We recently connected with Mikala Williamson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mikala thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Celeste Essentials came about because I had a stem cell transplant that later caused me to deal with all kinds of skin issues from acne and boils to eczema and psoriasis. I was visiting way too many specialist and trying way too many different types of medication for help. Nothing was helping so I returned to nature and decided to test out natural remedies. I am very spiritually inclined and had a dream about the Blemish Bar, then when I woke up I did research on the ingredients I dreamt of. Turns out they were all great for a ton of skin conditions so I put them all together, it cured my skin completely and the Blemish Bar has gone on to cure tons of others skin as well and is my top selling product.

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

Of course! I broke into the beauty industry like other typical business owners, I had a skin condition and worked to find a solution, now I’m helping others heal themselves. My clients commonly suffer from acne, acne scars, dark marks, discoloration, uneven skin tones, eczema, psoriasis and dry skin, scalp and hair issues. What sets me apart from other beauty brands is my brand is not only a beauty brand, but I also promote health and wellness and educate my customers on ways changing their diet and lifestyle can have a major impact on their skin’s health. I stand out from the rest because my products are not only organic, but they are uncommon and multipurpose. I don’t use typical ingredients used in the beauty industry like coconut oil and cocoa butter, but I use uncommon ingredients with more potent healing potential, for example, Soy butter infused with Blueberry, Camelina Sativa Oil, Cantaloupe Oil, Mahabringraj oil and more and the best part is, my products are safe to use in the hair all the way down to the toes. I believe in skin minimalism and trust the process of less is more because when you use the right organic ingredients you can heal rapidly using only what’s needed and nothing that isn’t. We are a clean brand and take pride on being chemical free, cruelty free, and completely organic. Most of our customers see immediate results while some even have completely clear skin within 2 weeks of starting.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This was a huge struggle for me at first, being a creative, it can get hard when you feel forced to create. I tried working with a social media manager but learned it was more frustrating than helpful for me since I was just starting out I could barely afford the manager and her managing style didn’t align with the vision I had. I had to educate myself on how to create my own graphics. A great gem for my new business owners: learn how to do as much as you can on your own right now, when you grow you can get all the help you need and you’ll be able to afford the right help. Until then, the top things I did when I first started to grow was learn how to navigate Canva, Canva Pro is worth the subscription, sit down once a week and create your posts in bulk, you should be posting at least once a day, if you have a hard time with coming up with a graphic, go to Etsy and type in Canva templates for *insert niche* , then you can download the style you like and fully edit and change those posts to go with your brand. Once you’ve done that, Canva pro allows you to post in advance so you can type your captions and hashtags and they’ll post for you. The final thing I did was use Instagram to boost my posts, about $30 a post helped a lot. People prefer pictures over words so anything you can do to draw customers attention with reels and posts do it and promote the ones that get more engagement than you’re used to. Also find celebrities with P.O. Boxes and send them products, they’ll usually shout you out on their story I gained over 400 followers that way. You can also team up with other small businesses and do a giveaway with a follow train. I hope this helps and many blessings to your business! I also help new business owners or event planners hit the ground running with my services brand, Celeste’s Services for all graphic design, website and stationary needs for any event at a very reasonable price because I know how hard it can be to start with no funding.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My resilience is the reason I am so successful. A lot of times as a business owner you’re going to want to throw in the towel, but you have to remember the life you’re working towards and remember why you started. Often times more goes wrong than goes right as a business owner and it can feel a little overwhelming. I just have to remember I’m the boss and not the employee, I decide what I can and cannot do, I decide when I want to keep going or when I need a break and that has helped me a lot. It’s okay to take breaks and go back to the drawing board. There’s no book that gives you a surefire route to success, you have to go out and make the opportunities come to you. I knew when I started my brand in 2017 that I wanted to be in major stores but I didn’t think about all the local stores that can help me scale to that point. Here I am in 2022 in 3 local stores and on Walmart.com. Everything you desire will come to you if you work hard enough and have faith that it will workout.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.celesteessentials.com
• Instagram: @celesteessentials
• Facebook: Celeste Essentials
• Twitter: Celesteessco
• Youtube: Celesteessentials

Image Credits
@madcreates on Instagram