Slay Your Look, Not The Planet

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in hair care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Adria Marshall, Founder & CEO of Ecoslay, located in Clarkston, GA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Ecoslay creates handmade-to-order, sustainably packaged, plant-based products from textured hair, from wavy, curly, coily to kinky.

Tell us about yourself

I created Ecoslay by accident. When I decided to ditch my hair relaxer years ago, I was unable to find products that worked well for my hair type. I became what they call a "product junkie" because I nearly tried every product on the shelf! Over time, I learned to turn the bottle around and look at the ingredients (listed by volume) to see which ones worked best for me – this yielded two surprises: 1) Products with more plant-based ingredients seemed to work best, 2) There were a lot of less-than-stellar and filler ingredients in products. When I discovered that I could easily purchase ingredients for my products from my local farmers market (shout out to Your Dekalb Farmers Market), the rest was history.

I created my 'Orange Marmalade' product in late 2018, and it almost immediately went viral. A few years later, I had a staff of four, still mixing concoctions in my kitchen (my house and stress level were a complete mess at this point), and now we're a crew of nine in our own location. We have 12 products available on our online store and are in over 100 retailers worldwide. Having a strong vision has enabled us to constantly innovate– in the summer of 2021, we ditched our plastic bottles in favor of refillable mason jars and recyclable pouches. We also have a partnership in the works with a local black-owned farm so that we can ensure that the best ingredients go into our products while supporting our community.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I'm most proud of my incredible Ecoslay staff. When I was part of Corporate America, I was a Project Manager specializing in team-building. It's been amazing to use these skills in my own business, curating a team of 10 individuals that share the passion we call "The Ecoslay Way."

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

In 2019, I was fortunate enough to be able to leave my 9-5 in Corporate America and work at Ecoslay full-time. Although this is absolutely incredible, it brings with it a tremendous amount of stress, especially since I'm the breadwinner in the family. Attending to my mental health, supported by meditation, diet, exercise, and self-care has been a difficult but critical part of my entrepreneurial journey.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Put your self-care on your to-do list.
Speaking of a to-do list, keep one! I love Passion Planners and have been using them since my business flourished in 2019.
Make your passion your business, and then it won't feel like work.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.ecoslay.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecoslay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoslay/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ecoslay
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecoslay/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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