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

TONI, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I’m a mother of 4 beautiful boys, and we all have natural hair. Being a product junkie, I consistently bought different products I thought would work well with our natural hair. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any products that promote healthy, moisturized hair without all the artificial junk added to it. I decided to cultivate something all natural that we could use on our hair. I researched and made us guinea pigs to find the best natural product we could all benefit from. After some trial and error, I created a 2 step process that worked wonders on all of our hair, HYDRATE & EMOLLIENT. This 2 step process I use on our locs and our natural hair. After about a year of using it, I had an epiphany to share these products with the world. There are many good products on the market right now; however, majority of them contain some ingredients that are just not healthy for our bodies. My ultimate goal is to provide the hair industry with products that are completely VEGAN, ORGANIC, 100% NATURAL, and SUSTAINABLE. Figuring out the legalities and proper paper work needed to move forward was the easy part. It was the year of using the product and watching our hair flourish that sealed the deal. Since I’ve branded the business, I’ve cultivated 2 more products, REVIVE, and NUTURE. The best part about these products is they can be used from head to toe. In addition, I’ve added some ethically sourced handmade jewelry from India to give my customers some variety when shopping with me. KNOTTI wasn’t a dream or a thought, it was a creation based off the needs of my family’s hair.

TONI, 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?

My name is Toni, I’m a wife, mother, and I’m 41 years young. I’m a Philly native and spent my teenage years in South Jersey. Before Covid, I had a dream job in Pharmacy for 16 years. It was the best job anyone could ask for! The month before the world shut down, I was laid off and stuck in my home for almost a year. It was then, I realized, it’s time to get my bachelors degree and live my dream. I graduated from Chestnut Hill College with a Bachelor’s is Early Childhood Studies in May 2022. My love for children is what drives me daily. As I work toward my dream of having a facility for homeschooled students to socialize, I’m a stay at home mom and I love being home with and for my children.

Being a mother of 4 boys is the most rewarding career I’ve ever had. I dedicate my life to them and who they are. My first thought when creating KNOTTI was no matter what, I know these products work for us. I believe everyone deserves their appearance to speak volumes, which starts with our hair and face. I didn’t want to keep wasting money on products that would harm us and demote our appearance. Therefore, when cultivating this unique recipe, I had a few fails that quickly turned into the perfect recipe for flourishing. I’m proud of myself for keeping my product ingredients CLEAN. I’m proud to say that not only do I hand make these but we also use all of the products, and they WORK!

KNOTTI is black woman owned and operated, and I stand firm behind my creation.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

At the start of KNOTTI, I was not working. I had a little bit of savings, less than $300. I spent the last year buying all kinds of ingredients to create the best recipe for our hair. When I finally found the perfect recipe, I was surely out of money to do anything more. I was a full time student at Chestnut Hill College and received a refund from financial aid. I took that money and applied for my LLC, then I purchased all the supplies needed to bottle and package my products. Considering, I’m a small business and everything is made to order, I let the orders placed pay for the supplies. So far, I have not seen any profits and that’s ok because I’m just getting started. The world getting to know about KNOTTI is my top priority, profit is secondary.

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

I’ve found that word of mouth and passing out business cards whenever I can has been most effective in growing my clientele. I have many customers that are regulars; they have seen tremendous benefits in their hair and body. Those same clients also help spread the word. I’m so grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.knotti.one
• Instagram: 1_knotti