40:25interview that I did and I would just say like she's been a pioneer and
40:31creating accessibility for people to want to create products that not only
40:36people that look like me but also how can it hit other avenues and how can it
40:41be multifaceted while products are multifaceted in a space of not always
40:46hair I'm going to have samples to be able to to be able to create things
40:53like that yeah you know for sure she's taking her company next level so
41:02though even before the hair care line even before her entrepreneur and her
41:09being an actress I've admired her hair and being on girlfriends and you know
41:16you think of the early 2000s women aren't wearing their afros they're
41:20just not you know what I'm saying where everyone has the cut the color
41:24the relaxer the fixie the micro rate Tracy Ellis Ross wore her hair she
41:29exactly how she was and I think that being a watch even even Tia Tamera for
41:35the sister sister face you know we're straight in and even after the
41:39straight I love watching women where it was okay to be unapologetically
41:46themselves and now that I am at their age of when they were doing these
41:51things I think that it is very important for me to want to do the
41:55because I know that what it did for me so so that's a good good good question
42:01that I have in mind like going to those early ages when you were watching
42:06them and like let's say seven eight nine ish maybe you won't watch them at
42:11the time but let's go back to that time period because my mother's about
42:15to be eight and she wears her her her afro so what were like you're
42:23thinking about when it comes to here and watching no I mean that's see that
42:30you mentioned like just being a young girl and how as a black lady here
42:36changes I don't know like culturally for other cultures you know I'd be a
42:41way but you the hair that they get at a young age is the hair that they
42:44grow up with but us you know from the plaids and that you know to
42:52to be able to wrap your hair or being able to straighten your hair I would
42:57say when I was eight and nine oh my god my mom was yeah putting my hair she
43:05was doing singles in my hair doing braids twisties for my go-to I love
43:12twisties with the bo-bos those are my go-to but I remember seeing my aunt
43:19and my mom she would do the quickweaves and she would change her color and she
43:24would I loved how my mom wasn't afraid to be daring with her hairstyle like
43:31she was afraid to have short hair today and long hair tomorrow and that's
43:35not something that I have gotten to the point of being able to do because
43:41I do maintain my natural hair so much now but when I was that age that was
43:46something that I admired like the color I can't wait tonight get this age so I
43:51could color my hair right you know it's a but being in that space my mom was
43:57really really I would say like she taught us to value how beautiful our hair was
44:05and when it was unkempt you know what I mean even when my braids were
44:09frizzy and fuzzy you know you know what she would say like that's their
44:13frizzy and fuzzy but guess what her hair is still long or that's it's their
44:17frizzy and fuzzy it's still curly or still great you know what I mean so
44:20these are things that my mom instilled in me at a very young age but teaching
44:27me the importance of how to take care of my hair she would tell me like I
44:30wouldn't tie my hair up and I would wake up and my hair she'd be like
44:33okay you know I'm satisfied so it's all on the pillow and then boom now
44:37here I am today selling a silk pillowcase and it being one of my my
44:42colors and me being able to send a silk pillowcase to Sugar Sanders and him
44:46saying wow I needed that you know that it has come full circle being able to
44:53be brought up at eight and nine year old little girl still influences who
44:58I am today so it's amazing but I like how you're teaching your daughter you
45:04know how hair is and I maintain it it's tricky especially being of color
45:10but you know and I would say that I would tell my eight or nine year old
45:14self is like it's right now right you just protective styling right now later
45:18on you know able to see how you needed to see so it's cool you know it's a
45:24growth and and with one cell being comfortable with oneself and you kind
45:31of next question I was kind of had my head going to your younger self
45:36stuff that you know not developing the brand Coco's crown like what was that
45:41crown for you at an early age and all the way to developing the name Coco's
45:47crown like how did I come up with the name Coco's crown so Coco my
45:54sister Coco she's a sister who I had mentioned earlier about I was looking
45:59for a space for her esthetician business so to Coco
46:04Coco always had really beautiful hair and I'm like her big sister I've always
46:12are her big sister yeah I'm not like we're just really close in age so it's
46:20kind of like I'm a big sister but no yeah really so sometimes Coco's like
46:25they do you need to be doing you know I would say I definitely am I've
46:30always gauging Coco you know what I mean I've always been the leader but
