We caught up with the brilliant and insightful LaVonndra Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

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

Historically our grandmothers skincare regimen consisted of Vaseline, that’s it, nothing else; and traditionally that was passed down many generations, but the environment has changed and we need proper education on skincare. Growing up with oily skin, I feel like I tried all the wrong things before discovering the right thing to do as it pertains to my skin. I used harsh products, wore makeup trying to cover and conceal skin issues, and didn’t take proper care of my skin from the inside in order to accomplish the goal of glowing skin outwardly.

When I finally did begin my journey to healthier skin, I became overwhelmed with the elaborate 10-step regimens and wanted to find simplicity in a regimen while still achieving results. I was also underwhelmed with the luxury market for black women as it relates to beauty, which is majority owned by white men.

As I set out to launch my own brand I was inspired by department store beauty, and still am today. I’ve always loved the bright lights and prestige of shopping department store beauty and I wanted to utilize my skill set in branding and bring to market a product centered around simplified skincare packaged with a luxury aesthetic that can sit proudly on any vanity. The bonus is that I get to create and cater my products for women who look like me! Women who traditionally were not marketed to, although they are the biggest spenders within this niche.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been an entrepreneur for 20 years now having operated businesses within the branding and fashion sectors. For many years I owned a women’s clothing boutique and worked in branding for event productions, personal brands, and even launched product brands for others. As I continued to create for others, I began to question if I could create something from the ground up for myself; could I tap into my existing skillset and bring to market a product that would speak to who I am and other women alike.

Fueled with inspiration of fusing skincare with glamour, I set out to enter the niche space of luxury beauty. A space majority occupied by white men, with very few black women owned or led brands. I knew from the onset that I had to make my mark from a presentation standpoint because I didn’t have investors or financial backers, so I had to create a name for the brand that stood on the product itself and the presentation of the product.

I launched with 5 products that would allow me to present a simplified and less complicated approach to skincare. There were 2 cleansers, 2 moisturizers and 1 toner. It was important to me that I offer cleansing and moisturizing options that would speak to the varying skin types, and not a one product fits all approach. This was the fusion of skin care and skin education, considering how many of us don’t achieve our intended results because we didn’t know how to property care for our specific skincare issues.

At the core of it all is a message that we belong. We belong in the category of luxury; specifically luxury skincare, and our needs matter.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I think we all can agree that social media has become our go-to for most of our entertainment needs. From learning the newest dance, to cult worthy products, solicited and unsolicited advice (lol) and so much more. While that’s 100% true, the landscape of social media is forever changing. I found myself getting lost in the social space with trying to keep up, trying to push engagement and trying to be visible.

What has worked for me when it comes to brand loyalty and keeping in touch with our customer base has been being transparent. Sharing where we are as a brand at different steps in the process. When we were having manufacturing issues during the height of Covid, I shared those; when our bottle packaging was delayed at sea, I share those pain points. I’ve discovered that customers enjoy knowing the back story and being aware. It makes them feel like they’re in it with you, and when things shift and turn around for the better, they feel even more inclined to support your wins.

Another key touchpoint for us has been email. Taking the conversation off the social platforms and into their inbox where we can share more, we can better illustrate products and provide simple skincare education, we even share our thoughts on current events and tragedies we see and experience in the world. Because my messaging is primarily to women of color, we speak the same language, we share many of the same experiences and pain points, so this proves to be another way in which we are servicing our customer base.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Capital is a very important conversation and for most brand founders and struggle; especially if you’re a founder of color. Like so many other black brand owners, I started with no capital. I launched my brand while working and producing income outside of the brand. Each pay period I would invest what I could into my brand and piece together products with sometimes having to purchase labels one week, cover the product production costs the next, purchase product boxes with another check, and so on.

It was that way for a long time, and sometimes I still have to get creative with the budget. The first year of my business I invested $7,500 from my full time career. While some may hear that number and think it’s a decent figure, those in business know that’s considered pennies. It’s quite expensive to bring a product to market, and to have survived 5 years with a business that started by bootstrapping is an accomplishment within itself.

Eventually I would like to raise capital for the brand, but not at the cost of majority ownership. It’s important to me to keep control of my brand, and that it remains black owned.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ellejohnson.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellejohnson.co
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellejohnson.co
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/ellejohnsonco/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/ellejohnsonco
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCgKfMj5uuEZBpooj-Bfs7bw

Image Credits
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