Today we’d like to introduce you to Shayla Ansah.
Shayla, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
This all started from a night of online shopping looking for jewerly for my 13 year old daughter. I was planning to start a charm bracelet for her and as I searched for more ethinic options, I quickly saw that there were not many companies highlighting the beauty of black and african cultures. When looking at one company in particular (that is well known for charm bracelets), I noticed there were not any charms that resembled or represented my daughter. I am not saying there was nothing out there but I wanted something that was of good quality but more importantly something that proudly represented her. So I went searching and couldn’t find anything that felt right. For instance, I found several Nefertiti pieces and of course, I want my children to know and appreciate our history, but honestly my daughter wouldn’t be able to fully relate or identify to a Nefertiti image and I wanted something that she could identify with. Needless to say, not finding jewelry for her was very upsetting to me and it showed all over my face. Which is why my husband asked me “what was wrong?” I explained to him that this was really bothering me and nonchalantly he said ” you should just create your own”. So now at this point, I’m even more upset because my first thought was “that’s your solution?”! It just wasn’t the answer I was looking for. However, I allowed that simple yet powerful statement to sit in my spirit. After a few days, I realized he was right and that’s EXACTLY what I needed to do. So I began to put in the work. I took an old picture of my daughter from when she was about 8yrs old and had it made into a face silhouette (with tweaks) and then made into a necklace. The “Maddie” was my first sample I had created and I absolutely loved it and that was the birth of Shayla Ansah Collection.
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?
Surprisingly, it has been relatively smooth because having an amazing support system is what makes thing possible. I guess when I think about it, finding a vendor that could bring my vision to life was my biggest obstacle. I went through several vendors until I found one that gave me the quality and design I wanted. A lot of my startup money went towards the design phase because I went through a lot of vendors and sample pieces until I was satisfied. Shayla Ansah Collection is an organic and authentic startup and honestly, I know there will be hurdles as we move forward. For example one of the challenges that’s expected to come with being a new businesses owner is that others will try and copy or steal your ideas. Making sure I protect my brand is so important to me. I custom designed and hand-picked all of the pieces in the collection and plan to copyright them. Each piece has SAC engraved into the jewerly to make sure people know they have the real thing! My advise to anyone starting out in a similar business is to do the same and try and design everything on your own and copyright everything! I know the “copycats” will come but that is just inevitable. Until then, I’ll prepare for ways to protect my business.
Tell us more about the business.
Shayla Ansah Collection shows the beauty of black culture in the form of unique jewelry pieces. The full collection is 18k PVD gold plated (PVD; extra plating method for longevity), hypoallergenic jewelry. We have silhouettes images with black features and statement pieces that represent my culture. My logo is actually an ancient Adinkra symbol from Ghana, West Africa called Bese Saka. Bese Saka is a symbol of affluence, power, abundance, plenty, togetherness and unity. So it’s not just a pretty flower. More unity and representation are truly what I hope to bring through this jewelry. What sets us apart from others, is that we are making modern quality jewelry for a race of people that are consistently underrepresented. And It’s only the beginning!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Umm… not really a “good or bad luck” type of person. However, the universe, my ancestors, and above all God has definitely shown me favor. Interesting story, my maiden name is Jackson but once I married my husband, whose parents are from Ghana, my name changed to Ansah. Now there are quite a few of Shayla Jacksons in the world, however, there is only one Shayla Ansah (pretty sure) and I love my name. I remember telling my husband how pretty I thought my “new” name was, which was one of the reasons why I name my company after myself. Also, with my logo having such an important message and it being an ancient Ghanaian symbol, it was like it all fell into place so effortlessly. So, no, not luck but most definitely fate!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shaylaansahcollection.com
- Email: info@shaylaansahcollection.com
- Instagram: shaylaansahcollection
- Facebook: shaylaansahcollection
- Twitter: ShayAnsahColl
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