We were lucky to catch up with Shauna Sankey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shauna, thanks for joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I can remember the first market very clear. It was a nice summer morning, and I was nervous as hell. We rounded up a old tent and table and put some salsa out for display. As the market began, I recall myself talking through my decision to start a business with my husband and asking him if anyone would be coming to purchase also. Together, we both said a quick prayer and asked God to bring us just one customer and will do the rest and that’s just what He did that first day we nearly sold out, but it was enough sales to boost my confidence and ensure that BlackGirlSalsa would be back the next Saturday for the farmers market.

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

So hey guys, my name is Shauna I am the head chef/Salsa maker/owner/entrepreneur/all things BlackGirlSalsa. I started making salsa years ago, hosting parties at our house and providing this social snack for friends and family. When the pandemic hit, my work schedule was modified, and I found myself with some extra time so God put it on my heart to start a business.  I started out with two flavors and as you can see, we have grown to seven different flavors. We sell online and in person and have a grown to be able to reach customers in two different restaurants two different pubs/bars and one grocery store. Right now I am most proud of being able to maintain a BlackGirlSalsa LLC while still working a regular 9 to 5 job being a wife and a mother and entrepreneur is very difficult. I find myself thinking about business in times when I should be focusing on family and vice versa I believe that that may be the internal conflict that goes on with every wife and mother who is also an entrepreneur.
The thing is is that I really want to be successful in both areas of my life and I feel that I can definitely do it however, as all things in life are easy these this combination that I’ve chosen definitely isn’t easy. For example, being a salsa maker, you have to work in a commercial kitchen, so I plan my day after work heading to the kitchen to make salsa for an extra hour and a half to two hour shift after my regular eight hour day.
And don’t get me started about the social media and marketing aspect of entrepreneurship… Let’s just say I wasn’t ready for that. I understand why people hire social media directors because it’s totally a different aspect of the job that I was not prepared for. However, being a entrepreneur, I understand that until my business is large enough to hire HR social media directors, a permanent delivery person I and my family are all of those things.
This year my goals are consistency. I want to be able to be at the farmers market every Saturday whereas last year I was only there every other Saturday. Also last year I was fortunate enough to hire one employee, my first employee in this year I’m hoping to add another team member. This will allow me flexibility to spend more time with my family, while continuing to build the brand of BlackGirlSalsa.
In the future, I see BlackGirlSalsa as a household condiment some thing that you would get at the grocery store. I picture that BlackGirlSalsa will be sold in concession stands at the Denver nuggets games or even your local high school football games.
My next major step will be finalizing my trademark in December 2021 I filed paperwork with a USTOP to ensure that BlackGirlSalsa cannot be duplicated by anyone else and that I will be able to pass down an entity to my family, my children and my grandchildren so that they have a strong foundation financial foundation. Recently, I received word that my statement of use has been excepted and I am in the final stages of getting BlackGirlSalsa trademarked. So I’m looking forward to what that opportunity can bring and where it will take my business.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Have you ever walked into the mall and noticed how many different shoe stores there are have you ever walked through Walmart and looked on the counters and seen 50 different choices of bread? Having choices are one of our American right! We have the right to choose which items we’d like to purchase where we would like to go to school and who we want to buy salsa from. I’m saying all this to preface the hardest lesson that I’ve had to learn so far in my entrepreneurship journey is that choices don’t necessarily equal competition. I can’t lie the first time I pulled up to a market and there was another salsa vendor. It really shook me. I was concerned whether or not I would sell that day. I was concerned if my customers would switch over and not want to buy from me anymore what I didn’t realize is that your customer base is your customer base they choose from you because they like your products, and if they happen to buy, another salsa, doesn’t mean that they will never come back to purchase from you again. I’ve learned to be confident in the product that I sell and know that although my customers may purchase a different salsa at times, they’re always going to understand the main reason why they love BlackGirlSalsa we are keto, friendly, gluten, free, preservative free, no GMO’s and it’s made safely so that you can enjoy this product with your friends and family with no concerns.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

BlackGirlSalsa speaks for itself it’s a healthy product and most importantly it just tastes good. I think that consistency has helped build a solid reputation for my business like I said before there are hundreds of different types of sauces. However there are few and I are you to even say under 10 black owned companies that make salsa I feel like that my audience will maintain their relationship with BlackGirlSalsa, because they know where the ingredients come from as they are locally sourced, and they understand the purpose behind BlackGirlSalsa is not cultural appropriation, rather just exactly what America is made of. We are a melting pot, right I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where I was taught to cook Mexican dishes before I was taught to cook soul food. I just wanted to bring out a line of salsa that my family love my friends love and now you love!!

Contact Info:

• Website: Http:BlackGirlSalsa.company.site
• Instagram: @blackgirlsalsa
• Facebook: @Blackgirlsalsa
• Twitter: @blackgirlsalsa
• Other: TicTock @blackgirlsalsa Email: blackgirlsalsallc@gmail.com 719-357-8519