Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sunnetta Coleman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sunnetta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I love being my own boss, but I would be telling a tale if I said it wasn’t stressful. Everything from decisions, marketing, and strategies fall on you. I’m such an indecisive person where I often second, third, and even fourth guess my decisions. I think it would be so much easier just to work for a corporation where all the decisions are made for you and you just have to worry about execution and doing your job efficiently. I envy the fact that there is a constant paycheck with benefits. SECURITY! STABILITY! If you’re really dedicated you can scale up and promote faster. Climbing up that corporate ladder doesn’t sound too bad. But let’s be honest, even with all the perks, I still find a level of solace in being my boss. I absolutely love not being in disposable or expendable to a job. Being a business owner is hard, but with discipline and hard work, you can become successful. It’s not always happy, honestly it’s a whirlwind of emotions. You always won’t sellout, there a periods where you won’t get a sale for months. You might introduce a new product or service and it flops. There are times where you may even start comparing your business to other businesses in your field and their success, it’s human, just try not to fall down that rabbit hole. It can get very discouraging to the point you contemplate going back to the workforce just to make ends meet. My advice is to stay the course even through the struggle. There is beauty in the struggle. Remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint. Roadblocks are inevitable. Committing to a goal is difficult, but seeing progress is something we will never forget.

Sunnetta, 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 Sunnetta Coleman and I am the owner of The Coleman Collection. I sell handcrafted organic bath and body care products from body butters to soaps to beard balms and everything in between.

I adore skincare and initially took a liking into exploring and crafting my own skincare for personal use. My eldest daughter has dry skin and couldn’t find anything in the stores to address her concerns. I formulated a Shea butter mix specially for her that has helped bring moisture to her skin and keep it that way for long periods of time. After word got out, I had other family and friends ask for the same. My hobby and passion eventually turned into a business.

I create bath and body care products for all skin types no matter the age or sensitivities. You can trust that The Coleman Collection has something for you.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

You cannot live in your comfort zone and be a successful business owner. You have to network, attend farmer markets or trader shows, talk to strangers, form meaningful connections, and if you have a product based business— you have to remember you are a walking billboard.

With that being said, my products are in a barbershop here in town and in a holistic shop in Texas. I took a chance on myself and my business, because I genuinely believe in my products. Walking into local shops and offering free products is just a start, continue to follow up, be personable, ask for honest feedback, take constructive criticism, go back to the drawing board if needed, and repeat. You’ll get that big break, just stay the course and don’t lose sight of why you started in the first place.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Growing on social media can be tricky, especially with the constant changing of algorithms. It’s all in the visuals. Post and create aesthetically pleasing content. Instagram prioritizes reels made with trending sounds, and the same goes for TikTok. Utilize relevant hashtags as well, so even more strangers can find your content. Set aside a day a week and record multiple videos that you can post throughout the week instead of doing it daily, which can be very time consuming. I absolutely love Canva to create content. Canva has ready made templates that’s easy to use. Post reviews!! Potential customers enjoy to hear what real customers are saying about your products. Also, have customers post your products and their review on their page and shout you out. Word of mouth is especially important for product and service based businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecolemancollection.net
• Instagram: Instagram.com/thecolemancollection_
• Facebook: Facebook.com/thecolemancollectionco