We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Goggins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Amanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today
If I were to start over, I would create a budget for marketing. Since we opened our business, our sales have mainly generated organically through word of mouth and vendor events. After 4 years in business, I have realized for Embrace Ya Curlz to reach a larger audience we must incorporate marketing campaigns and ads. Our goal is for over 10,000 natural women to know about and follow our brand by the end of 2022. Be prepared to see a lot more of us very soon!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Raised in a single-parent household, I watched my mother transition from working multiple jobs to becoming a business owner. Acquiring my mother’s ambition, I always sought to monetize my creativity and passion. This led me to many areas from making and selling jewelry as a child to pursuing a singing career in my young adulthood. After recovering from severely damaging hair traumas as an adolescent and a young adult, I decided to use my personal experiences to launch a brand that would focus on the beauty and acceptance of natural hair. I wanted to create a large impact and empower women to leave harmful, health-threatening chemicals alone. I saw a need for positive voices promoting not just the Natural Hair Movement, but practical tips and helpful products for managing our hair. This led to the launch of EYC. Our mission is to spread words of encouragement to women with natural hair and provide hair care tips and tools to simplify the natural hair journey. Unlike most natural hair care brands, we do not simply sell products. What sets us apart is our commitment to empowering and encouraging women throughout the process. I find fulfillment in answering direct messages from women inquiring about issues they have managing their hair, how to begin their natural hair journey, and everything in between. We are currently working on forming our Natural Goddess Tribe, a sisterhood support group for natural and transitioning women focusing on healing and growth through self-love, self-care, and building community. This aspect of our brand will primarily dig deeper into the natural hair traumas that many melanated women have experienced while growing up and provide a safe space for them to heal.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
Embrace Ya Curlz was solely funded from my 9-5 daytime job. At that time, I was living on my own. I was barely making ends meet between rent, bills, and other life expenses. However, I made it a priority to set aside $10-$15 from each paycheck to invest into my brand. Once I had $500 saved up, I used those funds to pay for my LLC and create my products. We began with t-shirts, Dad hats, and buttons all branded with the EYC logo. Without the funds or time to even build a proper website, I focused on creating brand awareness by consistently participating in vendor events and posting daily on social media. It was the sacrifices I made back then that allowed EYC to be where it is today four years later, and the vision keeps getting bigger.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
We currently keep in touch with our clients through email newsletters. These emails include details about new products, promotions, and brand updates. We also love to engage with our Tribe more personally via our social media channels. We reply to every comment made by our followers and respond timely to direct messages. We foster brand loyalty not just through discounts and special offers, but by building an online community of our customers called the Natural Goddess Tribe, which will later blossom into a VIP sisterhood with many perks and experiences that you won’t find anywhere else. As a brand whose owner represents the community we aim to serve, our customers are seen as more than just sales. Our brand is committed to the people we serve, and we hope our loyalty to them is reflected in their loyalty to us.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.embraceyacurlz.com
- Instagram:@embraceyacurlz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embraceyacurlz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandagogginseyc/
- Twitter: @embraceyacurlz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EmbraceyacurlzTV
- Other: Tik Tok: @embraceyacurlz
Image Credits
Professional photo (grey suit) by : King’s Eye Media IG: @kingseye_ Product usage photos (last 2) : Deedz Productions IG: @deedzproductionz
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