We were lucky to catch up with Jamila Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jamila, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My entire life I have dreamed of making beauty products. As a little girl, I used to mix random ingredients to make hair products. In high school, I decided to obtain my cosmetology license and pursue my dream of becoming a hairstylist. While attending Prairie View A&M University where I received my degree in Mechanical Engineering, I operated a Salon Suite and became my boss. During this period, I began making hair growth products for my clients who suffered from hair loss. I dove into learning about ingredients and processes that contributed to causes of hair loss.
In 2009 after my father was diagnosed with cancer, I began to research and even spoke with some doctors about why they think that specific types of cancer diagnoses are on the rise. I kicked my research into overdrive and I was able to identify trends with the types of products people were putting in and on their bodies that were affecting their general health and well-being. This is when I decided to create hair care products without all the junk and use natural ingredients.
After client reviews and many hours of research and development, I was able to formulate recipes. This birthed my company, Parker J’s. We officially started selling to the public in 2017 and although business can be up and down sometimes, I am very proud of us for maintaining our integrity by using quality organic ingredients. As we continue to grow we have launched more products and now we are moving into the skin and nail care spectrum. We plan to continue to create more products that people can purchase without the worry of toxic ingredients.
Soon I plan on opening a beauty school to help people who are interested in the beauty industry with the intent to do things with the purpose of the greater good of their clients.
Jamila, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a creator, wife, mother, teacher, cosmetologist and much more. After years of doing all of my friends and family’s hair, my sister encouraged me to obtain my cosmetology license during my junior year of high school. After completing the program I went to the state board and received my license. I continued to do hair while in college and could never let it go.
I am still doing hair and nails on a weekly basis as well as being a certified teacher. I have taught math and science for the last 7 years. I recently decided to merge the two and completed a Cosmetology Instructor program.
I plan on teaching others how to help their clients with whatever services they may need.I have been told by my clients that I have “growing hands” and I would love to pass on tips and tricks to help others in the industry.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process./
Each product sold by Parker J’s is handcrafted by us. There is no middle man or factory. When I first started I was funding my business with my own money so initially I was purchasing from local stores and markets. Sometimes, trying to save money, I purchased cheap materials, which led to many issues. I learned that quality was more important. As business grew I was able to shop around and find more quality ingredients to make my products. I learned you need to purchase wholesale to make a reasonable profit. When we start a business it begins with a dream, that dream cannot come to fruition without the proper funding or quality items.
I have considered moving to a manufacturer to keep up with the demand, however I have yet to find one that has met the ingredient quality standards.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I currently sell on our website ParkerJsHairCare.com or at in person markets. I initially started on Etsy, however after trying various platforms, I saw better results from having my own website. I really like the professional look of having my own website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.parkerjshaircare.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkerjs_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Parkerjshaircare/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamila-anderson-47a68358/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkerJs_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MilaBee
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@parkerjs_?lang=en