46:34between us but Coco has always been like that force like anything
46:38Coco's the force behind shit Coco's the force behind things so I've just had her
46:45covered I've always wanted to be her crown I've always wanted her to be
46:49like anything I do I want I like I've known and also know like my
46:55personality and she is the force behind things but she's also extremely
47:00sensitive so like face to where she can't show up for herself I'm gonna
47:05be the one to show up her so kind of got like the double entendre of the
47:12name so crown I am Coco's crown like I have her head I'm I can't explain it
47:18but it's like you know relationship but always had beautiful hair she's
47:23always represented to what I think a beautiful person is inside and out so
47:29I would want my company to reflect and yeah you see if you see Coco crazy
47:36yeah but you know they keep you covered it's a status like symbol it also
47:43protects the head so heavy is the head that wears the crown and I know you
47:48probably can't see but like my crown actually the crown you seen the
47:52picture I keep the crown in the past so everybody that was sitting my
47:56seat which is not many people but when they do it reminds them of their
48:01royalties and their you know yeah your crown represents you know and I look at
48:07and look over it's just like a reminder to myself like oh high level
48:11and all of royalty so and you know that that you keep it in your car for
48:15people to just come in you sit on at the wrong you know I'm saying I like
48:19I would also say sometimes our crowns crown slip and I think yeah you know
48:28what I'm saying and I think that for me and Coco it's been times like our
48:32crowns have slipped a lot and you know what I mean but we're always here to
48:36read we adjust around for each other so like yeah when you come I want you
48:43to think of women empowerment but not only just women empowerment communal
48:46empowerment like when you come in contact I want you to feel like not
48:50only is my important you know and that's the first thing people see
48:53when they see you not on my crown up to par and up to standard to what I
48:58like but if it's not the products that I'm using can get it to that
49:04double entendre with the names good rap in a bowl thank you
49:15we're celebrating birthdays yes it's been my birthday recently and it's been
49:20aliens birthday recently we're having a drink and it's exciting and he's
49:25none none of his brand partner and I met her at the Coco selfie space and
49:31Coco's face Coco's crown she just recently messaged me to give her a
49:36message back um yeah like the women empowerment too these are black women
49:41own brands guys just to plug them in and yeah really going really great
49:47selfie and content content studio downtown Cleveland Ohio and the
49:53arcade I think it's what street or 7th Street one of them I forget it
50:01definitely check it out Coco's selfie space and also to you on the south
50:07you could Ohio in the plaza where Africa is the amazing black-owned
50:12restaurant has been you know what I'm saying and I can't wait I'm grateful
50:22to be a part of Cleveland talent I know that you are because you you
50:25definitely you're you're cool as far as being a multifaceted photographer
50:30and audiovisual person in marketing you know what I mean like you many
50:34hats so I feel to even know you but also be amongst the network where we're
50:41able to work and connect in different aspects as well we just found out we
50:46went to the same we've known each other for years we've known each other
50:50for years guys I didn't know we knew each other for years it's like you
50:53know I know you it's just like I know I know yes elementary though
51:00that's the crazy part yeah reconnect friends and you know each other out in a
51:08business aspect and then we're like we know each other and so it's good to
51:14be able to work together you know what I mean from knowing you back then
51:17to knowing you now a full circle moments like you said same community
51:23and build a community been the right spaces and the right events in the
51:28right rooms like you know you turn people out I'm in my room you know you
51:33turn people like yeah right place those people though because at that point I'm
51:37like the production no production to this is about to be right because I
51:40see alien in the room so it's like in a moment to where I haven't seen
51:44any of your work and haven't been elated to see it you know what I
51:48mean so you've done a good job that's fine I'll take that yeah that's
51:53definitely how those moments we all do though we don't all we do that's a part
51:59of being resilient though resilient entrepreneurship every okay another that
52:04I think we should speak about is how people think that entrepreneurship is
52:08like glitz and glamour can be sometimes it can be at least you know
52:16what I'm saying this media aspect I think I mean just interview we had to
52:21yeah I don't see or see the final but they don't see the process and that
52:29that's what speak to I think that other times people aren't seeing the
52:33process but there is like oh and it's hard to why you're going through it
