A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION CHAMPIONING OUR LOCAL WOMEN IN BUSINESS. PHOTOGRAPY BY JESSICA WHITLEY.

Eden’s Essentials LLC
Founder
PO Box 27202 Macon, GA 31221
478-254-0484
1stgarden@edensessentialsllc.com
edensessentialsllc.com

WHAT IS YOUR MISSION AND HOW HAS THAT SHIFTED BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

To provide natural and organic skincare products that support and maintain overall healthy skin. We aim to focus on uniqueness, affordability and to provide excellent customer service. I actually launched my business during the pandemic. I had been working on different products and told myself that now was the time. It was such an uncertain time, and really still is, but I was allotted the much-needed time to work from home so I gave myself a push and launched on Nov. 31.

Your advice for women wanting to start their own business in Macon?

As women, I think that we tend to overthink things and put everything and everyone before us, so I would say prioritize yourself by investing more time in yourself and your goals.

I admire women who:

Radiate from within. We often recognize the facade that women put on to “save face,” but it really warms my heart to see women who have faced adverse situations and have taken that adversity and planted it as seeds so they later become beautiful blossomed flowers!

Looking back, I wish I had known:

That all it took was for me to believe in myself and move forward regardless of what was going on around me.

How do you define success?

I think success is defined individualistically. Success, to me, is someone setting goals around matters that are important to them and then making the necessary steps to achieve those goals. Success can be achieved at every step along the way.

What are you most excited about right now in our community?

I am most excited about young African-American entrepreneurship and the growing support that I continuously see among us!

You might be surprised that:

I gained the idea of my business during a work-related conference I attended in 2019. At the resort, there were dishes in the bathroom that contained salt scrubs to use while washing your hands and I loved the way it made my hands feel. I thought to myself that I could do something like this and began to research handmade, natural products.

What is the most gratifying part of your job?

When I receive feedback from customers who I do not know or when I receive referrals from those who I do know!

What has been the most challenging part of being a female business owner?

The most challenging part for me is finding the time to achieve a level of excellence in my business while making sure my presence is present at home. Being able to balance home life, working a full-time job and trying to promote and push my business in the way that I desire, I feel is a challenge for many women in business, but planning and managing your time well helps out a great deal!

What was the best business advice you ever received?

“Narrow your focus to one idea at a time and get started.” – Dominique Johnson, pastor of Kingdom Life and president of The Urban CEO

I hope more women will:

Get to know their true selves and enjoy what makes them happy.

How can women better support each other?

View each other as collaborators rather than competitors, compliment one another rather than criticize.

How can men better support women in business?

Be advocates! If there is a service or product that can be beneficial to them, try it out and spread the word.