Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Williams.
Hi Denise, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey started at my birthplace on the beautiful island of St. Croix U.S Virgin Islands. When I was in school my interest peaked when it was time to create art. As I entered the workforce one of the first jobs I had was at a small business. After about a year the manager started teaching me some of the responsibilities she had. Not really thinking about entrepreneurship then I realize now that the skills I was taught, such as running & operating the store by myself led me to look beyond being the employee. I was given the opportunity to be in charge at age 16. My husband and I got married fairly young and we also had a daughter. We moved to Georgia to start our new adventure with his military career. I started working part time in retail. When we eventually moved to Texas retail & banking were jobs that I’ve done. I designed and sold gift baskets off and on during Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and other special occasions. As you can see while working my creativity was still lit. My gift baskets were requested throughout the year as well. The very last company that I worked for, I was the manager in the cosmetics and accessories department. I learned so much about cosmetics and the beauty industry while working there. All of the training that they offered me I took advantage of. In 2012 my husband and I was having a discussion about what’s next. He was retiring, my daughter was graduating high school and I was ready to retire retail so I started doing research & educated myself more on building a brand. My husband was just as excited as I was and encouraged me to create my own products. He started assisting me with the creations of the signature fragrances for my products. We tested so many combinations of scents until we got the perfect formula that matched the tropical vibes. My daughter has always been a huge help with the growth of my brand. She has been a model, a brand ambassador and has assisted me with so many events that I’ve hosted. By the end of 2012, Island Kissez was operational and has been serving & expanding ever since.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In business, we have to expect obstacles & struggles. To get to the ultimate goal those obstacles are worth it for me. As stated before, when I first started my business I was working as a manager at a retail store. I was so eager to get to my dream, I would get off of work and be up until three, four or five in the morning working on & building my brand. Meanwhile, I had to be up in a few hours to take my daughter to school, go to work, be professional, run my departments, deal with employees & customers, have a great attitude. I had to repeat this process for a while until I was satisfied with pursuing my dream full-time.
My final products are seen when purchases are made online or seen in person at events. However, there are processes that require a whole lot of trial and error in my laboratory before the final products are presented to the public. So much knowledge have to be applied to create quality products.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create body products that are created with high-quality ingredients. Because I am an island girl I specialize with working with fragrances that are reminiscent of the fragrances & feeling of being in the tropics. My major products are body butters, body scrubs & beauty bars (soaps). I create other custom body products as well. What I’m most proud of is that I was able to accomplish a major goal of creating a brand that reached so many people all over the world. In 2017 I added head wraps to my brand. Adding the wraps was like adding icing to my brand because they are such a big part of my culture. I create events that I call “Wrap Parties”. I’ve hosted my wrap parties in numerous cities across the U.S. and in St. Croix where I’m from. When I host these events it brings so many women together & this makes me happy. We get to have so much fun creating different styles and discussing the history of head wrapping. My brand is set apart from others because I’m not only creating & selling products I create experiences to educate and create bonds with my clients. By creating these bonds I feel like we’re creating a safe space by making a special contribution to positivity and peace in the world.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love reading Acts Of Faith, Daily Meditations by Iyanla Vanzant. When you feel like you can’t these daily meditations gives you the power to can. Listening to Michele Obama’s podcast was quite empowering and gave a lot of insight. I enjoy listening to podcasts with black women sharing their stories that help teach and uplift one another.
Contact Info:
- Email: islandkissez@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/islandkissez
- Facebook: facebook.com/islandkissez
- Twitter: twitter.com/islandkissez
- Youtube: Island Kissez
