We are excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Naana Daniels. We hope you will enjoy our conversation with Naana below.

Naana , appreciate you joining us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

I was diagnosed with two mixed connective tissue disorders, Lupus and scleroderma and I have lived with the disease for over nineteen years.    Both Conditions have no known cause, However there is research that shows the relation of been exposed to some toxins in the environment and the UV rays from the sun that makes the condition worse.  As the disease mimics other diseases, it makes it difficult to diagnose.  Diagnosis usually takes between 7 – 10 years and in most cases would have caused lots of damage. Due to length of time to get the diagnosis, most patients will end up unemployed and, in most cases, bankrupt or live in poverty, 

Though this disease has been around for years, medications for other conditions are used as a treatment for lupus. It was only in 2011 when we had the first medication used to control the symptoms of lupus. It is for this reasons that research and awareness is very important.  May is Lupus Month, so we donate a portion of our sale for research and educating others of the disease.

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

My name is Naana Daniels , owner and founder of Honam Naturals, An organic vegan self care line in Ontario Canada.  

I started this brand after I had a severe crisis from a holiday in Ghana.  I had heard of this beautiful, picturesque and Instagram worthy waterfalls in a quaint town in Ho.  Even though I took all the necessary sun protection whilst I hiked through the lush forest, I did not expect to get that severe sunburn.  

After I returned to Canada, I went to the emergency for treatments and was provided topical medication which was quiet strong, I took a chance and declined and chose to use a natural remedy.  I turned to some shea butter I brought and turned it into a moisture filled luxurious butter that cleared my skin, and within two weeks My skin was flawless to the amazement of my friends and family. 

I knew how effective Shea butter could be as I was born in Tamale, the area where Shea butter grows.  You know, the area is located within the Guinea savannah belt and one of the hottest regions in Ghana.   And though most of the natives do not use sunscreen and use the most basic skin care routine, they have the most beautiful skin ever. I knew and believed that the shea butter will work wonders on my damaged skin.

Friends requested for some of my body butter, and word went around and there was a demand for it, Friends insisted on paying for the butter, and for one who lived with a very entrepreneur Mom, it was easy to turn this into a side hustle for a while.

The demand continued to grow and I realized there were lots of people also seeking natural skin care at a very affordable price.  As I decided to turn this into a business, I did research into finding packaging that were either sustainable or ecofriendly.  I then gradually added a few other products for my son’s who also need men’s grooming products as well.  This led us into adding bamboo products as well.

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I then made 200 Jars of my body butter and had a pop-up sale and within an hour, I had sold out on the butters.  From there I knew I was onto something,

I had to find a suitable name for the business and so I chose HONAM – which translates to SKIN in the Akan language,  Today, my personal care line which has  transformed from my kitchen island into healthy stores in Ontario, Amazon and most recently into Walmart marketplace in the United States.

We look forward to Lupus Month In May to raise awareness and donate funds, However this year, we are trying something new.   We are going back to where it all started, Tamale, to meet the beautiful Women who inspired me to take a chance on curing my damaged skin with the HOLY GRAIL of skin care SHEA BUTTER.    This time we are planning on making a donation to the main hospital, which happens to be where I was born.  

 I am also looking forward to spending the day with the Women who produce the shea butter to learn and exchange beauty tips and skin care routines to incorporate in our brand. All our products are toxin and cruelty free as we have tested them on ourselves and our families. 

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

My initial capital was funds which friends and family had given tome on a milestone birthday.   And in my culture, money is rather given than gift, so I wanted something  memorable to do with the money, so this was just perfect , Using it to start my business.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In the summer of 2021, just when the city was re opening from the lockdown, I had gone to stock up in one of my stalls downtown. On my way back home , whilst driving on the highway, I had stopped for a city vehicle to clean debris off the highway from a previous accident.    Whilst I was waiting at a safe distance for the clean up, a huge Mac truck came from behind at 100 kmph slammed into my vehicle and totaled my car.    Though the damage was huge, I was lucky to escape with soft tissue damage and unable to walk for a while.  The crash caused me to have insomnia as I constantly could hear the crash and the breaking of the windshield. I started to have anxiety and stayed indoors.  

 I made good use of the sleepless nights to work on new projects and used the downtime to join a programs for BIPOC immigrant Women Entrepreneurs called the ILaunchHERproduct This was an enlightening ten week course which prepared us to pivot our businesses and pitch to big bulk stores. This program led most of us into getting our products on larger store shelves today. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.honamnaturals.com
• Instagram: www.instargram.com/honamnaturals
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/honamnaturals
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/honam-naturals 
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/honamnaturals