Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica King. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Erica King, a 39-year-old New Orleans native embarked on her entrepreneurship journey June 29, 2020. She founded KEE Essential Beauty along with her two daughters Erian & Kayla, amid the pandemic. Prior to her beauty industry debut, she worked as a Sr. executive managing multimillion-dollar hotels. She always had a passion for the beauty industry but had no idea how far she would take it. Her mission was to focus on skin and make products for everyone no matter what ethnicity or gender. KEE Essential Beauty core values focus on highlighting the beauty in diversity and recognizing all shades are beautiful. Since the launch, Erica has worked nonstop to bring the beauty brand to the forefront, from launching on Amazon and Walmart to partnering with Macy’s. Even though she has had great success with her beauty brand, she has not forgotten her hospitality roots and has been able to partner with Holiday Inn Hotels with placing her make-up wipes in the guest rooms and gift shops. She believes in giving back to her community and mentoring the next generation to become entrepreneurs. KEE Essential Beauty continues to grow and the hope for the future is to build a long-lasting, sustainable brand that will be the legacy for her family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our journey has not been easy, we faced several challenges from marketing to bringing on team members who didn’t have our best interest. My advice would be to make sure you align yourself with people who are passionate about building your brand just as much as you are. It may be hard to find, but there are people out there who are loyal and hard workers, you just have to really search for them.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I am devoting 100% to my brand. My former career was in the hospitality industry so I used the same skill sets that I learned to apply them to my business. I review financials monthly, I inventory monthly, and I pitch the brand daily to investors and other retailers to grow the brand. I’m very proud of where we are today, it is a true testimony of the hard work that has been put in. I believe my hospitality background sets me apart from others, we strive to remove the negative connotations about black businesses having bad customer service. We aim to please every customer by making it an experience from the sale to the checkout, and then after the follow-up so we can retain the customer.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My family always makes me happy. Knowing that I am building a legacy for my family fuels my fire. I have a different type of happiness now, knowing that what I am doing today will have a major impact on their lives and that we can solidify our place in such a large industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.keeessential.com
- Instagram: Kee_essential
- Facebook: Keeeessential
- Youtube: KEE Essential Beauty
Image Credits
MUA: Brittany Jones
Agency: Miles Modeling Agency
Studio: SoHouston Studios
Hair: Boujie Blvd.
