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

Hi Reneaja, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

During the time I was going to school to be an esthetician I was in a very confusing place. I was in the process of trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and how I wanted to get there. I stopped in the middle of school to go away to Navy Bootcamp to try and create a better situation for myself and my boyfriend (at the time/ now ex) but I came back determined to finish what I started. I started working at Sycuan Casino working 10 hour overnight shifts and going to school 8 hours out of the day, I was so exhausted I had to end up quitting my job to make sure I achieved my goal. If I could change anything about that process I would take the time and gave myself the grace necessary to really learn myself and hone in on my craft without any outside distractions influencing my path. I probably would’ve been able to finish school a lot faster and had a better learning experience.

Reneaja, 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?

I am a CEO and business owner of 3 businesses. My main bundle of joy is Brown Sugar Self Care & Co. which is my personal esthetics practice. I have always loved self care and skin care, also growing up I use to struggle immensely with acne and I couldn’t seem to find anyone in the industry that looked like me that was able to guide me and help me with the issues I was having with my skin. Working on my own acne, doing the research and finding out what worked for me inspired me to really dive head first into the industry. I decided to go get my license and start working with clients and I’ve loved every second of it. I can truly say I have found my passion. It’s important to have representation in every industry in order for individuals from all walks of life to feel like they are being recognized and tended to. I’ve dedicated my heart to my craft and I am always a student eager to learn how I can best serve my clients. I specialize in skin care, body care and waxing. What sets me apart from other estheticians is my attention to not only the well being and results my clients get when working with me but my dedication to making sure they enjoy their experience when laying on my table. Everyone deserves self care, now a days everyone gets caught up in the rat race of life that it’s seldom people take the time to slow down and love on themselves so I want to make sure i provide that to my clients along with the glowing skin they desire. I want my future potential clients to know that I will always put their needs first. I want to hear your story so I am able to serve you the best I can in every facet when you book with me. It’s important to educate yourself on each and every person that walks through the door to deliver the best possible care. Outside of Brown Sugar Self Care & Co. I am also the co-founder of two other businesses. One is called Living Single Outside. LSO curates different events monthly for singles in the San Diego area. So far we have had a hike, beach workout and bon fire. We plan to have our events each month to create spaces for like minded individuals to connect and maybe find love. My colleague and we’re so tired of swiping on dating apps and meeting sleezy guys at clubs so we decided to take a different approach. She and I are into meeting people organically in happy healthy environments and we recognized that there wasn’t a lot of those spaces in San Diego specifically for singles so we decided to matter into our own hands. We hope to continue to grow our events and get the word out to more people because I know we aren’t the only ones who felt the way we did about the dating scene in San Diego. It’s time to make a change.
Last but certainly not least, I am also the co-founded of SoCal Barter. Socal Barter is a platform designed to revive the practice of barterering products and services between small businesses, aside from that socal barter also doubles as a marketing platform for small businesses as well. My co-founders and I (Deja Osborne- Stretch Therapist & DeAndre Steward- Personal Trainer) have been bartering together for some time and we thought that it was time to share what we do with other small businesses. When you start a business all of your time and capital goes into your craft so you hardly have the time or the money to go get a facial, get a professional stretch therapist or get a personal trainer so bringing back the way of bartering in order to be able to make those desired a reality seemed like a great way to go. Sharing your gifts with one another not only allows people to gain what they otherwise might have thought wouldn’t be possible but it also build a beautiful community of small businesses owners working together.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that not everyone’s success looks the same. It’s easy to look at other people’s lives and think you aren’t where you are suppose to be in life and/or your career especially with social media being so prominent now. It’s been an uphill battle struggling with identity and imposter syndrome but for me I just have to remember that everything happens for a reason nothing is by accident because God puts you exactly where you need to be when you need to be there. Nobody’s journey is ever going to look the same so as long as you’re doing everything in your power to make your dreams come true your time will come. Never give up on what makes you happy because when you do things for the right reasons your craft will be blessed beyond what you could ever imagine. The season of trial and error is your season of preparation for what is in store for your life and your business so take everyday as a lesson for what is to come.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I have 3 cofounders in two of my businesses. The first is Socal Barter with Deja Osborne, Deja is my best friend who I met in college at San Jose state University and DeAndre Steward who I went to high school with. He had been training my mother and grandmother before he started training me. He and I have grown as close as brother and sister over the course of our friendship. Last but not least I met my co-founder for Living Single Outside Kendra Abadsidis. I met Kendra at a mutual friends birthday party, she and I just hit it off and we have been great friends till this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/bssc.co?fbclid=PAAaa2FNKITdZSMDPUjp7X3OXqtdNBTEEVUZYivyiD5dd0jHT6hWJtxpFsYZo
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/reneajabssc?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Image Credits
@ms_shambo (IG)