The saying, ,"The Universe [God] Makes no Mistakes" was never a statement I took heed to until the birth of TSK.
At the time of it's birth, I was doing what I had always done: Make my own body butters in hopes of getting rid of my own scalp psoriasis, eczema and hives as I was in the midst of a major outbreak due to doctor prescribed pain medication after a terrible car accident.
I started making body butters when I was 19 years old for the same reason so I thought nothing of it as I tried again. This time I did something different and used different ingredients hoping for better results.
When I was 19 I used the typical combination of shea butter and coconut oil with a dash of this and a dash of that hoping that I would get the results everyone told me I would..... but I didn't. Instead I got a layer of oil on my skin that only helped to keep my skin flaky.
This time around, I tried something new and got rid of the shea butter and coconut oil altogether and put together a special 3 butter blend recipe that was free of coconut oil and packed it with essential oils to help with skin clarity and other things to help scarring and hyperpigmentation. The Kokum Meringue was born and after seeing my results, my mother asked to buy some then her friend, then soon people from all over the country were purchasing for their eczema or their kids dry skin or for their tattoos.
I thought it would stop there, but my curiosity grew to soap making and once I documented my journey of learning, this little business took over my life as I sought to become an expert at recipe development and herbalism so I could better serve my clients. If I was not good at marketing or simply didn't have the time or the free hands, I trusted that if my recipes served my clients the way it served me, the word would spread on its own.
And that's exactly what happened.
I soon found myself up all night and day writing hundreds of labels at a time, prepping orders for shipment, making more, and even sponsoring different events. From my very first batch of soap to about 2 years later my life had no chill to it and I had no time to even realize I had a whole business on my hands or to even organize and present it the way I wanted to.
I decided to take some time off (about a year) to take care of myself, deal with life's curveballs and center myself; and I believed that if this was something meant for me in any way, it would still be there once I snapped back to myself, recovered, and came back stronger and with new ideas.
Running a business that busy as a sole proprietor took its toll and coupled with other life events I knew that I needed a break. My creativity was gone, I had no interest or inspiration in what I was doing and I felt I could not deliver my best self or best product to my clients If I was not in the healthiest state of mind.
The biggest compliment during my break was how my customers and supporters continued to reach out. They continued to send orders to me even while my website was taken down and I was hard to find. They made sure they found me and that gave me the nudge to keep on going and to reach more people I could help with my knowledge and craftsmanship.
This is my outlet and therapy and I've grown to know so many different people across the country and heard so many stories through this little business so I don't feel it is my time to stop serving people through it.
My goal was to always bring natural medicine to households the best way I knew how and to continuously improve. I wanted to deliver it in such a way that children couldn't wait to use it, Adults couldn't wait to have it in their shower and guest rooms and as part of their skin care routine.
And although there are thousands of soap companies in this country, it's an honor to have clients who still choose me and continue to support me to the point of having the little things done like real labels now instead of carpal tunnel from writing hundreds per night. And smoother professionally crafted soaps rather than what I called "my crusty ones" from when I first started almost 4 years ago.
Without you all, this company wouldn't be here and would not be growing at all. It is all of you who are creating this company and keeping it in existence so just know you are definitely appreciated and it's an absolute pleasure to work for you.
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