We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Robinson and Alexius Coleman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor and Alexius, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

T&A GOLD originally started as Tay & Monet in 2018 which is the name of our Youtube channel. One day, me and Alexius were bored on the couch talking and decided to start a channel. Once we made it to 1,000 subscribers and were monetized , we wanted to take it a step further  by having a product for our subscribers to purchase.  First, we needed a name, Alexius used to always say “I think that’s Gold” at the end of our Youtube videos and I fell in love with the Gold part. The T&A stands for our names Taylor & Alexius.

We began promoting our 3D Mink Lash line at the beginning of our videos and blossomed from there. We named our audience “Goldies” to play off of our business name and started making our product packaging more fun for the audience as well. This included making our lemon lotion bars look like real lemons and our pink rose soap being molded into a rose shape.

The business then became a one stop shop for all our Goldie women by adding Sunglasses to the mix to reach an audience who does not like the hassle of wearing lashes. The business was growing on us and we wanted a more lucrative business in which is fixes a personal problem for us. We eliminated the sunglasses portion and switched over to Hydrating Skincare as we both fought with eczema breakouts throughout our life.

Now, T&A Gold, LLC was co-founded in 2020 by two cousins, Taylor & Alexius, who both struggle with combination skin, dry skin, and finding durable and stylish faux/mink eyelashes. T&A Gold is a small black-owned and woman-owned Beauty & Personal Care company that offers products “From the Shower to the Vanity.” After using our Whipped Sugar Scrub or Soap with your shower, you can then apply Lotion and then head to your vanity to apply your 3D Mink Lashes! The company focuses on creating both flawless features and hydrating dry skin with ingenuity, innovation, and analysis.

Sidenote: Our Youtube channel has now reached 5,080 subscribers and counting.

Taylor and Alexius, 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?

For a business to last, it needs to be driven by something you will always care about because in the beginning it is just you as the owner. Everyday you won’t want to be an entrepreneur, it is a hard lifestyle and not for everyone and that’s why you need a WHY.

BEAUTY is something that has and will be around for decades because it boosts self esteem/confidence for every generation of women along with various career fields. It is rare you will see someone without lashes for a special occasion or even careers such as talk show hosts, actress, etc. Along with us switching to Hydrating Skincare, we are not the only ones suffering from dry, cracked skin or eczema. These are our WHY’s that keep us going on the days that we don’t want to.

We provide Hydrating Skincare such as Whipped Sugar Body Scrubs, Whipped Body Butters, Soap, Facial Toners, Facial Serums, and Lotion Bars with the best hydration to keep dry and cracked skin to a minimum. We also provide Luxury Lashes for ones who search for durability in a lash, reusability to reduce waste, quality, and thick styles of all lengths to please each lifestyle of our customer.

All our Skincare products are handmade to ensure maximum hydration and individual care is put into each item our customer receives. We also take pride in our fun packaging such as lash boxes that mimic bars of gold, lemon lotion bars mimic lemons, pink rose soap mimics a rose. We also make sure to switch up our lash box after each batch is sold and we are now selling lashes out of a treasure chest to be more creative. We love to be creative and have fun as we have branched off to do fun skits to sell our products on social media sites to give our audience a breath of fresh air and not forcing products in their face.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Our personalities have attracted an audience , we aren’t our brand first but ourselves and we don’t lose sight of that. Once you get to know us, people then find out about us having a business but the personal connection comes first which builds a customer for life and if you’re lucky, maybe a friend as well.

We also try to attend monthly pop-up shops to reach new faces who WILL see us as a brand first and build connections while we have them at our table. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

We also make sure to hear out our customers when they offer constructive criticism, and it goes a long way when you hear your audience out. By all means you want to keep them satisfied but not to the extent where it jeopardizes the business so make sure to have discernment in all of what you hear and then consult with your team.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We started an email subscriber list for newsletters that allow customers to receive first dibs on sales, events, opportunities etc. An email list is also an alternative way to interact with customers outside of social media if anything were to happen. A strong business utilizes all platforms in various ways to stay afloat. It is also wise to start a rewards program which is a fun way for customers to WANT to spend money, rack up points and use them for discounted to free items later on. Incentives keep an audience returning, you will see this in almost every business chain.

We make our emails fun by using GIFs and using language that our target audience uses to keep that relationship personal. We also use a reward point program to allow customers to earn gold in order to receive free shipping, 50% OFF or dollars off any order. It’s a fun way to see your points rise and we love to see customers have fun with it.

Also, do not hesitate to start a brand ambassador program using your audience members. Keep them satisfied through personalized PR Kits, compensation, outings and build a personal connection with each one. These are some ways to establish a long term rapport and making sure your business makes it for the long haul.

Sidenote: Always remain relevant. and avoid staying comfortable and stuck in your ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ta-gold.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t.a_gold/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tagoldllc/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/t_agold
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/taymonet/c
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@t.a.gold

Image Credits
@imagekeepsake by John Fleming on instagram