Today we’d like to introduce you to LaVonndra Johnson.
LaVonndra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My professional background is in branding and I worked with fashion productions and magazines for many years here in Charlotte. I also worked behind the scenes with reality stars to include the likes of Peter Thomas and Cynthia Bailey of RHOA. I spearheaded media for their Charlotte operations and even the televised grand opening of Sports One in Charlotte. Later I began working with a variety of clients on their brands, both personal and product, but felt unfulfilled. I wanted to do for myself what I had done for so many others and decided to launch my skincare line in September 2017.
One of the key elements that I knew would make the brand stand out would be the packaging and design, as well as my desire to cater to women of color. I’m a collector of beautiful things and I began to take notice as I shopped the department stores that there weren’t many luxury skincare brands either owned by a woman of color nor marketing to this demographic of women who look like me. I wanted to create a line that would look beautiful on your vanity while achieving the desired results of beautiful, glowing skin.
Since launching, we’ve seen great results in cultivating this niche market and have been featured in several media outlets to include Elle, Essence, and BET. We will celebrate our 3rd year of business in September, and we’re working day by day to grow the brand and hope to have retail placement very soon.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. One year after I launched my brand, after I finally felt that the momentum was building, I became ill and ended up having two surgeries back to back. The first surgery was planned and went smoothly, but I developed a terrible infection a couple of months later and had to have a second emergency surgery. It was a devastating blow. I had worked so hard traveling between GA, NY and LA to promote my brand to hit this wall and be confined to bed rest to heal for a couple of months.
I became depressed laying in my room each day and night and had to look to my family for support and to help care for me during this time. It took many months for me to heal physically and psychologically from the surgeries, and even longer to recoup financially, but I made it. I later was able to see it as a time of reflection, a time to learn more about myself as well as a time to learn a lot about others (learning who your true friends are).
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My brand, Elle Johnson Co., specializes in botanical (plant) based luxury skincare designed for women of color. Our approach to skincare is first on education of your skin and skin type so that you can better understand how products will or will not work. When shopping our bundles, at the time of product selection, you’re asked to select your skin type to ensure the correct formulation is sent. We offer products for normal, dry, combination and oily skin types to ensure the needs of all customers are met.
What distinguishes us from many other brands is that we offer a luxury product to a market that traditionally isn’t considered in the marketing of major brands. Most luxury brands do not cater to women of color, although it’s our purchasing power that keeps those brands afloat. Our customers enjoy seeing beautiful brown faces in our campaigns and ads and feel empowered by them.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’m still here. It’s a tough industry, especially when you’re trying to carve out a niche. During my tenure within the industry, I’ve already seen brands come and go, so to still be here, and to be continually growing is a blessing. Another ah-ha moment for me was Allstar weekend 2019, held in my hometown of Charlotte when we had six billboards for our spring campaign. It was magical to see the hard work manifest into such a huge display throughout the city and to have so many people see it and tag us in their photos.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was quiet and reserved and always kept a book or notebook in my hand. I’m still that way, but being an entrepreneur has made me more vocal. I read a lot as a kid, sometimes a book a day, even the encyclopedia. My parents are pastors, so I was in church ALL the time, so that was a big part of my life. I wasn’t always a fan of being in church so much, but it truly helped to shape me and even develop me from a leadership perspective. I always had to say speeches or sing in the choir, so I’ve never had any shyness when it comes to speaking and standing out front.
In high school, I was very active in school academically and socially. I was the captain of the Colorguard and dance team junior and senior year, on the step team, and enrolled in college courses. I never knew the exact profession that I wanted to have, but I knew it would be in business. But never did I think I’d end up owning my own business.
Pricing:
- Individual pricing starts at $19.50
- Bundles start at $38
- Our discovery (sample) pack starts at $16
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ellejohnson.co
- Phone: 980-404-9797
- Email: info@ellejohnson.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellejohnson.co
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellejohnson.co
Image Credit:
GBurkeImages
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