52:40is hard to you know but I can truly say me growing as a small business
52:46owner and who's looking to take their business from small to large here's
52:52the process is truly where is that you know what I mean being able to
52:55connect into lab and being able to be like oh wait I already know this
52:59person from before um it's cool so even going back to that starting with
53:07entrepreneurship and the rocky roads like what are those key factors or
53:12lessons that you would teach maybe like your own self or like a confidence
53:18I'm not afraid to speak about myself in places how do you speak about
53:26yourself in places I think that not even just I'm less likely to speak you
53:31know what I'm saying me being a more of an introverted person I'm not
53:35really one to speak unless I'm approached and I think that I would
53:39tell my younger self don't be afraid to go up and speak you know what I mean
53:43or don't be afraid to tip yourself don't be afraid to stand on that idea
53:49don't be afraid to and I think that for me it's like no that's what I
53:53would tell my younger self no regrets no to be consistent and don't be
53:57afraid to put yourself out there that's amazing it's crazy how we
54:01even got to this point that we were both introverted I would never never
54:05you know I think that with having a consistent like us each other out in
54:13public and a consistent connection I bet you know report amongst people
54:19yeah you know that you were really good at being like hey fuck up and no
54:26communicative and ensuring that we actually got this done I think that
54:33also teaches like hey don't have to be afraid to reach out you don't have to be
54:36afraid to do certain things that you want to do so you better reach out to
54:41now oh who am I reaching out to next I know my next person that I'm
54:50probably gonna reach out to maybe an influencer of some sort like a Yara
54:55Shahidi I probably should reach out to Yara okay yeah I ain't gonna say do
55:00yeah cuz I gotta grow I don't know you never know I reached out to Shader
55:04Sanders and well he browsed yeah I didn't really reach out to him stop
55:13um I know anything but it took a little initiative because he said hey
55:18I'm gonna view my address you sent me a product that is address and did I
55:22think anything of it I was like you know people I'll send them products all
55:26the time and I don't actually send them but my brother was like no you
55:28do that I'm a lady so I don't really understand the importance of sports
55:34there's a business exactly the influence and things like that so visibility and
55:41that it was really important for me to genuinely write a message for him
55:46in the video to the same packaging I got and so that's the thing too I want
55:59my be so quality not so quality but like our products to be of the not
56:05only are you gonna receive the same exact package of Shador Sanders you
56:09know what I'm saying like I'm at no point am I cutting corners or quality
56:14or costs or anything I actually leaving my product truly standing my product
56:19you're not gonna receive anything different than what I'm giving my
56:22celebs and that's one thing that I can say about Coco's crown then who we
56:30are as a company definitely make me a brand ambassador I'm going to your
56:35life are so long we have to you so like what code or something that we
56:39give to the people a code specific to this interview in this podcast we're
56:48gonna do code alien all caps 15% off www.cocoscrown.com
56:55I'm about to type it in myself I was like hey listen we're gonna make the code
56:58active today so even if you want to promote it I know that this won't air
57:02for a little while um but it will be active today okay um code on Coco's
57:09crown we'll get you 15% off of all of our products handcrafted or a alien okay
57:19yeah capital a l i e n and we will grant you 15% off of all products I
57:28don't give out discounts often y'all so Shador didn't even get his own
57:32coupon code first yes and then what's the website so they can purchase the
57:38website is www.cokoscrown.com yes sir okay Coco's okay yes Coco's with a K
57:50y'all heard it first alien hospitals industry talk code alien get the
57:55products now I've been using it I love it I always talk about re-end up
58:00my supply maybe get me on a monthly supply now we have to make you a
58:08only blindly bought my product but I'm like I'm grateful I truly am and I'm
58:20grateful for every single purchase thus far I understand I am a small
58:26business owner I'm a small business owner who I am a business owner I'm
58:32not a small one I'm just a business owner but I'm new you know with face
58:36gaining the amount of attraction other companies are but yet yet definitely my
58:43product stands when I say that listen if you know you point to where like if
58:48you know about what was crying you know me on the team we definitely have
58:53to tell you I'm so grateful for you though alien because you have
58:58purchased my product as well as giving me a platform to speak on it
59:02so use code alien 15% off no expiration I think I'll keep the code active for
59:09quite some time I actually do keep the code active my ideas and my brain my
