Meet Leslie Vallery of Sweet On You Beauty in Snellville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Vallery.

Leslie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Initially, I started this business making hair care products for my daughter. After starting Kindergarten, she didn’t like her natural hair, specifically her puff. One weekend, I gave in and blow dried her hair and it was then I realized her hair was completely unhealthy.

After reading and researching good ingredients for healthy hair, I checked that against the ingredients in the products we were using. No wonder her hair was constantly dry and breaking

Little did I know, some of the same toxic ingredients were in the skin care products I was using. My oldest daughter has severe eczema and although there were products she had to use, it finally made sense why so many products were irritants to her skin.

As I started experimenting and noticing a difference in my daughter’s hair and skin, I felt proud and thought why not start a business.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This definitely has not been an easy road, but I wouldn’t change anything because it’s all been a learning experience.

Financially, there were things I wanted to be able to do right away but couldn’t afford it. Sales were very inconsistent at the beginning, which made me question myself. Starting a business is so much more than making something or having an idea to then selling. There’s inventory management, marketing, customer service, social media, taxes, etc.

It can be overwhelming, but if you love it and can’t stop thinking about it, it shouldn’t stop you.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
As Sweet On You started to evolve, I discovered my love is making the buttercream. I remember I woke up one morning at 2:30 am with the idea to create a Buttercream Bistro. A way to select a buttercream and customize it with scent.

So right now, I have 15 different buttercream bases all made with different ingredients. My buttercreams range from our signature Shea Buttercream made with 25% Shea butter to our Green Tea Cucumber made with organic matcha green tea, cucumber seed oil, and monoi butter to our latest Black Tea that we make with Black Tea, milk thistle, bamboo extract, and Calendula butter.

We have a Cranberry and Coffee base along with a Banana Smoothie buttercream made with 3 butter blend of Shea, Cocoa, and Tucuma kinds of butter.

Each base comes with a set of scents but you also have the option of choosing a few scents on the sweeter side.

I’m always trying new butter/oil combinations, but these buttercreams are also made with water and aloe Vera juice so it really is a rich cream that deeply moisturizing and nurturing to your skin.

For those who have a sweet tooth like me, I also have dessert inspired candles and bath products.

What was you like growing up?
I’ve always been an introvert, I find that part sometimes makes it difficult when starting and running my business because I’m not naturally outgoing.

I grew up and went to high school in Oakland, CA, and had a pretty normal childhood. I never had any broken bones or any real fights or anything.

By the time I started high school though, my parents actually moved out Oakland, so I had to commute by bus and BART which literally took me 2.5 hrs to get home every day to attend my high school. I think it was then I developed a love for reading books which I still try and make time to do now.

After high school, I attended Howard University and majored in Hotel Management. I wish I had a better idea of what I wanted to do back then to better take advantage of that opportunity. I have 2 daughters that are super creative and I try to nurture their creative spirit so the same thing doesn’t happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetonyoubeauty.com
• Email: hello@sweetonyoubeauty.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sweetonyouBB
• Facebook: facebook.com/sweetonyouBB
• Twitter: twitter.com/sweetonyouBB

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