Meet Alexus Williams of Octave Beauty in Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexus Williams.

Alexus, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2016 my brother passed away unexpectedly while I was in Iowa during my freshman year of college. We are 22 years apart in age and he had severed mental disabilities, which made me a “big little sister” at a very young age. We were very close and losing him without saying goodbye was the hardest thing I had ever experienced. After his passing, I lost sight of myself and what I wanted to do with my life. I realized I need to find a passion. My mother was always big on taking care of our skin and feeling good. She would always say, “If you look good, you feel good.” This inspired me to do research on different skincare and beauty brands. I then started to play around with my own recipes.

Creating products from scratch has been very therapeutic for me and I realized I could turn my hobby into a business. My brother’s disabilities did not allow him to live a normal life, so I saw this opportunity as his way of telling me to take advantage of my passion and make something of it. I started making products for my family and friends and everyone loved them but I wasn’t selling them as often as I would have like$. Moving to Atlanta was the game changer I needed. Since moving, I have connected with so many creative people who have helped me expand my brand and have challenged me to continue to think outside the box. In the last year, Octave has hosted and been apart of local pop up shops, collaborated with local artist Ashley Rose for custom label designs, and featured on YouTube. We are still a work in progress but the future is very bright!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been bumpy, to say the least. I initially started my business in Maryland, so relocating all my inventory from Maryland to Atlanta was a struggle. Also, trying to find a team that I trust has been challenging as well. Octave is my baby and I am very protective of the people that I allow in my creative space. One challenge I think has been my biggest motivating force is continuing to cultivate new products, ideas, and content. I have learned I have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable in order for this business to be successful.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Octave Beauty – what should we know?
Octave Beauty Co. is a natural skincare brand that specializes in handcrafted products for all people. We utilize our platform to inform people of the importance of self-care and, most importantly, self-love. Our tag line is “Love You Like We Do, “which means that every customer who uses our products should love and value themselves just as much as we love and value-creating great products for them. Our products include body butter, face washes, masks, toners, and scrubs. We also have a men’s collection, which features a Beard Nutrition set as well as body butter and scrubs. I’m proud of our evolution thus far. Octave started as an idea in the back of my notebook and now it’s an actual business. I think Octave is different from other brands because all our products are different from the ingredients to the labels. I wanted to do this because I want the products to reflect us as people. We are all different and we all have different ingredients that makeup who we are. We were all made different from the inside out, just like our products.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity Family at Georgia State University has been a big part of my support system. My brothers always support me, no matter what. There are several people who have either helped me plan and execute events or have given me advice when I was sure what to do next. My parents have always supported anything that I do and continue to encourage my creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website: Octavebc.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @Octavebeautyco

Image Credit:
Photographer: @longlostgreg on IG

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