We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Chyann recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
Am I happy as a business owner? Fairly. Do I think about having a regular job? Often…
I do not regret the decision I made to be a business owner. Looking at where I stand now and everything that the company has been through I would say that I was built for this. Does that mean I loved going through every part of the journey? No.. But it’s not always the seasons that are great that makes the company. I find that during the most difficult seasons in business I’ve always gained more than I lost. I find out what not to do again, who not to trust, how much to invest on a particular project and so on. The difficult times challenge me to be greater.
Yes there A LOT of times I cry and I’m not happy about how things may be currently going but I look at the bigger picture and I continue to push. My company will be the top selling hair care company. I will continue to do greater things because I have no plans of giving up. I look to God for the strength to keep going, regardless if my thoughts drift towards having a regular job because I know that this is my purpose.
A former mentor reminded me once that “Challenges Create Champions” and that is a motto that I continue to live by.
Alexis , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got my start in this industry when I had first decided to cut my own hair after it had drastically grown out to it’s longest length ever. After only a day, I missed having that length again. So I began my research on hair growth and created a product that grew my hair out longer and thicker this time!
Selling in the beginning was easier than it is now. Most people in my hometown saw the way my hair was before so they would just come to me. People wanted me to share my secret. Because of the growth back home I quickly moved into the U.S. market which then created the first challenge for me that was to sell. I never thought of myself as being a great sales person ever. I was so unknown to the people here. I now had to create a presence and conform to the traditional ways of selling which required way more than what I had became accustomed to. Thankfully, I had acquired skills in graphic design that has played a HUGE role in the exposure that I’ve been gaining.
As my company grew, I began to expand my product line. At heart I am still that little black girl that wants to see herself represented and thought of in the hair industry. Every product has been created with the thought of, “What are my hair care needs?” What would I need to make my wash days easier? What would I need to make my hair grow faster? What would I need to protect my hair?
Reading that you may think I only care about myself and my needs. So, what about my customers needs? My way of thinking is not to then exclude anyone but when I think of Poca and Chy, I think of a company that’s sharing their secrets. Not gatekeepers! You may also have another thought, “Well, we don’t have the same hair texture this won’t work for me.” Let me share another secret with you! We’ve expanded our company into hairstyling just so we can put our product to use on every hair texture we can get our hands on. We’ve exceeded the same level of expectations to all of our clients.
Since going into this practice, it has ultimately brought us to a better solution for you! We now carry:
– Hair Growth Oils
– Raw Coconut Oil for your at-home hair masks and treatments
– One Step Blow Dryer Brush that detangles, dries and straightens your natural hair all in one*
– Hair Extensions, the most lustrous, silky and long lasting hair provide (up to 3 years of use)
– Wigs, using the same very high quality of hair
Now, wait! How did weaves get up in this natural hair care line??? We find that using wigs and hair extensions provide the best protection for your hair to retain its’ condition and to promote faster hair growth. We also specialize in providing these services for you to ensure proper hair installation methods are used! We want to make the natural hair care routine easier for you at home and to provide the best protective methods of styling that won’t harm your hair in any way.
Our goal is to empower all black women by giving them the Freedom to be whoever they feel like with no worries! Our hair is our super power. No more are the days where we destroy our BEAUTIFUL hair to achieve a look that’s only temporary. We deserve it all and we deserve to feel beautiful ALWAYS. Wow! Now isn’t that the best of both worlds.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process./
In the beginning, I manufactured my own products in the Bahamas where I lived. In high school, I took a Photography class that opened a window to Graphic Design. Since then I started creating flyers and business cards as a side hustle. I continued to do this up until I started Poca and Chy because I felt like if my products were going to be the best then my branding will need to be the best as well! I found someone that was the best to create my logo, labels and all other graphic work I needed but the costs quickly took me over my budget each time. So I decided that I was just going to have to just be the best and what I didn’t know how to do I’ll have to learn!
I began creating my own labels, found a printing company, researched different companies to find the best containers for my products, filled, sealed and fulfilled them all at home. The packaging for our Hair Growth Oils, Biotin Supplements, Beard Oils, Dandruff Sprays and Leaf-In Conditioners were all executed in exquisite fashion.
This is never the ultimate goal for any business, however, this was our start. We do now have a manufacturer for our products and we found them by doing continuous research over the years. Although we still manufacturer some of our products, we do not make that commitment until we find a reliable and guaranteed company that can produce the products up to the same or higher standards in which we started. We also do not outsource our manufacturing until we are 100% sure that we will keep the product on our line to avoid wasted inventory which we’ve done before. Like I touched on earlier our mistakes teaches us what not to do again in order to make the right decisions in the future.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest lesson I had to unlearn in business was how exactly to accept support from others. Initially, I felt so blessed as a business owner because most of my family and friends supported me 100%. The support was overwhelming they were helping with manufacturing, being salespersons at events with or without me and just always with me whenever I needed assistance without me even asking! I felt so blessed because often people go into business and the lack of support from their loved ones would take a toll on them.
Because this is a very personal story I will keep this short and just share with you the lesson.
Just because you have supportive people around you does not mean you must give them a front row seat on how you do business. I was young and I wanted fun company all of the time and I exposed people too deep into my business. If you are registered as a sole proprietor you must do everything as a sole proprietor. Involving outside people into the how you provide your services can be very damaging to your business and your own personal growth.
A friend can support you by sharing a flyer, telling another friend about your business, purchasing your products and showing up to support you in the audience. And if you lack even that trust that if God puts you in a position by yourself that He will provide you with all the tools you need in order to conduct your business on your own successfully.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pocaandchycare.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pocaandchyhairco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pocaandchy242
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/settings
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hairbychyann
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_o5F-sbbCnsm6MaNJxb1Q
- Other: Tik Tok: @Pocaandchyhairco https://www.tiktok.com/@pocaandchyhairco Hairstyling Instagram: @Hairbychyann_ https://www.instagram.com/hairbychyann_/
Image Credits
Leo Creary, The Black Daliah, Ari Fletcher/The Real Kyle Sister