59:21brain even talking about creative brand new consider yourself as a
59:25creative do I would most definitely so I like to paint secretly that's why I
59:33amongst myself I do something that only my family members really know okay
59:40I have a well my nails I do they I get my fulfillment with painting my nails
59:47but as far as on canvas I'm his minute I think that I have gotten a
59:51little bit of out-of-touch being that I've really had to work a lot I've
59:57recently so I haven't had the time but it's something that I really would
1:00:04like to get back into doing fun about me when I was in the fifth grade I had
1:00:13a portrait hung from fifth grade to 2019 until the till I graduated college
1:00:21I portrait being hung at the Cleveland Institute of Art yes you
1:00:27know I took that out of my new co-working space at D Smith Defco 2 5 8 6 3
1:00:32Shard and wrote Richmond Heights or four or three if you would like to see
1:00:36that portrait but yeah yeah I went to Hope Academy that's funny um the
1:00:43principal Lee Lazar he ended up going from Hope Academy East to the
1:00:49Cleveland Institute of Art and when he went he had a retired from flip
1:00:53Institute of Art but while he was there he pretty much had my portrait on display
1:01:00for the entire time that I was there you remember mr. Lazar he showed up to
1:01:09he went on my mark and he gifted me my portrait back and it was so funny
1:01:14because I knew it was hung there I never went to see it you know it's
1:01:18been to see it I hadn't seen it being hung but he had like an exhibit it was
1:01:24an exhibit for it so my sister I don't know if you know somebody named Maya
1:01:32Maya last name Williams yes pretty cool
1:01:43Maya Fritz beautiful name and you know what all the Maya's that I know
1:01:48personality Maya Kincaid she's I get them both on the podcast yes that's okay
1:02:01Brian is like my older he's my brother's best my old best friend so
1:02:05it's like child I am the analogous Brian the analogous excuse me
1:02:09Brian the analogous he creates wine um first the file Ohio to major the
1:02:20goodness yes let's start there being able to have like a bad education and
1:02:28creating alcohol and and curating the science wine making and how it brings
1:02:35people together connectivity and even alcohol he's not just he knows more
1:02:40than wine but he's knowledgeable and a number of different spaces Brian's
1:02:45also a DJ fun fact and they're dressed to kale so like they do the lines with
1:02:51the salads oh I love them so much Brian Kincaid Maya Kincaid that's why do
1:02:56you brought up Maya yeah and you're she's pretty sweet as well
1:03:01I'm trying to hear more in the entrepreneur path she even tried her
1:03:04own like skincare products but I didn't stick with it I think it comes
1:03:09people okay it is now I'm ten years in and I still barely have you know
1:03:15certain things with when it comes to my business it just takes consistency and
1:03:20resiliency and wanting to consistently show I think that sometimes is it
1:03:25being a black woman in entrepreneur even a black woman on a day-to-day you
1:03:30know it's black it's hard being a woman I was harbing a black woman you
1:03:33know what I'm saying so having to show up period is a lot but in a
1:03:38space to where we're barely receiving venture capital and it's
1:03:41barely securing you know grant scale of what we need to to this love where we're
1:03:49number one in admitting certain social services it's hard for us to
1:03:54consistently show up but I recommend I for even putting herself out there
1:03:59to do it the first time because now the next time she decides to do her
1:04:03next endeavor she knows the resiliency to do that as well as pivot
1:04:08from that as well as okay go back to the drawing board with that you know
1:04:13who don't understand how much that takes to so to not be a denial and say
1:04:17okay I'm gonna go back and I'm going to readjust my plans see how I can
1:04:21realign with these things so right now may look closed and it may look
1:04:27like something that she isn't into right now but that could be something
1:04:31that she could pivot from later in a different aspect whether it be going to
1:04:36becoming an esthetician or whether it be creating the part of another you know
1:04:42maybe more money this time around or maybe I have more support this time
1:04:45around maybe I have more marketing this support you know this um you get the
1:04:49mistakes that you made first and then build and gain off those mistakes I
1:04:53think a lot of times it gets really frustrating with that rollercoaster in
1:04:57business you know when they're high they're really high but the winter
1:05:02lows are low you know what I'm saying the lows can get real low you know what I'm
1:05:06saying but it's about learning from those lows and I commend her even trying
1:05:12and stepping out into that entrepreneurship field because you gotta
1:05:15be crazy to step out here but once you're out here and you're in it and
1:05:19you're surviving into it you know what I mean and you're creating and
1:05:22thriving it only get better with time so it's just about getting past that
1:05:29that pump that first initial like didn't do the first thing you built from that
