We recently connected with Felicia Strong and Vanessa Howard-Grissom and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Felicia and Vanessa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
Vanessa: I hope my legacy will influence other young women of color to to continue to break down cultural barriers and stigmas forced upon this beauty industry by European standards.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Our skincare philosophy is grounded in our belief that what nature has to offer is always the best! NessFeli products support healthy skin by fighting free radicals and providing the nutrients your skin needs to look its best.
Our mission is to provide safe and effective products that would align with our clients holistic lifestyle.
Our products are free of animal-derived Ingredients (Vegan/Cruelty Free) and Parabens
We use Natural and Organic Plant derived oils and butters
with a preference for Wildcrafted/ Fair Trade ingredients sourced from ethical suppliers.
Frequent, small batch manufacturing for optimal freshness
NessFeli was created with inclusivity in mind. All skin types and all ages can benefit from our products.
Felicia Michelle Strong
Entrepreneur and Hair Stylist, Felicia Michelle was born and raised in Stamford CT. Felicia Michelle initially started her professional career in the corporate sector as a CPA recruiter. When the market crashed in 2008, she seized the opportunity to pursue her true love for the beauty industry. With 10 years+ of styling experience along with a strong passion for the industry, NessFeli Natural Skincare became a brand.
Vanessa Howard Grissom
Born and raised in Harlem, NY Vanessa is a married mother of three, and a Managing Director for a health care staffing firm. Her experience with her own oily acne-prone skin led to her obsession with skincare and their ingredients. By doing this, her vision to start her own skincare line became clearer. “I wanted to use innovative natural ingredients in my line and provide products that could work with all skin types. I was able to work side by side with a lab that could help me produce natural products that are free of animal-derived ingredients.”
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Being that we are E-Commerce, we have found that doing pop up events have helped to grow our clientele outside of New York. Getting out there and meeting the customer, letting them see our passion, hear about our mission as well as getting to see and try the product has defintely helped us gain loyal customers and grow.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When we first started out we relied heavily on posting on one social media outlet. After reviewing our analytics we realized we needed to diversify our marketing strategy. We now utilize all social media outlets i.e Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Pinterest. We also use email and sms marketing stratedies as well as Ads.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nessfeliskincare.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/nessfeliskin
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/nessfelinaturalskincare
Image Credits
Duncan Avenue Studio Maxwell Alexander Alessandro Fresco