Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy Alexander.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At the peak of my over a decade long, successful career in Engineering, Business and Management, I left it all behind, selling my home and all my belongings to embark on an 11-month 11-country mission to travel the world serving the most needy in Central America, Asia and Africa. I did hard construction at a women’s shelter in Honduras, worked with children in garbage dumps in Nicaragua, kissed the cheeks of disabled children in Guatemala, loved on the abandoned elderly in Costa Rica, taught English to poor children in Cambodia, fed children in the slums of The Philippines, taught orphans to dream big in the mountains of Swaziland and befriended those forced into sex trafficking in Thailand and The Philippines. It was my work with survivors of human trafficking in Asia that changed the trajectory of my life. I returned to the U.S. with a passion to help create opportunities and options for these survivors. I combined my heart to serve those in need, my knowledge and love for the health benefits nature affords us and my unapologetic drive for solutions that work, to create Apple Rose Beauty – An unparalleled natural and organic beauty company with a big heart. Named after two human trafficking victims I met, Apple Rose Beauty’s mission is to employ human trafficking survivors and donate to organizations involved in their rescue and rehabilitation.
Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, I have a Bachelor of Science degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Physics from North Carolina Central University and Masters degrees with Honors in Management Science and Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. I have appeared on the television programs “The Chat”, “River City Live”, “The Morning Show” and on the “But First, Brunch” and “Oh Maura Gale” podcasts. My products have been featured in Jacksonville Magazine and launched in The Market at Macy’s in Lenox Mall, Atlanta and Herald Square, New York City in 2019. I also serve on the board for the Jacksonville Chamber Foundation’s Jacksonville Women’s Business Center, am an ambassador for the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Coalition, was named the Jacksonville Chamber’s 2019 Small Business Leader of the Year for the Entrepreneurial Growth Division and am listed as one of the Jacksonville Business Journal’s 2019 40 under 40. As founder and Chief Big Heart at Apple Rose Beauty, I flourish at the intersection of nature, science and passion for big change in the world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I like to say that entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. My first six months in business were the hardest. I grappled with finding my niche and truly learning who my products serve. My first hundred customers taught me so much about who we were and who we were not. I truly learned the value of communicating with our customers and relying on their feedback in those early days and it’s something we continue to make a priority in our business to this day. One example is, after five months in business, it became clear that margins were not where they needed to be for us to stay in business. After communicating with our customer base, I made the decision to increase retail prices while focusing on providing increased value with improved packaging and upgraded product design that would appeal even more to our target consumers. My customers were excited and the transition was very well received. They taught me to see challenges/struggles as opportunities to learn, make necessary changes, pivot, grow and just plain get better so we can serve them better.
Apple Rose Beauty – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Apple Rose Beauty provides you with luxurious, natural and organic face care and beauty products that work for the most sensitive skin. Our products visibly alleviate tough skin issues such as oily skin, dry skin, acne, acne scars and signs of aging. Our unique formulations are crafted with the most potent, pure and premium natural, wildcrafted and certified organic ingredients sourced from around the globe. Named after two victims of human trafficking, our company has a big heart with a mission to employ human trafficking survivors and support organizations involved in their rescue and rehabilitation.
We are more than just a skincare company. We challenge and inspire world changers. We support, we speak life, we build-up, we restore and we celebrate and encourage the beauty in ourselves and others that is more than skin deep.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This year we’ve won several awards from being named a 2019 Jacksonville Chamber Small Business Leader of the Year for the Entrepreneurial Growth Division and being named in the 2019 Jacksonville Business Journal’s 40 under 40 to being one of the longest-running brands at the Market at Macy’s in Lenox Mall and winning a $10,000 grant, to continue the work we do with human trafficking survivors, from one of the oldest and largest women-run insurance company’s, Royal Neighbors of America. We have had many proud moments but the proudest ones for me this year are our now 100% survivor employee retention rate and the now over 200 5-star product reviews on our website. I truly see my business as an opportunity to serve my customers and employees and I feel really proud when we are able to do that well.
Pricing:
- Try any of our products for just $5.95 on our website.
- You can even purchase a trial kit of our most popular organic face care products for $10 and you’ll get a $10 voucher with your shipment that you can use on a future purchase.
- Until December 31st Voyage ATL readers can use the code “Voyage” to get 20% off any full-size product purchase.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.applerosebeauty.com
- Phone: 1-877-742-3727
- Email: customerservice@applerosebeauty.com
- Instagram: applerosebeauty
- Facebook: applerosebeauty
- Twitter: applerosebeauty
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwmWGNrPjUHmU9mvL4aIlCg
Image Credit:
Julie Ryan Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
