We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shanika Small. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shanika below.

Hi Shanika, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I came up with the idea of Shalana Essentials after I began using Cannabidiol (CBD) oil for a knee injury I sustained in the gym. I suffered a torn meniscus and was in severe pain. I’d been taking OTC pain medication and it was just taking the edge off.I’d been hearing so much about CBD and started doing my research on its benefits. I decided to try CBD oil and was blown away at the way it helped my knee pain. I also noticed that I had less migraines, got better sleep and less anxiety. I then began adding CBD oil to hair and body products and thus began Shalana Essentials.

Shalana is a combination of my name, Shanika and my daughter’s name, Alana. Alana is a beautiful young lady on the Autism Spectrum. Alana had been on pharmaceutical medications to treat agitation and anxiety. During my research. I learned that CBD was used to successfully treat some individuals with Autism. I spoke with her psychiatrist about possibly treating Alana with CBD and he advised me against it. But as a nurse I knew the long-term effects of psychotropic medications and I thought it would be worth a try. I started giving my daughter CBD gel capsules and saw such an improvement in her symptoms, I was eventually able to wean her off of her medications!

Shanika, 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?

My name is Shanika Small, from Brooklyn, New York. My company is Shalana Essentials and I got into this industry by experimenting with CBD oil and putting them in my skincare and hair products. Shalana Essentials has Wellness Butters in 5 scents: Lemongrass Eucalyptus, Rosemary Lavender, Chocolate Peppermint, Soursop Jasmine also known as Sour Jaz and Orange You Sweet,Our Wellness Butters are made with plant-based ingredients infused with CBD oil and can help with pain, anxiety, stress relief, anxiety, and of course, dry skin. We also have a moisturizing face cream called Cham-Pom, short for Chamomile Pomegranate. Along with CBD, Cham-Pom has soothing ingredients like chamomile, aloe vera and cucumber, and can help with redness, inflammation and blotchy skin. Shalana Essentials uses plant-based products, infused with CBD. Starting Shalana Essentials has given me the ability to teach and have my customers experience the benefits of CBD for our skin and for our overall well-being. My background in nursing and science has put me in a unique position to understand the way Cannabis works in the body and teach it to my customers.
I’m a registered nurse who uses my background in using evidence-based practices to provide quality care to my patients, I now use these skills to create quality products for my customers. I want my customers to experience the healing power of plants, and I’m most proud that Shalana Essentials products are responsible for bringing people that wouldn’t ordinarily try CBD and Cannabis products, to the Cannabis space. My customers have gone on to try other CBD and Cannabis products with other businesses. I want to do my part in ending the stigma of this powerhouse of a plant!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Starting a CBD based business hasn’t been easy. I obtained a company to accept mobile payments for my business . Once the company found out I was selling CBD products, they froze my account and didn’t give me access to the funds for 6 months. I used a popular website hosting company to create my website. Once I finished my website, I was told that my customers wouldn’t be able to check out with credit or debit cards, due to the payment processor not providing the service for CBD products. I had to find another website hosting service and start the process all over again. Those are just two of several examples of companies that want nothing to do with CBD products. I know that if I didn’t sell CBD products, things would be a lot easier. However, I believe so strongly in my products and the healing power of CBD, that I’m willing to keep pushing!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn that once a customer buys and even has given your product great reviews, that doesn’t mean that you stop working and your job is done. You still have to work to not just get customers, but to keep customers. There’s so much competition and distractions, that you have to continuously stroke your customers’ pain points.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yourshalanaessentials.com
• Instagram: shalana_essentials.com
• Facebook: Shanika Small
• Linkedin: Shanika Small