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

Alright, Tatijana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

Yes I do! 10% of my sales is donated to a program called “Manna Market”. This program is actually a part of my church in Tallahassee called Divine Glory Ministries, Inc. and they help those in need. Some of the ways they do this is by providing food and clothing for those experiencing homelessness, volunteering at shelters, and recently they are in the process of sending clothes and school supplies to a community Jamaica.

The process I use to donate is simple. If a customer spends 50$ on my products, I donate 5%! If someone spends 1$ I donate 0.10 cents. If someone spends 100$ I donate 10$, and so on,

I chose this organization to donate to because I trust them and have worked with them for quite some time now. I know they have a heart for helping those in need and will use the resources given to them to do so!

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?

Temple Care Empire LLC. was originally birthed while I was laying on the floor in my apartment. I had no intentions of becoming a business owner and no real plans for my life. While laying on my bedroom carpet I heard God speak to me in a very gently voice,

“You should make soap”

Naturally I was baffled because I thought soap was something you buy at the store not make with your own two hands. And so began my journey into the soap making world. Along the way I made a lot of mistakes, and learned a lot of lessons, mainly about myself.

I have learned self-discipline, faith, integrity, communication skills and most importantly how to trust God!

There have been dry months of absolute nothingness and months when I couldn’t keep enough soap on the self because it was going to quickly. Through it all I have fallen in love with soap making, so much so that I only use my own product, and each soap I make is an extension of myself. Simple, yet effective.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I am a firm believer that if you treat people right they will come back. This means giving them a good product, a good deal, and a good experience. I try to make every transaction pleasant and timely, as well as being responsive to questions and communicative. Something that has really helped me with retention is running a monthly raffle for my costumers but being genuine about it. I appreciate the fact that they spent their hard earned money on my product, I appreciate the fact that they invested into my business and future, the raffle is an opportunity to invest back into them!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I had to sacrifice is the short answer, being a college student who does not come from money all I had was … all I had! I worked a full time job and of course had bills to pay. But where I saw a set back God helped me to see that I had more than most people, I just needed to handle it better. My Apostle at my church helped teach me how to budget, and I used the extra money from my job to fund my business, paying for the LLC registration, P.O. Box, materials and much more. It was a slow journey but with following instructions and faith I was more than able to reach my goals and make Temple Care Empire L.L.C. a reality!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.templecareempire.com
• Instagram: templecare__
• Other: Email: [email protected] Phone(text only) 7276335535