1:05:36you know similar like I'm doing event my first pie where I'm doing all day
1:05:44event limited slots for those who want to start a podcast but I recommend you
1:05:50have a business so you can position yourself you have a business and you
1:05:55podcast done for you podcast experience publishing your first podcast episode
1:06:03it's called my first part and it's like just stepping out there and just
1:06:09finally doing it and having that support behind you because we all have
1:06:13these ideas we always want to do something when we talk about this talk
1:06:18about that oh I'm gonna start my business I'm gonna start this I want
1:06:21a podcast all right we're gonna help you do so that kind of reminds me you
1:06:28said that like just yeah it takes a lot of confidence but I think that people
1:06:36are falling and people are afraid of failure and being an
1:06:40entrepreneurship you can't be afraid you know what I'm saying and the fact
1:06:43that she even went out there and got it and got her feet wet you know
1:06:47what I'm saying whether she continued it or not yeah I think and
1:06:50also got to look at statistics 50% of every small business from starting point
1:06:55to now fails so there's a good chance that what you're starting now with
1:06:59however your company is now it won't look like that later on and even my
1:07:05company now Coco's Crown like I'm crunchies no I'm selling handcrafted
1:07:10products you know and there's always to sell handcrafted products and I
1:07:14do still sell scrunchies but my main thing that I was selling it
1:07:17was the scrunchies it was like okay well once the scrunchies sell out what I'm
1:07:22gonna do you know like more scrunchies and be a scrunchie company or do I do
1:07:25this thing and risk and do what you do with it oh you shouldn't have made me
1:07:29ambassador I'm thinking about different events and things I'm like we get to live and have a live interview and then sell the product
1:07:37and you know I'm saying like I and how can I expand from being this one
1:07:42show like right it takes a lot of guts and a lot of guts to be able to to be
1:07:50person and shout out to your sister you know it's sound but you never know where it
1:07:55might be later it might be part of the team too especially with Coco's Crown
1:07:59needing to expand you know what I'm saying like hey I'm open to fostering
1:08:04other connections to grow my company in any any aspect in any realm I do
1:08:09vision for how I would look for it to go but um you know the way straight
1:08:15through you know get a couple bumps and I'm willing to take a couple turns and
1:08:20twists and even had a GPS reroute sometimes I'm okay with that as well
1:08:25you know I'm consistent with it and I think that that's where I'm I've
1:08:29been lately any time I hear the word bang I don't know but but you say
1:08:37so I love to ask this question to creatives what as a creator what is your
1:08:44creative process if it was a rain if it was not a rain but a weather
1:08:48forecast like for me would say it's the light drizzle rain on a sunny day
1:08:56you know how in a that warm heat and then it all of a sudden is rain
1:09:02like refreshing that's how kind of consider process same okay fun fact my
1:09:11dad's song together is called summer rain by Carl Thomas um so back to me
1:09:16and my daughter we be having this funny yeah no I love whenever I'm
1:09:21needing inspiration I turn summer rain on and I like when the song starts you
1:09:27know that's what it gets me going it's like okay now I remember where I
1:09:31was at when like my dad sing the song to me and like the time in my life where
1:09:35he sang that song to me till now and like when I thought about like when I'm
1:09:40having a moment with myself and I'm thinking like okay I'm sorry yeah I'm at
1:09:45a fault or I don't know where to go or you know I get presents of my
1:09:48father my father he's president you know what I mean but it just gives
1:09:52takes me back to that place of being a little girl and and my
1:09:56imagination being broad and my imagination being fresh so whenever I'm
1:10:01eating a little inspo I'm playing summer rain Carl Thomas would say that
1:10:06my creative mark with a marine to a light summer where the where the sky
1:10:12like orangey okay like the rainbow come out the sun we don't know if the
1:10:17rainbows coming or if the Sun might shine like you know peach going back
1:10:23to like the hair industry and Coco's crown what is the latest trends you seen
1:10:30in the industry trends I know we talked about the braids yeah we do we braids
1:10:36trends that I've seen lately are like people are like the asymmetrical back
1:10:41people are bringing back healthy hair days I think a lot of ladies the
1:10:48pandemic has had us protective styling the yeah the pandemic had the ladies
1:10:52protective styling a lot so I think now we're about to see ladies with like
1:10:56they're on the hair journey ladies are silk pressing right now and I'm for
1:11:01the silk presses I'm here for this I'm not one to judge whether you like
1:11:07I'm not one of those naturals where because some naturals judge whether
1:11:10you're a heat style natural or if you're a curly style natural I'm not
