We recently connected with Akil Jabbar and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Akil thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?
The naming of my business Asim Supreme Products came fairly simple. Asim is my actual middle name. For legacy purposes, it was important for me to some how incorporate my name or in this case my middle name into the naming of my business. Hundreds of years from now my name will still live on. The name Supreme was used because I wholeheartedly believe that I have top tier superior products. So I put the two together. Asim Supreme, it sort of have a ring to it.
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.
My name is Akil Jabbar CEO / Founder of Asim Supreme Products, an all natural skin and hair care product line. My business was birthed in the summer of 2013, by accident of sorts. Let me explain further, a friend of mine had a large amount of African Black Soap and African Shea Butter from Ghana that she could not sell for the life of her. She made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse at a very reasonable price. Over the course of one weekend at a festival that was in town I sold all of my purchased Shea Butter and Black Soap , making a sizable profit in the process. My business model at that time was “ Grand Opening, Grand Closing ”. I was pretty content with the profits I made and I really didn’t have plans of selling anymore Shea Butter or Black Soap again, or at least that’s what I thought. Let me explain; when I was making each sell I would hand each customer a makeshift business card which was really an index card with my name and cell phone number handwritten on it. I did this for the purposes of if they wanted to purchase from me again. I just thought it was the professional thing to do. I really didn’t expect any responses or inquiries to come my way. But was I wrong, very wrong. Weeks later I was flooded with calls from satisfied customers that wanted more of what they purchased from me, some customers even requested products I didn’t sell but I knew I could get my hands on. It was then that I decided to start Asim Supreme Products as a full fledged business. That was then and this now. In a few weeks it will be the 10 year anniversary of business. Many ups and downs over the years of course, but overall my business is thriving. From selling only three products in year one, to now carrying close to seventy products currently, my business has come a long way. I carry the very best soaps, body butters, toothbrushes and etc … If you name it I probably have it in stock. The support for my brand has been remarkable. I’m truly blessed, and I am most grateful for each and every customer who has purchased products from me.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
To fund my business I literally poured all of the profits that I earned from selling the Shea Butter and African Black Soap on that faithful weekend into my business. That and some of my savings that I accumulated over the years working 9-5 jobs. I’m a strong proponent of investing in yourself. It truly pays off.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Reading books has been very impactful in my entrepreneurial success. Think And Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill , The Slight Edge By James Olson, How To Hustle And Win Part 1 & 2 By Supreme Understanding, Display Of Power By Daymond John are a few books that come to mind. I’ve always been a book worm, even before becoming an entrepreneur. Reading is fundamental and readers are leaders.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AsimSupremeProducts.com
- Instagram: @asimsupremeproducts
- Twitter: @AsimSupreme
Image Credits
Trina Clayton