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

Ramat , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Prior to starting my makeup brand, I didn’t realize how much of a risk I was taking. I was just a makeup artist on my college campus who wanted to branch out and create my own products, I grew up with business oriented parents, so it wasn’t new to me. After launching Atara Jael Beauté I realized how much of a risk it was. Some people truly don’t know how much work goes behind having your own business, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Nothing good comes easy, you have to be in love with what you’re doing and keep pushing towards your goal. Last year, I took a leap of faith to move to the DFW area for grad school. Moving from Chicago, where I grew up was big for me. Growing up my family was very close knit, I was always around family and it was hard for me having to move away from everyone. This journey has been bittersweet but I am constantly challenging myself and my business. I am taking as many opportunities as I can when it comes to my business. I do popup shops frequently and I have been to a few networking events. This move has been different but I am constantly pushing myself and my business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an only child born and raised in Chicago, IL. I recently just moved to DFW in the fall of 2021. I have always been around business so it came naturally to me. My parents were both born and raised in Nigeria and I learned about the culture from them and my family. I’ve visited Nigeria frequently so I can say that I am very in tune with the culture. Despite being American -born I feel like I implement the African culture more in my everyday life and I am constantly trying to learn more.

In college I was a makeup artist and that came from my love for beauty and trying to make extra money on the side. During the end of my third year I decided that I wanted to create my own eyeshadow palette. I always referred to myself as a queen and I wanted to continue to push that message for others as well. As queens, we should always carry ourselves to a high standard and this was the message I wanted my brand to push the most. Beauty and African royalty amused me, and I wanted to tie them together. A queen’s crown may tilt sometimes, but we should never allow it to fall. Atara Jael Beauté Empire is a royal makeup brand created for all queens. It’s important to recognize that you are beautiful regardless of any flaws you may have. Wear your crown and ascend.

In 2019, I had the idea of creating my own eyeshadow palette because I enjoyed experimenting with different eyeshadow colors. I chose to keep the name and theme of my previous business. I designed a palette in the shape of a crown and added two mirrors that can be used as a vanity. I wanted to incorporate African culture after creating this. The palette is called Majesty Languages of Royalty Palette, and all of the shades are royalty inspired in various African languages.

After nine months of planning, praying, hard work, and dedication, I launched Atara Jael Beauté on my birthday, September 23rd, 2020. I’ve been in business for almost two years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I currently sell vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics such as our Imperial Makeup Brushes, Regal Eyebrow Pencils, Queen Matte Lipsticks, Throne Lip Glosses, Lavish Cosmetic Bags, Exquisite Beauty Blenders, and Majesty Languages of Royalty Eyeshadow Palette. Each product, color, and item has a royal name that corresponds to its translation in different African languages. As a brand, we believe that there is royalty in everyone!

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

When you are in business you have to believe you can do it and you will. You can’t look for validation from others because you will fail. Many people don’t know but, last year I almost gave up on Atara Jael Beauté. As a full-time student and employee while running a business things can be very hectic. I kept pushing but I wasn’t seeing the results that I wanted. One thing I constantly pray for is the courage and strength to keep going even when things get hard. Instead of stopping I took a break and amended my strategies. I am trying new things in my business and networking others and I refuse to give up.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I have an E-commerce site and I love it! I find that people appreciate and trust a business when they have a website. Potential customers are able to see and read about the products while also learning more about the vision of your business. I use Shopify and there are a lot of resources that allow for you to grow your business and connect to other platforms. Sometimes it can be difficult to drive traffic to your site, but the benefits of having a site are endless.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://ajbeaute.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atarajaelofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atarajael
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdada/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/atarajael

Image Credits
Michael Taylor Cee Houston Faith Rowland Daniel Ebomwonyi