1:11:16one of those naturals I have a heat style natural I've been the silk
1:11:20press natural versus I've been the curly natural so as natural is where I'm at
1:11:28with it so I'm I'm here right now the ladies who are taking care of their the
1:11:35true they're here whether it be by silk press or by afro I'm here for
1:11:39the ladies wearing them they're there it grows out of your scalp you know
1:11:44why when you use some other we're in the afros and then I think about the
1:11:49also to like make up my afro well listen your girl is I'm West Indian
1:11:53West so historically ancestors are yeah West Indian and my great
1:12:01grandmother's Native American but I'm we're black like like like to me
1:12:09blind blindly buying your products and not knowing the owner of it and
1:12:14believing in a brand just just hearing a few few words and how do you price you
1:12:21know yourself you're selling yourself or how did you come up with your
1:12:27first pricing like me I first started out I mean I'm free but like my first
1:12:35shoe was a close friend I charged and I stuck with that for about say a
1:12:41half a year then I started incrementally raising my prices so how
1:12:47do you price yourself without no under great question so I'll speak to before
1:12:56I get before I answer that question I've had box stores approach me I've
1:13:03had the targets search me the Myers and each those places have approached
1:13:09me to feel as if they wanted me to adjust the price of my product to
1:13:14it's not it doesn't reflect the amount of work and study and research that
1:13:19I've actually put into it so yeah so that's funny that you have there's been
1:13:26times that's funny you brought that up but there's been times that I've had
1:13:31to decline decline my business because there was attempt to compromise
1:13:38my business and kind of compromise my intellectual property amongst me
1:13:43putting my out there and putting it out for resale and wholesale so that's
1:13:48that I have been struggling with lately but something that also have
1:13:53been kind of telling myself is I sell my product independently I get
1:13:57product you know sales on e-commerce by myself or whether I'm going out to
1:14:02do my shops and things like that you know the great the the the
1:14:08walmarts and Myers they're all great you know what I'm saying but at no
1:14:12point are they're great when there's an attempt to compromise my intellectual
1:14:15property so it means me having to sell my product consistently at what it is
1:14:22and not cheapening the product because because of quality then it's
1:14:29gonna be but as pricing I think that goes to me being business savvy and
1:14:36me me having the business knowledge since before I had a high school
1:14:42diploma I knew that the cost of goods to create a product that manufacture a
1:14:47product that's taken into account so because my products are all vegan all
1:14:52high-quality all cold-pressed and organically says well certified
1:14:59organically source that that I know will I ever cut the the cost product
1:15:06to to maintain you know what I'm saying will not maintain quality but
1:15:09I will never keep in my product my product so I'm at a space to where it's
1:15:16like I need to learn how to scale instead how can I scale this business
1:15:21to sell it independently because at first I was scaling to sell to the big
1:15:26box stores and selling you know different platforms now I'm in a space
1:15:30or it's like okay I go to sell my own because I know how much research I
1:15:35put years of research into one product alone let alone the multiple products
1:15:40that I offer and I don't want the equate version to come out because I
1:15:46decided to sell it for 10 bucks you know what I'm saying no shade to equate
1:15:51we love you know big but I am a an entrepreneur of my own you know and
1:15:55a factory and things like that these are products that are can created
1:16:01organically sourced certified source cold-pressed packaging
1:16:06hydraulic packaging you know so quality I have when it comes to that's it and
1:16:11that's really the difference between my product and the next product you can
1:16:15go and shop wherever else but it's not gonna be created and curated or
1:16:19researched to the level of what I'm doing I've tried I look in the store
1:16:23I read the back of different products and ingredients like you know
1:16:29buy things that's all that's it's accessible to us right here we go and I
1:16:34love that I do that I could offer my product at a lower cost and not that
1:16:41when I am to the point of being able to mass produce I'll be able to do
1:16:45that but currently now I have to because I'm a small business owner I
1:16:49do have to pay for it the sourcing of the product yeah but I am a
1:16:57business owner currently and my business isn't to the level of of being a mass
1:17:05produce a quality I think on that quality and I bank on that cost of
1:17:10product and I bank on so when you're purchasing my product you know because
1:17:15also the product you know that there the feel is there and I'm gonna
1:17:19short you on that and and the products that I'm sending to my
