Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Hammond.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I lost both of my parents at the tender age of nine years old, this is how it came to be that my sister would raise me. At the time, she didn’t know she would not only become my mother, but also my best friend, and mentor all in one, at the young age of 20. With that being said, it caused me to grow up fast and not just grow but mature fast. I had to be a help to my sister because the last thing I wanted to do was be a burden on her, I was told her friends told her to send me to foster care because she was so young but my sister refused to knowing our mother specifically told her on her dying bed for us to stick together no matter what. Fast forward one year later, my little niece was born and I became not only an Auntie but a big sister and a role model to my baby niece this catapulted me into given that big sister advice with no judgment but simply love because we were only eleven years apart. This is when I discovered I had a connection to young girl’s being able to Express themselves to me and get advice from me with true love and compassion in my heart and once again no judgment because I was once not long ago that little girl.
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?
When it’s something you love to do, it’s never a smooth ride ever. The best advice that I can give a girl starting her business is to truly do it because you love doing it, don’t do it because someone told you to do it or because you feel like you need to do it or because your family wanted you to do it, do it simply because you honestly love what you do, once you discover that it’s something that you love to do, any obstacle that comes your way is not truly an obstacle because you can get over that hurdle. I’ve had people tell me that I was crazy for starting a non-profit, you can’t make money from that, people won’t believe in you. Why are you giving so much time to this cause? I tell girls who go through this that people who don’t believe in you is fine, as long as you believe in yourself-you can never fail. Always remember your intention of why you started what you started and always go back to that when you get that no, when you get that door that shuts in your face or when you get you’ll never make it, always go back to the original intention and from there, you’ll get through it.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Essence Of Beauty Mentorship story. Tell us more about it.
I am a philanthropist, what I do is touch the lives of not only girls but women. I try to touch lives through my story, through what I’ve been through and I work on saving the youth from going through what I’ve been through, growing up in poverty and not having my parents. I work on mentoring through the gifts of each individual, young or old each one of us has a gift, and that’s what I learned through my journey called life. I didn’t know that at first, growing up. I wasn’t told I would be a statistic because of where I came from. I want smart enough, light enough, tall enough, and the list goes on. The essence of beauty’s brand stands for truly finding the essence of each person’s beauty because each and every one of us has beauty within us, we just have to discover it tap into it, embrace it, then bless the world with it. Because that’s what the circle of life truly is all about.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Be consistent, if it was any kind of advice that I can give a girl starting her own career is to continuously be consistent and don’t give up on yourself even when it gets rough, if you have to take a break, if you have to breathe for a moment, but always go back and stay consistent and never forget what your intention was when you first started.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3300 Memorial Dr. Decatur, Ga (Classes and workshops are every other Sunday 2-4pm)
- Phone: 4044381319
- Email: essenceofbeauty80@gmail.com
- Instagram: Essenceofbeauty2018
- Facebook: Essence of Beauty Mentorship
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
