We recently connected with Alexandria Mayhane Baskin and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexandria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Poppin Natural was a vision I had years before ever being created. I had my first glimpse into the natural world starting with my hair. It became severely
damaged from chemical treatments thus, I had to chop all my hair off and go
completely natural.
Although a scary time cause I did not know the outcome of what I was
doing, it definitely was a learning process throughout the way. As I
started researching various hair types and ingredients,
I began indulging more in other natural elements as far as skin and
body care. Then came years of research, trial, and more errors than
I could count. I loved making natural products for myself, which
gave me the idea of gifting products as well.
My family and friends began telling me I should start making
and selling these awesome products because they felt the
benefits were not just for me to have but to share with the
world.
Fast forward to June 2020, my sister, Johnita gave me the
confirmation I needed while sitting at the kitchen table eating
Doritos that I needed to get up and help people by making products
that were not only effective but cute.
The work seemed easier said than done. I was so scared cause I did not
know where to start. I began more research, more testing, and
unfortunately more errors.
Along with this came fear, and doubted judgment but I knew all the
studying and planning would pay off. Therefore, I gathered friends
and family and told them of my vision. Wait! All this planning I did not
have a name yet. As I was sitting at the table again eating Doritos can’t
you tell that’s my favorite snack, I began to think. “Poppin Natural”, I
said.
It registered so quickly to me. It was fun, short, and to the point of grabbing attention. Without hesitation Poppin Natural was formed.
The day before the pre-launch, everything started to go wrong. The lip gloss tubes busted, which cause me to lose product, I did not have
enough products as I thought, and to top it off, all of my ingredients did not come in time.
With this, I did not want to do it anymore. The little bit of hope I possess kept nudging me into continuing the pre-launch I had planned
for weeks. I remember logging in because I received some texts telling me that people were already waiting for me on zoom. I was so happy. Therefore, when I logged on I seen the chat room quickly go from y to 20 plus people
online. I could not believe in the instance of divine up, my hope and faith shined through. My
joy was so heavy that I knew I had to give them a POPPIN good time. I improvised everything
from the games to the planning.
I left that zoom with multiple orders, text messages, and calls of “Congratulations * and
*Keep up the good work, I knew right then and there, I was exactly where I should be.
I took to social media and began building my following. My first box was called the
Poppin Fall Box. I had over 40 boxes to make from an initial ; box proposal. I was so
happy things seemed to be falling in place with my newfound business. As I
ventured into various vendor markets.
I began meeting more people and building more clientele. Today, Poppin
Natural is obtaining and achieving goals such as this opportunity of sharing
my story and I’m so thankful each and every day because of it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! My name is Alexandria Mayhane Baskin, I am the owner of Poppin Natural. This is a handmade, natural, vegan and cruelty free skincare business. I make numerous amounts of products that helps people with different skin issues. This can be in relations to severely to mild dry skin, redness, hyperpigmentation, eczema, psoriasis and acne. The products I make ranges from lipgloss, lip-balms, face serums, toner, face mask, mini bundle kits and so much more. When I’m not working in the business, I am working at school which is my full time job. I also enjoy singing and dancing in which you will surely see on my instagram @poppinnatural and Tik Tok @poppinnaturalllc . What set me apart from others in my awesome personality, willingness to grow, and realization that having fun is totally normal. I am most proud of how far I came since starting my business. The opportunities and people I have met has been so rewarding and life changing. I want the audience to know that I am down to earth and have a passion for bringing confidence back into everyone skin using my effective skincare.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The journey of Poppin Natural has not been a smooth road. It was full of bumps, twists, and the unexpected loss. February 14. 2021
was the official launch of my website.
In this moment of happiness, I never thought could turn into
something that would shatter my life in an instance. In
March of the following month, My mom passed away. I
was completely broken with a void that hovered over me
unimaginably.
Thus, I took a hiatus from the business. I could not see myself
back there with the curveball that life had just given me.” How
could I go on”, I recited over and over again to myself. A few
weeks after the funeral, I began to think of all the storms my mom
had in life and how she overcame them by pressing on even though
they were very hard. I knew my mom did not want me to quit. As I
began to reflect on her memories. I gather the strength to open
Poppin Natural back up again.
Though this journey has given me my fair share of feeling defeated, I can
always reflect on the good memories that override those thoughts. In life we
all experience some type of storm.
It is what you do after the rainbow that counts. Poppin Natural has given me the
opportunity to make my mom proud. I shall continue making Poppin products in
hopes of someone needing that same joy that they can’t seem to find happens for
them.

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

I think what helped build my reputation in my market is being truly, authentically me. I work hard and I build respectable connections with my clientele. Therefore, I provide the best customer service in hopes of having returning customers and an overall successful business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @poppinnatural
• Facebook: Poppin Natural