We recently connected with Samantha Harris and have shared our conversation below.
Samantha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Mission: To spread “A Little Bit of Love” to ourselves, and one another, one self-care item at a time.
ALBoL started in Dec 2018 as a challenge to take action on a dream. I learned that my happiest moments and best results always came about when operating from a place of Love, & a little really goes a long way. That Christmas I made small sets for my family, & scotch-taped “A Little Bit of Love” on them with their title & ingredients. As one of my sisters pestered me to Trademark the name, I realized this is a great way to spread this message. By April of 2020 A Little of Love became an official business.
I make everything from scratch at home – absolutely no pre-mixed formulas, no alcohols, no chemicals. I use raw, organic, cruelty-free, vegan ingredients and am very picky and careful with where they come from. ALBoL products (just like Love) are for everyone – all ages, hair types, & skin tones. A Little Bit of Love goes a long way – with my products, but more importantly – in life, and it is vital to keep this message…. to keep Love…going💜💙🧡💛
Mission: To spread “A Little Bit of Love” to ourselves, and one another, one song at a time.
I am also a singer. I perform as both a solo r&b singer, and as a lead vocalist in a live band – spreading “A Little Bit of Love” through music. I started singing at the age of 4, and music school at the age of 6. At age 9, my vocal teacher at the time, Jerome “City” Smith, took me under his wing and was really the person who helped me find my full voice. Even after graduating music school, I continue to attend his shows and at age 19, i joined his band, City Sounds Music, and am still singing with them over 20 years later. City Sounds Music performs for various events and covers many genres. In 2022, I began singing solo in addition to singing with the band. Since then, I have opened up for comedy shows, been the featured entertainer at restaurants, street festivals, and art exhibits; as well as performed in weddings and funerals.
I try not to be a lengthy writer but……. you asked for it!
The story behind this story is that i’ve been through a lot, and we all have. i often find myself surrounded by broken hearts, pessimism, abuse, abandonment, and heavy trust issues. we spend so much energy “fighting” and i understood that love takes a lot less energy. i finally admitted to myself that i’m exhausted – many of us have to be exhausted, especially since 2020! Crying is down right tiring and all i’ve gotten for it was a headache and i’m still broken. Many of us are right there! I finally decided to go with the lesser energy, to stop “fighting” and try operating from a place of love instead of hurt and anger. My results – in everything – became better. and even the difficult wasn’t as difficult anymore.
Work / Employment is often a major factor when life is pulling you through the ringer. So when i was laid off in July 2022 and decided to pursue A Little Bit of Love full time, i knew much of how i run my business needs to be opposite of my work experience. i took the work masks off and decided to be Human. I do not know sales and the world is full of too many gimmicks – I’m not at all interested. I am more authentic when I speak, walk, provide, and therefore in return, attract Love.
While I operate my business completely alone, I did not get here alone. I got through much of life’s difficulties with the help of my sisters and a few people who loved me enough to nudge me in the right directions and support my business. These are the people that ALBoL fragrances are named after, i share each of their stories with customers to continue the conversation of Love – don’t be afraid to ask for help, check on your loved ones, practice patience with our aging parents, you are not alone, treasure the connections you do have, etc. I preach that Love comes from within. many of us wear too many hats and forget / neglect that. but if we can just put a little bit of love into the equation, put a little bit of positive effort into ourselves, watch how far it’ll go!
Samantha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When i was 16, I saw this woman in the mall who was so beautiful, i had to say something to her. I asked her how she maintains her glowing flawless skin, and she told me about shea butter and african black soap, as well as a store in Queens that I could get it from (has since closed down). I went to that store, walked into natural product heaven, and never looked back. i always had a problem with ingredients i cannot pronounce and store brands were sounding more and more scientific. When i used store brands, my skin and hair were really dry and flaky and just not right. i noticed alcohols were the first ingredients and most of the ingredients on many labels; and I couldn’t fathom how these products are listed as “moisturizing” – doesn’t alcohol evaporate and dry out my bruises? So I stayed in natural product heaven. The store owner was kind enough to educate me as i became a frequent shopper, i got to work in my kitchen, and have been making my own body products since age 17. my skin got softer and stopped cracking, and everyone noticed the difference.
