We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marquita Gill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Marquita, appreciate you joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
I am forever indebted to my parents for numerous things. Thanks to my mother, I have inculcated the phrase “have passport, will travel” into my life. As a child, it felt like school would end one day, and the next morning we were on a plane to New York. I owe my sense of adventure (and my passports) to my mother. I am also grateful for her raising me to have strong faith, which allowed me to become a disciplined woman. As for my father, he showed me how to be a provider, a hard worker and the importance of having that in a family household. While we do not come from riches, my father ensured that we went to private primary school, traveled every summer break, participated in extra curricular activities, etc. I never felt inferior or lacking to my peers, and in my “old” age, I know it was not difficult to pull that off. He truly made sure that his children would prosper.
Combined, both of my parents continue to show me the importance of love, laughter, independence, and a good drink! Most importantly though, I am happy that my sisters and I were raised in Barbados. My parents met while my mother lived in New York, and she moved back home to be with my father. Living in America now, I know I would have been gutted had I not grown up with easy access to tropical fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, daily sea baths before school, and the infectious accents of my Barbadian people, to name a few. Growing up 100% Bajan is a unique and indescribable feeling, and I am thankful my parents decided to raise us here.
Marquita, 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?
Empress Naturals is a Black, West Indian & female-owned company, providing affordable access to natural skin care with key ingredients from Caribbean culture. We are focused on building community through ancestral stories and networking. There are four main pillars which drive Empress Naturals:
ACCESS: Empress Naturals brings wellness to your door through curated products at affordable prices. We create and sell products for busy like-minded millenial women (Empresses) and men (Emperors) who cherish their bodies and want to nourish and flourish in self-care.
REPRESENTATION: We are Black. We are Caribbean. We are plant-powered millennials. Everything is 100% in-house product tested. We are our own proof. Although we are sisters with shared DNA, no skin is the same, especially for men and women of Caribbean descent. We are descendants of many different cultures, therefore we have different skin needs, and we are here to teach and empower- so come learn!
NATURAL/HOLISTIC CARE: Everything we make, produce, and sell is vegetarian-friendly, Non-HMO, and from Mother Earth. We are powered by plants and herbs we grew up on in the Caribbean. We know, acknowledge, and celebrate the power of the all natural solution.
COMMUNITY: The older we get, the more we realize that despite being made up of different islands, we are ONE TRIBE. We want the world to see and understand the beauty in our region. Our social media platforms are all about building awareness and connecting the Caribbean Diaspora and beyond. Come hangout with us and learn how to build your best self with us.
One of many things I am proud of with Empress Naturals is that our company is a form of grief and praise to our grandmother, Saint Elma Verstine Smith, who passed away in 2019. Despite living in New York, gran was a crucial part of our upbringing, teaching us many herbs and natural remedies for overall health. All of our products are named/dedicated to women and/or aspects of Caribbean and West Indian life.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
Empress Naturals is a storefront powered by Shopify. I am unashamed to say that I am NOT the most tech savvy person! I have found that this platform is very user-friendly and allows me to easily keep track of orders, inventory, correspondence, etc. In addition, Shopify offers partnerships with shipping companies which helps our Imperial Tribe (our clients) and our mission to provide affordable luxury. It also allowed our Brand Manager, Breeya Harrison, to customize certain aspects of our website. As for cons, I think if you do not have a background or source for coding, your templates on Shopify can be a bit limiting. However, the benefits surely outweigh that hiccup.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
In order to begin my response, I must quote the following:
You and me us never part
Makidada
You and me, Us have one heart
Makidada
Ain’t no ocean, ain’t no sea
Makidada
Keep my sistah way from me
Makidada”
– “The Separation” from The Color Purple
About 31 years and change ago, my business partner, Takara Browne, had the honor of meeting me, her sister! Her life has been blessed every day since then. You’re welcome, Takara!
The aforementioned chant has been a common theme that my sister and I have sung for as long as I can remember. At various points in our lives, we were separated by schools, by home, and currently by location. Being eight years apart in age, you’d think that we would be in separate worlds. However, we are one of each other’s closest friends. Not a day goes by without some form of communication, whether it be a voice note, me begging for photos, or Takara sending affirmations and life coach lessons.
We are blood, we are friends, and at the end of the day, we’ve got each other’s back. Now, we share our sisterhood bond, love of creativity and embracing of West Indian culture through wellness and self-care: Empress Naturals. Despite living in Barbados and Texas…
Ain’t no ocean, ain’t no sea.
Makidada.
Keep #SoapSisterSundays ‘way from we!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://empressnaturals.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/empressnaturalsllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpressNaturalsLLC/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marquitagill246
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/empressnatural_
Image Credits
Marquita Gill Breeya Harrison