In 2016, after about four years of working with LA County, I started to realize I had to prioritize my own growth and development, rather than that of the company. I didn’t see myself working a mundane office job for the rest of my life, so I quit to pursue my undergraduate degree at UCLA. I knew I had to figure something out, but at that time I didn’t know exactly what that would be. Little did I know the answer would come to me two years later.

My introduction to natural health and beauty began as I journeyed to heal myself naturally from the inside out. I’d gotten sick after a couple of international trips and herbs were my saving grace and healed me when antibiotics failed. As a teenager and in my early twenties, I struggled with acne and eczema. For my skin, when I started looking for chemical-free products, I was led to the holy grail for naturalistas: black soap and shea butter. They actually worked wonders on my skin and I haven’t been without them since.

Natural Nana is a holistic health and beauty brand committed to using ancient African botanicals to nurture the body. We specialize in 100% natural handcrafted self-care essentials gentle enough for various every day uses. Natural Nana is all about toxic-free natural alternatives but we’re also keen on making a social impact. We do this by supporting Pan-African producers (mostly women) and grassroots education projects like Help Educate the African Child (@_HETACFoundation). Most recently we teamed up with Little Tokens Foundation (@LittleTokensFoundation) to help with their library building project in Ada, Ghana. 

I started Natural Nana in 2018 as a self-taught solopreneur bootstrapping a home-based business in Fontana, CA with only two products. Within two years I since worked up to eight products with one local worker, two remote workers in Ghana and imports coming from Ghana and Jamaica. Initially, it was challenging doing something I’ve never done before, never had any guidance or training in and no one to ask questions to. I started with very little knowledge of running a business and I realized if I wanted to grow, I had to get help. I was able to overcome my challenges by simply doing research and utilizing the resources in my network which was basically getting help from family and friends. This definitely helped push me in the direction towards progress and growth. Essentially, I am where I am today because of the support from my network, my willingness to learn and my undying commitment to the cause.