We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Jenkins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I get this question a lot! There actually is a story behind it, of course! There was a popular show in the early 2000’s called The Parkers. The main characters name was Kim, like mine. In one particular episode she started a clothing line and called it ‘Kimberlale’. That play on my name always stuck with me as I considered it my alter ego and used it on social media platforms. When my company started, I wanted to name it something that wasn’t specific to what I sell since I do plan on offering a variety of health and beauty items in the future, but I did want it to be a reflection of me in some way. I came up with Kimberlalei and added the Co. to the end. Another piece to the story of why I was led to use a similar name is I was actually on the show. So I t’s always been a part of me and my story. I was not on that particular episode, but I was on a later episode called “It’s Showtime” in season 3, episode 21. I was originally supposed to be an extra and ended up getting a speaking role instead. The show aired for many seasons and can now be streamed on platforms like Netflix, which is really cool. Being a part of that show was a super highlight of my life and I will always be grateful to those that were instrumental in making it happen.

Kimberly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started selling sea moss products because I was taking it for my disability and because it worked so well, but wasn’t widely available, I felt I had a duty to make it accessible and share it with others.

I was born with sickle cell anemia, a hereditary disease that causes excruciating pain episodes at the most random times. As a child I went into the hospital every 3/4 months. As of recently, I’ve e been able to stay out for years at a time, which has never happened before now.

I studied Dr. Sebi and all of his research about managing sickle cell anemia in particular. He raved about sea moss, eating vegan, and practicing an alkaline diet. So I did just that and I have never felt better. I have been able to reduce my need for narcotics in an effort to manage daily pain.

Sea moss contains 92 out of the 102 minerals our bodies are made up of and need to function properly. When you replenish these minerals, your body thanks by operating at its highest potential. This is why my customers get relief from MANY different ailments they suffer from and some they didn’t know it would help with. Sea moss is a super food and it only grows in the Caribbean, off the Coast of Ireland, and parts of Vietnam. This type of exclusivity lends itself to the reason it’s so hard to find real sea moss. Fake sea moss is on the market because some grow it themselves. Sea moss grown anywhere but the ocean is considered fake and not Wildcrafted. It also doesn’t contain all of the minerals we know sea moss to have. I pride myself in quality, always. That is what sets me apart. Providing raw Wildcrafted sea moss products and preparing it ethically is what will always be my mission. It also important for me to keep costs down not only for myself, but especially for my customers. Being that I was experimenting with the sea moss because of a disability I was born with, that fuels my goals. I am motivated by people being healthy and not so much the money in it. I have met others that claim to sell real sea moss but they are in it for the money. They are not able to speak on the benefits in detail and why it’s used or even how to prepare it correctly. Sea moss with flavors are on the market but someone who is taking it for health reasons will not swayed but the gimmicks to mask the fake sea moss flavor. My customers are getting relief from high blood pressure, diabetes, pain, arthritis, inflammation, rashes, psoriasis, eczema, thyroid problems and gut issues. They are having more milk production post partum, a boosted immune system related to cold/flu/Covid, less mucus, weight loss, and many other ailments we are still learning about. I absolutely love hearing from my customers about how sea moss helps them in their daily efforts to be as healthy as possible. I also make and sell waistbeads which are an African tradition among the women. Waist beads help to track inches and weight gain or weight loss in the midsection. Women wear them for many reasons like femininity, womanhood, posture, weight gain/loss, pregnancy, fertility, wealth, and body positivity. When you support my brand, you are supporting a mother, a college graduate, a former educator, and minority in every sense of the word. I am black, I am a woman, and I have a disability. The road has NOT been easy, but I am thankful that I am here and able to help others as I am still learning how to help myself and navigate life with a disability.

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

I had to pivot in life and career during the pandemic. I actually had Kimberlalei Co. as a hair brand in 2014. The plan was to venture out of teaching and start my business in health/beauty. I found a vendor for hair and subscribed to their private label packages. I purchased a bulk amount of samples and received it, but then of course the vendor disappeared. All of the social media disappeared and I could not contact them anymore. That experience left me feeling defeated and I continued teaching with no hopes of venturing out to start my own business any time soon. There was already a fear associated with me taking that leap and failing, so when that first failure reared it’s ugly head, I took it as a sign I needed to stick to what I knew.