I didn’t get a handle on my hair until I went vegan 8 years ago. around 2010, i did a big chop, grew my hair back, and permed it in 2014. the day after my perm, i ran my fingers through my hair and so much hair was in my hands – i was horrified. i did a 2nd big shop and stopped perming. When i turned vegan in 2016, i went all the way natural – if a product has something i cannot pronounce, I didn’t use it anymore. except – there were no completely natural products in the stores. i did some research, picked many brains, and then tried my own body products. As i didn’t exactly want to use my body butter in my hair, i made my own hair products with ingredients that’s more suitable for hair. i honestly believe going vegan played a major role, as my hair finally started to turn around. But my products kept it soft and manageable, and no more flaking. The difference between the shaft and roots of my hair were so different in health, I did a 3rd “vegan chop” in 2017. Today, I am vegan, organic, gluten-free, soy-free, and 50% of my meals are raw. So when A Little Bit of Love was born, i simply make for you, exactly what i would make for myself. The same discipline goes into your products.
if you are into personal care; If you want to be more into personal care; if you have dry skin and dry hair conditions; if you have sensitivities; if you are concerned about knowing what you’re using and putting more appropriate ingredients into and on your body and hair; if you don’t mind spending the extra seconds to care for yourself with quality products; if you simply want to support black, small, or local business instead of going to the stores and still want quality for your buck; if you just want to shop in peace with a nice person; if you’re vegan and looking for products with vegan ingredients; against the cruelty of animals and our environment; if you want to teach your kids about loving themselves and their skin and hair and want to introduce them to a live example; and of course, if you want a soul singer or connection to a great live band……….. A Little Bit of Love is great for you.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
It’s hard work however In-person connections have been the greatest. Honestly my online presence can use a lot of improvement and is a constant work in progress. and yes, markets can be hit or miss – but it’s been the many people i’ve connected with at markets and pop up shops that circle back in some way shape or form. i had to go to the events and let people know that I actually exist – with samples for you to try and feel comfortable with what you’re spending on. the majority of my customers are strangers i’ve connected with in person, that follow and support – return to restock on product – tell their mother or gift their husband and family members who also become customers. customers appreciate human connection and it means the world to me to return the following year and customers are looking for A Little Bit of Love. i get great opportunities to talk with others, share our stories, celebrate each other, ask and answer questions, receive feedback, and network. you do have to be willing to show up, speak up, and listen.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
I created my own website through Shopify, and currently ship nationwide as well as offer local pick up in Queens and at the markets. When I was deciding what to do, i researched all of my options. I knew i would have to charge a good amount of dollars for my products so i was concerned about joining platforms that took a percentage of my revenue. i did not want to raise my prices higher than necessary and honestly I did not want any of my revenues to go anywhere else. Some companies take very high percentages and i wasn’t ok with that either. I was also concerned with partnering with companies that could potentially put me out of business or make more money than i was off of my products and hard work. So i decided that my own website was best and Shopify was the most cost effective and most appropriate for my type of business. having your own website does come at a monthly or yearly cost, and the intent is to make more than enough to cover it. while i had to learn a lot technically and it took me longer to get it done myself, i appreciate having full control over what I am putting out there online. My biggest challenge was finding assistance. i did not at all know what i was doing. so many people were hiring others to build websites for them and i immediately thought to do the same. Unfortunately, on 2 different occasions and different companies, the help i hired was dishonest and I wasted thousands. thankfully shopify offered a tutorial on how to get started, and I had no choice (and no more money) and had to get it done myself. While my online presence can still improve, so far i have no regrets.
Contact Info:
- Website: alittlebitoflovebeauty.com
- Instagram: @alittlebitoflovebeauty
- Facebook: @alittlebitoflovebeauty
- Other: Tik Tok: @alittlebitoflovebeauty