1:17:23labs I'm sending to my customers I'm using myself and you know what I'm
1:17:28saying like you can I'm to build trust currently while scaling this this
1:17:35product definitely okay master P no I like to music even my music career you
1:17:42know opportunities record labels and sitting down with record labels and
1:17:46you know it and just stand independent and knowing the benefits of being
1:17:51can they even me publishing my first damn books after that well I have my
1:18:02first novel was the only one that I had a traditionally published and as a
1:18:07hard copy everything else is like a book format but you know what listen
1:18:11that's how people connect these days looks our work okay so I've on
1:18:17socials like from a different platforms the ebooks are people are college is
1:18:24still a thing and YouTube is still a you know YouTube your learning skills
1:18:27is really really valuable be able to barter skills is value having
1:18:33transferable skills is valuable so it's good to hear that you have a
1:18:47traditional from my first book to independent and doing it all on my own
1:18:52even to the today I just do it all on my own so yeah that kind of act with
1:18:57that and I'm just going back to like I said stories is a power of
1:19:00independent and now he's you know creating the side of music and you
1:19:05know getting big box stores but able to leverage what he's had and you
1:19:10know yeah crazy that you've mentioned master P I went to last
1:19:16essence fest amazing in there but he was also there in the name of not only
1:19:22teaching nonprofit but teaching community he had a community basketball
1:19:27thing he was so his cousin non-profit organizations the point of
1:19:33collaboration and communications amongst people that are like-minded
1:19:38even businesses that are that you know what I'm saying like I love me
1:19:45wholeheartedly I've grown up being a fan of his music but I've also seen him
1:19:49being master P from master rapper how he's transitioned and he's pivoted
1:19:54his career to from being a rapper to be a TV star remember he used to have
1:20:00the Romeo show yeah you know I mean and then he used to have in the
1:20:05growing up hip-hop and things like that so master P I'd say is a very
1:20:10multifaceted not just the music though the the music and having a record label
1:20:15the nonprofits that him teaching basketball him perfect professional
1:20:20sports I don't ask if he receives enough credit you know what I'm saying
1:20:25for all the different avenues that he's he's taken in the different
1:20:30things that he's done so yeah I'll ask for pre-comparison and being
1:20:37someone who's been in Louisiana New Orleans Louisiana recently and seeing
1:20:41him work live I know that as he worked from the beginning to the end and how
1:20:47he really truly was for his community I think that's so admirable and taking
1:20:52that a A-list scale you know what I'm saying a household name scale you
1:20:56know so even like some rap snacks like hearing it you're bringing it back
1:21:02yeah and he has little babies on there you know what I'm saying a
1:21:05little dirks on there for the rap snacks you know so it's like he a pivot back
1:21:11to your sister Maya while my skincare line may be closed right now you know
1:21:16rap snacks a minute now they back out and they're competing with the Cheetos
1:21:19and they're competing with the ladies and they're competing people are buying
1:21:22them and we're able to just drop that name the same way I just drop
1:21:25those names I'm able to drop that rap snacks name and tell you my
1:21:29you know so amazing interview some closing questions where I like some
1:21:39three key someone listening to this interview that you would provide
1:21:43three key takeaways confidence resiliency and self-love so yeah all
1:21:52praise is that so yeah be confident and you have to be able to put
1:21:55yourself out there as well as be able to connect with people that you want
1:21:59to connect with then you're afraid to do so or even the pool connect with you
1:22:05you know I'm saying be don't be afraid to get yourself out there so that
1:22:08confidence matters in every aspect confidence is something that is a very
1:22:13large transferable skill oh yes indeed even going said transferable like I've
1:22:20got my as far as confidence just playing basketball and like you've got
1:22:26had a confidence playing a sport but for me it's basketball and just the
1:22:31whole leadership and running the team or a business it comes from that
1:22:36basketball and it's having a confidence like oh I could just do that
1:22:40because if you're shaky and this you're gonna turn the ball over you
1:22:45want to miss shots and if you don't take those shots are you scared to
1:22:49take those shots it's gonna be all bad how how will you score if you're
1:22:54afraid to take those shots and you know this is like a middle school quote you
1:23:01miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take but the thing is I'm
1:23:04glad that you said that because it's just like if I'm too afraid to pitch
1:23:08myself you'll never be in a room you know you always you'll always yeah
1:23:12you'll miss shots you don't take so that's where I'm in in life is there a
