Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Ogechi Hermann.
Dr. Ogechi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story began a few years back, particularly last year when I started my business. I use Ogechi Ukoha (my maiden name) as my business name and @jelobeauty_biz as my social media (Instagram) handle. I am an educator on one hand and an entrepreneur on the other. I am originally from Nigeria, married with two kids. On arriving in the United States, for some or many reasons my skin and system was not adapting to the change and so I began to have really bad acne which would leave bad spots and marks on my face. Having always been very particular about my appearance and my looks, this gave I and my husband so much concern that we would just go out in the stores scouting and looking for any product that might have the potential of healing my skin or at least clearing the already existing spots/marks. While waiting on my “miracle” to happen, I thought I could just continue to cover my face with some good foundation. But sometimes, a girl just needs to be out and about without all the makeup, and I was not confident at all leaving the house bare-faced. At this point, I was starting to run out of my Mary Kay foundation which I brought from Nigeria and was in dire need of replacing it. I searched almost every store to no avail and then found out that you could only get Mary Kay products from independent beauty consultants.
So, I searched google and was asked to enter my zip code and voila! I found this lady who I gave a call. She was so full of energy and good vibes and offered to drive down to me to deliver the product. I was so ecstatic! Mind you, I did not have the slightest idea that Mary Kay had Skincare and all I wanted was my foundation to cover up my mess of a face (which by the way, would still not be as good-looking as I would want it to be.) So, on getting to me, she saw my face and she honestly asked me a question that caused me to think deeper; and then told me that she could help me achieve better skin with their skincare product which will start to show in as little as seven days. What!!!! Really!!! Basically, she made me understand that a great skin is the best foundation for any makeup. I jumped at her offer even though at that time, it was not in my budget at all (if you know what that means …hahaha). She left that day, came back later, delivered the product (Clearproof Acne System); and I started with the product, stayed consistent as she advised even through my doubts and impatience until results started to come through. From that time, I never looked back and of course, I became one of her preferred customers.
Fast forward to 2021 (last year), I was looking to grow a little more and expand my tentacles by starting a business. I had a lot of ideas in my bucket list but didn’t know which one to go with as I thought to myself “you have to start slow and then progress”. One of those days, I way having I chat with her, and I told her what was going through my mind; and she said, “how about a Mary Kay business?” I tried to push that thought away because I do not know many people and worst of all, I did not want to do a business where I have to be begging or bothering people to buy stuff. She told me about all the wonderful perks and plus I would be getting 50% off on all the products I usually bought from her straight from the mother company. And I went, “I think that’s it right there!” But on a deeper level, I thought to myself – this would be a great opportunity to give back for the good that was done for me and help other women who might be in the same situation as I was with whatever skin concern, they might be having. I told my husband about it, and he gave his blessings, and the rest is what we see today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh no! It definitely has not been a smooth road. There have been some struggles not just along the way but from the beginning. First, I struggled with the whole business thing and how it goes. It’s one thing to say how and what you are going to do, and it’s another ball game to be able to put it into motion. You don’t start a business and you are the only one that knows about it. You have to put it out there; advertise and announce your presence. Though my franchise with Mary Kay covers ecommerce and using social media, I did not know where to begin. So, I had to research a lot to know where my potential customers could come from. After my website was up and running, I began to go into the different social media hubs to create accounts. Little did I know that you have to place ads within these hubs/sites if you want to reach a larger audience and those require some money. All that brought the burnout and exhaustion feeling.
Like, what did I get myself into? But being a very resilient person by nature, I picked myself back up and encouraged myself to keep going. Trust me, it was a lot of learning and money spending. After passing this first hurdle, now, there was the issue of waiting for customers and orders to start coming in ….hahaha; at least so I would see the result of all the work I put in. I went ahead and did a virtual Open House via Zoom as I was advised and that kind of brought my first orders from my gracious guests. Some of their orders turned into reorders and some into referrals or even both and voila! I also struggled with the actual sales because like I said before, I do not want to come off as if I was begging or end up scaring people away from myself. So, the most I did was muster up the courage to hand out my business cards to friends as well as some people I ran into on a good note.
At this point, I had the burden of making sure that I really knew what I was doing and so I had to make it a duty to go on the company site to access materials that thought me more about the products and how to make running the business smarter and easier. As my clientele base grew, I needed to put more organization and create better space for my products and business in the form of a home office. Oh, I would not forget this ….haha, it took Jesus for me to have a non -restricted account on Instagram where I put up my pics to have the world see to believe that the account is real and that what I do is legit.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am an Independent Beauty Consultant operating under Mary Kay Inc. This means I am in business for myself with Mary Kay. I help people take care of their skin, enhance their beauty, and increase their self-confidence through simple consultation and through our products. I earn income mainly through the products I sell via my website (which runs 24/7) or physically. I specialize on skincare solutions, on-trend looks, foundation shade matching, age-fighting skincare, fragrance and body care, and gift giving. I host skincare and beauty parties where I offer and suggest products to party attendees as well as help with the application of products. I also recruit people who are interested in running their own business or rather having a beauty and skincare business of their own. I love this business because I am able to choose my own hours and work as much or as little as I want. Most of all it offers the best commission out there (50% of whatever you sell) while helping people take care of their lovely bodies and skin. It’s a win, win!
Brand-wise, Mary Kay is an undeniable top beauty brand that has stood the test of time for more than 50 years. It ranks top on the list of top global beauty companies. Our products are well researched and developed by top well-studied scientists. They are made with every type of skin in mind including sensitive skin. Being an educator, it comes very naturally for me to educate my customers on their concerns and the products that are suitable for their skin, as well as the products that will work for them. To this end, I offer virtual one-on-one consultation and personalized service that fits you. If you prefer to shop online only or order by e-mail or phone, the choice is yours. I’d love to help you with any or all of your beauty and skincare needs. Let’s talk!
“The most important mile in our business walk is the ‘extra mile,’ the one called service.” -Mary Kay Ash
My customers are so happy to have found me and I feel so blessed to be working with them – helping them achieve a healthy glowing skin and beauty.
Being an educator, it comes very naturally for me to educate my customers on their concerns and the products that are suitable for their skin, as well as the products that will work for them.
What’s next?
My future plan is to continue growing – reaching and serving more customers. Am looking forward to keeping getting better and better at it and possibly become a director.
Pricing:
- Best seller – Clearproof Acne System, $50
- Bestseller – Fragrance Free Shea hand Sanitizer, $8
- Bestseller – Ultimate Mascara, $16
- CC Cream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15, $22
- Timewise Day Cream SPF 30 Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, $34
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marykay.com/Ogeukoha,
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jelobeauty_biz
