We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Latondria Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Latondria below.

Latondria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

How I came up with the idea for my business. Well, I actually wanted to start a Soul Food Restaurant with my mother and my aunt because I loved their food and felt like we could do well with a restaurant. Starting a business with my mom and her sister would have been awesome! I thought we could get the who family involved to a have great legacy to leave behind. I called the restaurant Aj’s Takeouts, I named if after my grandmother who raised me. That is how it started but, that is not what it is today. Those plans didn’t happen due to due to unforeseen issues. Aj’s Takeouts was put on ice for a while. That was in 2015. Fast forward to 2020, the pandemic hit, and we were all to stay inside. I turned to crafting, this was a great outlet for expression, stress and boredom relief. I began with customizing apparel and printing. I was able to make some sales from that, so I decided to make this a business. I called it Aj’s Handcrafted Creations. That is how I came up with the idea.

Latondria, 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?

My name is Latondria I am a mother of three beautiful daughters, a grandmother to the most handsome, smart grandson ever and the owner of Aj’s Handcrafted Creations. I got into customizing apparel, hats and shoes during the pandemic. I enjoy making so many things and want to make a store that would be a one stop shop for my customers. I do skincare, customize shoes, hats, shirts and provide business services. I mainly focus on the skincare now, but I am still in business for customizing. I started making custom shirts for myself, family and friends for family reunions, parties and just to have some graphic shirts I like and as a form of artistic expression and passive income during the pandemic. I believe that the service that I provide help a wide range of people. I can help other small businesses with branding, we place logos on all type of shirts, hats, and we offer business solution services. If they need business cards, flyers, banners and etc. we can provide this service. With the skin and hair care line we offer to our Simply Nise’ Skincare customers all natural products. Our all-natural products provide a healthier and cleaner way to take care of the skin and hair without all the chemicals that are in the products we find in our big box stores. Simply Nise offers feminine care products, Beard care for our men, Facial products for all skin types, haircare products for all hair types and scalp ailments. We offer this for men and women. Our moto is Where there is an ailment there is an Herb that can solve it.
There are a lot of small business that are doing what we do but, I have seen most focus on one type of industry. I believe in multiple streams of income. That way when you are not having a lot of orders from your customizing business but, the skincare or your apparel line is having great sales. Every business has it highs and lows so to keep us in the middle to prevent the lows is the benefit of having multiple streams of income. This is what set us apart from most. I’m proud of what I do, I’m proud of the people that I serve. Without my customer base and loyal followers, I have we wouldn’t be where we are today. I don’t care if its many or a few it’s the fact that they consider my business and what I offer at all. I reward that with running specials, discounts and even partnering with my daughter and her business offering discounted customized shirts and etc. I want potential customers to know that we will treat them like they are supposed to be treated because they did not have to choose to spend with me, we are accessible, we are down to earth people, and we will do our best to give them what it is they need and want. We are a multifaceted business. We take the upmost pride in the blessings that has been bestowed upon and we pay it forward to our customers that patronize our businesses.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I funded my business with working a job and from the revenue we generated from sales. We weren’t in the position to get funding like some small businesses. You would think that it would be easier to get funding for a small business but, it is not. This is what I had to learn. You have to do so much. I have my business license, my Ein, LLC, my Dunn and Brads number and even tradelines but we still were not able to get small funds to help. Most want to use your personal credit and not your EIN and many people on these social media platforms would tell you. When you are just beginning you don’t really have the funds to buy from these tradelines until you start generating funds from your sales. Hard work, perseverance and never giving up is how I funded and continue to fund my business.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My Business and life partner I met through a mutual friend. She believes in me and the things I want to do. She encouraged me and helped me with ideas, and even funded my business. I needed and wanted that positive energy, care and consideration all through my business endeavors so, I asked if she want to be a part of this incredible thing I have going, and she said she would love to. That is how I gained my business partner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ajshandcraftedcreations.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajshandcraftedcrations/
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ajscreativepeaces
• Other: www.TikTok.com/@ajs.handcraftedcreations simplyniseskincare.com

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