1:23:17question that I haven't asked you that I should have asked you or you
1:23:22should talk about um I think that we're really well-rounded um something that I
1:23:31that I would like to answer to is just keeping God first and everything that I
1:23:38do and and he's still my life and when you see me I hope that you see
1:23:42him what would that mean I said would you like to close this out with a
1:23:53alien and I as well as able to bless the connectivity and collaboration that
1:23:59we're doing thus far dear Lord I ask that you take this podcast and you raise
1:24:05it and you elevate it to the level of what we need to you know he need your
1:24:10God and and I'm grateful that he did because we were able to connect and
1:24:13we were able to speak about how we actually knew each other and we
1:24:16figured out we knew each other on a different level so I'm grateful for
1:24:19in this aspect for friends who network and put us forward dear Lord and I'm
1:24:25grateful for being consistent in the work that we do and having an
1:24:29opportunity to be able to touch different realms and ways that we
1:24:33haven't been able to before your Lord I ask that you bless us and you
1:24:38bless his travels on the home as well as bless or what we're doing in
1:24:43our work moving forward and that it supports you and when people see you
1:24:46that they only see when we only see you in representation of you dear God
1:24:52and yeah I pray to keep us you we stay we stay consistent within you and your
1:24:58Lord that I pray that our businesses shine light to you when when you see
1:25:03our businesses you you wonder how can can help others if they can impact
1:25:08others and then they actually reach the people that they are are wanting
1:25:12to end your God I am grateful for just having friends and support dear
1:25:16Lord I ask that you bless alien on his way as well as his business and being
1:25:22able to create platforms for people like me to further our careers and any
1:25:28type of advancement that we're doing in any entrepreneurial realm and any
1:25:32marketing realm and any way he may connect with anybody else from this
1:25:36moment forward and your Lord I ask that you take this and you do with
1:25:41your will let it let you're done and once again see you when they
1:25:45see you and in Jesus name or when they hear us they see you and and and that
1:25:50you everyone who is amongst of the sound of our voices moving forward and
1:25:54in Jesus name I pray amen yes man woman yes I love that find you connect
1:26:04with you reach out to you buy some products all that good stuff you can
1:26:09find that day why J a one day to one that's my personal I hair care line is
1:26:18Coco's crown see oh okay oh see our oh WN on every single platform even down
1:26:25to our YouTube channel as well as Smith Development Co. that's D M I T
1:26:33and you can find me that way or visit our location at two five eight six three
1:26:39Charlotte Road Richmond Heights Ohio four four one four three and connect
1:26:45with me in that aspect and you can also shop Coco's crown there so yeah
1:26:49in person or not in the shop e-commerce yes yes or how do you plug
1:26:54one word you can catch me every third Wednesday at the Urban League of
1:27:02Cleveland's young professional meeting we're gonna host them at 6 p.m. every
1:27:06third Wednesday join our general body figure out how you can connect and any
1:27:12aspect to your community in any sector for marketing to policy and
1:27:17advocacy to professional development to membership chairs to executive
1:27:21administrative communities anything any committee that you like to join or
1:27:26any way that you would like to further your endeavors as a professional and
1:27:30the ages of 21 through 40 hit me up at day to one yes this is how you know
1:27:36she's passionate the rain popping out her head I should explain that's how
1:27:41you know the passion is there reach out by the products connect show up
1:27:46shake your hand meet a friend yes please do and and advance your
1:27:50career aspect as well it's been a thank you thank you thank you with me
1:27:57meeting with me having to you wine so like to party you know I'm saying sweet
1:28:04red we've had an amazing time celebrating our birthdays and our
1:28:08businesses together in collaboration with this podcast and I'm so grateful to be
1:28:14speaking with you be drinking with you and connecting with you and I
1:28:17can't wait to see how our endeavors grow from here thank you thank you
1:28:24Don't forget code alien www.cocoscrown.com code alien will get you 15% off of all
1:28:33products and it won't expire and this tiger for Jackson Steve Jackson of
1:28:41alien autos media bringing you another episode of alien eyes photos industry
1:28:46talk and the fire me on all social media you can find me at alien eyes
1:28:52photos on all media and the alien eyes photos calm for more information even
1:28:59about the podcast or to book me alien eyes photos calm and thank you again
1:29:05Deja Deja Smith cocos crown and then some with all thank you for chatting
1:29:13with me we've had a great time thus far I thank everyone for tuning in and
1:29:17until next time peace