4 minute read
Joyce Adom – Simply Go Natural
SIMPLY GO NATURAL
By Feleshia Chandler Photography by Phebe Ajero - The Muse by Phebe Photography
“I started by just making things in the house for me and my household,” said Adom. After having trouble finding products that worked for her and her children’s skin and hair, she was inspired to make her own.
Photo contributed.
Turning a Personal Challenge into a Successful Business
For Ghanaian-Swedish mother and entrepreneur Joyce Adom, growing her company Simply Go Natural has been a long, tough, but rewarding journey. What started as a home project has over the years transformed into a business on its way to being in stores all over Canada. “I started by just making things in the house for me and my household,” said Adom. Adom says she had trouble finding products that worked for her and her children’s skin and hair so she was inspired to make her own. Adom decided to make organic oil and butter-based hair and skin products, primarily for kinky and curly hair, derived from things like jojoba, shea butter, avocado, and other vegetables. She also wanted to make her products non-toxic due to the fact that one of her two sons dealt with autism and often enjoyed eating her hair and skin products. “He was just tasting everything, for some reason he liked the toxic ones. I wasn’t really curious about what was in my products,” said Adom. “When he started eating them I became more conscious and it made me think I need to have an alternative for him.” Adom says her son also had asthma and eczema which made her desire to keep chemicals away from him even stronger. In 2016, Adom decided to try and sell her homemade products to others locally. “It was initially for my family and then I started going to the farmers’ market to test out selling it.” Little did Adom know, the farmers’ market would not only be her gateway into the entrepreneurial world but would be instrumental in catapulting her business forward. At the farmers’ market, she was discovered by CBC Halifax reporter Colleen Jones. Jones proceeded to interview her and publish a story about Adom’s products, something she says is one of the highlights of her entire entrepreneurial career so far. “It was a very beautiful experience because I was in the discovery stage trying to figure everything out,” said Adom. “At the time it was a passion, more like a hobby so when she featured me it gave me more confidence to know that my product really was more than what me and my family use.” Adom says since then the business has been growing and she has been able to attend numerous hair expos and gatherings to showcase her products. “Right now, we have the products in Sobeys,” said Adom. “We have [them in] 12 Sobeys now [including] most of the big Sobeys in Halifax and Dartmouth.” However, Adom says she faced some hardships along the way. “I’ve had a journey that most entrepreneurs face, especially Black, which is finance, no guidance, no mentorship. So, it made the journey longer,” said Adom. “It made it more painful, more frustrating.” Adom says in terms of leadership training and mentorship she has only gotten that recently. “I didn’t get what I needed at the start-up stage but right now I’m embracing the support that I’m able to get.” Adom also says her business, like many others, was hit hard during the pandemic.
“It was terrible. Nothing was happening,” said Adom. “No one was really even buying but by the end of [2020] I was able to get some online training. So, by the end of the year things started picking up again.” But Adom says she has since been able to recover and is working on getting her products into more retail stores across Canada. She is currently working on getting her products on shelves in New Glasgow. Adom says as of now she has no plans to open her own dedicated store because she plans on getting the products into grocery stores where they are more easily accessible to many people. “It’s more of the retail stores I’m reaching out to now too. We’re in Sobeys now, [so we want to] roll it out in all the Sobeys in all provinces in Canada.” “When I came here I realized in terms of Black businesses I couldn’t find many,” said Adom. “I feel like I want to keep going and be successful just to be a role model for others, to push through, to break down the wall so I’m pushing harder so that others too can follow.” Adom encourages entrepreneurs, especially ones of colour, to keep going despite the bumpy road they may face. “I encourage them to reach out, get involved, and tap into the resources being given to them.”
