We recently connected with Imani Varker and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Imani thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

I had the pleasure of partnering with a local organization called Cloud Covered Streets. They provide shower and grooming services to individuals experiencing homelessness. I was able to provide them with almost 100 pieces of soap and soap saver bags that they were able to give away to individuals who used their services. I think most of us take the ability to be clean for granted. Sometimes, something as simple as a shower can almost be theraputic. It brought me so much joy to help provide that little extra necessary comfort to people who often go unseen. I look forward to doing it again!

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.

I love creating things from scratch. That mostly applied to baking treats. It never occurred to me that I could make my own bath and body products. When I discovered that it was very possible and incredibly easy, I was fascinated by the idea. I was able to find a local soapmaking class and a lot of great information about different ingredients. The whole learning process brought me way more joy than I could have ever anticipated.

I want my products to bring that same joy to other people’s lives. When someone uses my soap, I want the smell to bring a smile to their face and the lather to bring some TLC to their skin. If you’re using my shampoos or conditioners, you can be confident that the ingredients were specifically chosen to provide the particular care your hair type needs and not a one-type-fits-most formula. No matter which of my products you choose to clean with, you can be confident that you will receive a gentle, yet effective cleanse that won’t strip your skin of its natural protective barrier.

I created my shampoos and conditioners because I couldn’t find what I wanted in any products that already existed. I’m very proud the results that have come from all of my research and development and I get so much joy from all the positive feedback I get from my return customers. Making solid shampoos and conditioners also inspired me to create a solid lotion/body butter bar and it might be my favorite product that I’ve actually created so far.

I love the fact that my products help to reduce plastic waste while providing utmost care to our largest organ.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I was a video editor when I started making soap. The idea of turning it into a business was always in the back of my mind. Mostly because I knew I would want to experiment with lots of different designs and fragrances. It always seemed like I would want to make more than I would be able to use or have room for, so why not see if others would like it as much as me and my family.

I started off selling at markets just a couple of times a month. When my show got cancelled, I decided to try putting all of my effort into building my own source of income. It’s definitely been a scary journey to go from regular steady paychecks to relying on my own small business, but it has been very rewarding and I’m very thankful to have family support during this scary growth phase.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My current strategy for building my business and growing my clientele is just to get myself out there as much as possible. I went from vending at two markets per month to 10-12 per month. That effort has definitely paid off as far as getting people familiar with my company and building relationships with customers. I don’t know if there is really any better way for a small business to grow than to just keep showing up.

It’s also important to realize where your customers aren’t. I have many venues that I don’t foresee myself going back to because I didn’t offer what those shoppers were looking for. There’s nothing wrong with deciding to focus your effort into places where it is more likely to pay off.

The next challenge I’m trying to tackle is turning market shoppers into people who want to place online orders. I want my business to grow its digital footprint.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grandeurlathers.com
• Instagram: grandeur_lathers https://www.instagram.com/grandeur_lathers/
• Facebook: Grandeur Lathers https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087978560549