Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cayla Cox. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Cayla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It started at Empire Beauty School, where I was studying to get my License in esthetics. Those final weeks are mostly state board prep, and also the business side of mastering our career field. During this time our instructors really pick our brains to see what our goals are moving forward. They want to know what our plans are to break through, and create our own lane as estheticians. We create our names, specialties, product line, etc. For me that was specializing in skincare, and makeup! I knew I wanted to start a product line. I knew I wanted it to be different, and also wanted people to actually like what I was creating, as well as it be beneficial to whoever was putting it on. There are so many unknown chemicals, and words I can’t even pronounce in a lot of the product we use on a daily basis. Absolute garbage. My goal for my products, was to be has natural as possible. Our bodies are temples, and should be treated as such. Inspiring scripture from the good book (The Holy Bible), lead me to my brand name Templ Botanicals. I remember being five months pregnant with my son, and the skin on my stomach, and surrounding area was extremely dry, and would itch so bad. I had a book I bought from amazon it was an encyclopedia for herb. I remember going down this rabbit hole of things not to use while pregnant, it was so annoying. It was almost like I couldn’t do anything but suffer. Finally after searching, I came across shea butter, and the benefits of it on the face, and body. It was also safe to use while pregnant. I had finally found a solution to my dry skin problem. I searched online, and found a website that sold it wholesale. I bought it, and a few other ingredients. I made a small batch for my self first, and I absolutely loved how my skin felt after applying it. I jar it up, and gave all my close friends, and family a sample to test. The feed back was amazing, and even a couple of pointers too. I made a post about on my social media, and got a lot of inquiries about, it and people wanting to try it. Its be a great experience watching this idea come to life. I have so much more in store for the business!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Cayla Cox. I am 26 years of age, and I’ve been a licensed esthetician in the State of Tennessee for 3 years now. I’ve always loved everything about skincare, especially makeup. I started doing makeup back in 2020, as a free lance MUA. I use to leave my makeup chair in my trunk, just in case someone called saying they wanted their makeup done. In my opinion makeup, and skincare go hand in hand. You cannot not have one without the other. It is so important to do proper skincare before applying makeup. Not many people understand that. I worked as a full time esthetician at this spa in Memphis, Tennessee. That is where I gain my hands on techniques, and knowledge. I was booked for a facial almost everyday, this where I learn that not all skincare is one size fits all. So many people water down skincare as such washing your face in the morning, but it is much deeper than that. Researching, and understanding what products to use, and why was the most challenging apart. Certain products, could make dry skin dryer, There are so many different skin types, and conditions. As the esthetician are job is to solve, the issue, not create more. My goal as a skincare specialist, is to create products that nourishes the body. I have people who each out to me, with specific skincare problem. It an honor to create, and craft something to help them with there needs. I’m so proud of the growth the in myself, as an entrepreneur, the key is to never stop learning about your craft. One thing I would want people to know about me is that it is okay to be different. You don’t have to fit inside the box.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a mom of two, we all know returning to the work force can be very difficult. I went from working full time in my career, to just being a stay at home mom. Not to diminish anyone choices as a parent, however for me I wasn’t ready to put my children in childcare. I decided to put a pause on my career, and just find me a work from home job so I could be with my children. Who knew that working from home with kids is 10 times harder than any other job on this Earth, not me. However, it did allow me all the time in the world to brainstorm, and fund my now business, as well as spend my time with my children.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The brutal truth about entrepreneurship is that family, and friend are not your goal clientele. The people we know are often the last ones to support. I had to get comfortable with talking with strangers, meeting new people, putting myself, and my business out there. Go into rooms you’ve never been before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.thetemplshop.com
• Instagram: Templ.botanicals
• Facebook: Cayla Tyeer