Having my disability, teaching became harder and harder with hospitalizations, surgeries for hip replacements, and the day to day waking up early just to make sure I felt good enough to continue the day in its entirety at work. My body was taking a toll with all the stresses. As much as I loved teaching and got great evaluations, I knew I needed to set my life up to where there was a lot less stress on my body and I was still happy doing something I am passionate about.

I started doing research in the pandemic because we left for spring break and never came back to school in 2020. Not knowing what our future held, I had nothing but time to learn the best ways to launch a business. I did not know what direction I wanted to go in yet. At the end of 2020 when school resumed, my doctor gave me a work accommodation since I was immunocompromised during Covid. The distric I worked for did not honor that accommodation at all. So now I couldn’t return to work safely without certain accommodations put in place. I went on leave to hopefully work the terms out in the mean time. The chief HR executive officer called and gave me two options. She threatened to take my certification from me or I could resign that day and keep my certification. Of course, although it was wrong, I chose to resign in leu of being wrongfully terminated. That is when I realized I needed to make my business happen. I started taking sea moss in the pandemic and it dawned on me that that was my purpose. Making it available for those with health issues as well. Although many people with no health issues use sea moss as it’s great for all bodies, that was my target audience because that it where my journey started as well. I stared my business in the pandemic and never looked back. The first market I did was Temple Farmers Market and we sold out. In only a few short months I realized this could replace my teacher salary and beyond. My business took off prettt quickly and I couldn’t be more thankful and blessed. The farmers markets are a huge part of that success. Having to pivot and do so during a pandemic was fearful but it needed to happen that way so I could find my calling to help others in a different way.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The first key to starting a successful business is create/offer a product or service that people will want to keep coming back for. That helps generate loyal customers which generates revenue. Once I got the idea to sell sea moss, my next issue was where will I sell it? I knew I needed to sell online since it was not widely available and at the time, that’s mostly where it would be purchased. So I got a domain and linked it to Shopify. I do think I could use a better platform like Etsy (and I’m looking into that) just because Etsy has residual customers and they log in to search what they want vs. Shopify where customers mostly are brought there from my social media only.

I set up shipping as soon as possible. Cracking the shipping code is hard! But luckily the USPS had available representatives that Zoom chatted with me and helped my find shipping solutions with the post office and third parties that were best for my business.

I needed to make sea moss available locally. So one day I was scrolling Facebook and I saw an event for a farmer’s market. I had never been to a market in life! My initial thought was that sea moss would be a great product to add to the farmers market scene. Immediately I got in as many markets/events that I could. I wanted the best of the best though. I knew I had to go to Austin. The Austin market needed sea moss! I researched the best markets in Austin and I visited to see if I had any competition. Of course, no one really knew about sea moss, let alone selling it at market. I had face to face conversations with the market directors to convince them they needed my product. It is a specialty item, but very much a great addition to the farmers market scene. I brought them samples and explained my story to them instead of just applying online and waiting to hear. I’ve always been personal that way. Even as a teacher I would apply for jobs via the HUB, but I’d also submit my resume to principals email in addition to the distric wide HUB. I always followed up on interviews or conversations as well. I used that tactic on making sure my brand was in front of the right audience. I failed at entrepreneurship before so I had something to prove to myself this time. Needless to say, the sea moss sold itself! I was in the longest running market in Austin, Barton Creek Farmers Market within 2 months and the biggest, most popular market, Texas Farmers Market at Mueller within about 4 months of starting my business. These platforms have been very instrumental in my success in the Austin area. My customers come to me and we discuss health and life issues and with it being so personal, I develop connections with them. They tell me how they are feeling, how the sea moss helps them, and they even bring friends and family near and far to support me. That probably has to be the biggest compliment for me. My heart is always happy to hear success stories when it comes to their health and to meet new their family and friends that are excited to try my products as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Kimberlalei.com
• Instagram: @Kimberlalei.Co
• Facebook: @Kimberlalei.Co

Image Credits
Kimberly Jenkins