We had the good fortune of connecting with Ja’Andra Imani Wheeler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ja’Andra Imani, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When I think of risks and taking them, I typically just “feel the fear and do it anyway”. Initially, I took risks in life because I had to, going out on a limb because I had no plan B, my plan A had to work. I began providing for myself early on, I was hungry for so much, so early on in life. I recognized that my desires were different from my peers and even some of my closest friends. I wanted to express myself and share my creativity with the world, but, I somehow always found myself conforming to the environment that I was in, wanting to be accepted and not judged. I wanted to be cool in high school, I wanted to be professional in college, I wanted to excel in academia in my post-grad years, but, this was how I felt I needed to be, not necessarily who I truly was. It wasn’t until I entered my 20’s that I started to adopt that risk-by-force attitude and made it a risk-by-choice attitude. It took a lot of self-work and reflection, a few failures and quite a few deep conversations with those who are close to me before I recognized the power in being a risk-taker. I was working for the U.S. Government, in a very small research role, while working on my Masters’ degree in African Studies & Research at Howard U and my life mostly revolved around academics and research. I was knowledgeable, so, the job was easy, but, it was not fulfilling. In 2017, I began working on Imani and Sankofa, my skincare business. Initially, I was working on it during lunch breaks at the job and when I got home from work. Testing skincare recipes, shipping out samples, creating a website and taking product photos were all tasks I’d complete after work. During my first 3-4 months, I made about $12,000.00 and I quit my job with the U.S. Government– risky. I left a decent and dependable salary and started working on Imani and Sankofa full-time. As the demand increased, naturally, it began to take more of my time away from school, and after my first semester, I left Howard. Initially, I felt the fear, but, I did it anyway and I began to feel a sense of freedom. I felt that I could be myself and express myself through my creations, by sharing my genuine creations with the world. Obviously, I don’t recommend quitting your full-time job to focus on a business with three months of success, because it was not all sunshine and rainbows in the following years, but, I can say that I don’t regret my personal decision to take that risk. I take risks and find the beauty in the outcome, that’s what works for me.

What should our readers know about your business?
In 2017, I created my cosmetics business: Imani and Sankofa. The previous year, I’d traveled to Ghana, West Africa for academic research and discovered quite a few ingredients that were helping my acne-prone skin. I was using Moroccan Red Clay, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and drinking Hibiscus tea and my skin was more clear than it had ever been. I knew that much of it could be attributed to the farm-to-table diet I’d acquired while abroad, but, I saw a big improvement in the tone and texture of my skin which I could attribute to the natural butters and herbs that I was using. When I returned to the U.S., I also returned to my normal diet and chemical-ridden skincare regime and my skin immediately started to get worse. I had quite a bit of D.I.Y experience, so, I started to do research on how to use the West African inspired ingredients more conveniently on a daily basis… this birthed the first three products of my Original Sankofa Collection products: Moroccan Red Clay Cleanser, Aloe + Rose Toner and Hibiscus + Black Seed Oil Serum. I sent samples to all of my homegirls and asked for their honest opinions– once I received positive feedback, I knew that I’d found something that could help women like me, who struggle with acne and skin insecurities. I made the risky decision to quit my full-time job and focus on Imani and Sankofa, which, at the time, was a very risky financial decision to make. I began to experiment with soap making, handwhipped body butters, bath bombs and more. All of my recipes were researched, tested and perfected by myself, which led me into cosmetic chemistry and product development. Today, I not only have a successful skincare business, I also help other women to curate and build skincare/cosmetic businesses by helping to create unique formulas for their products. Before the success, I experienced quite a few setbacks: losing all of my inventory, suffering from depression and anxiety, not making enough money, losing money, the loss of a parent, moving from city to city, etc.. but, I was able to overcome those challenges because of my customers. My customers who remind me that their skin depends on my products, customers who tell me that my products have changed their life and customers who truly appreciate all of the hard work that goes into this. On this journey, I have learned that a business is only as strong as it’s owner, so, while I’ve always been extremely creative, I have not always been so business savvy. I didn’t know much about finances, checks and balances, accounting or bookkeeping, but, to become a better business owner, I had to take the time to learn these things and I had to learn to trust others to help me with these things as well. Everyday is a challenge, but, I truly love and believe in the products that I have created and have plans to expand continue growing as a black-woman owned vegan skincare companies. There are a lot of skincare companies, there are even a lot of vegan skincare companies, and I commend them all, but, I believe that Imani and Sankofa stands apart because we embody “real skincare for real people”. We don’t follow trends or focus on what will bring in the most money, we create products with real skincare issues in mind and tailor them so that real people everywhere can benefit from them. We use quality ingredients, create in small batches and we make all of our items by hand. Today, I am creating many different, unique skincare products, from vegan soap bars to body butters.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So, Atlanta is known for a few things, culturally speaking: a quality, turnt up brunch at a black owned restaurant, an Atlanta artist’s concert (if you can catch one*), a strip club (if you’re into it) and something active of course, like hiking Stone Mountain, biking the ATL BeltLine or strolling through Piedmont Park. For a quality, brunch at a black-owned restaurant, I would definitely take a visiting homegirl or homeboy to Nana’s Chicken & Waffles or Roc South Cuisine or Escobar or Boogalou Lounge or… the list goes on. Thankfully, Atlanta is full of places that serve great food and have great vibes. There’s nothin’ like an Atlanta brunch. If possible, I’d take them to a concert: think like, Migos, Lil’ Baby, Young Thug, or another popular rap native. The atmosphere is always so crazy and fun! And of course, you have to end your trip with something active: rent bikes and ride the Atlanta BeltLine, you’ll get a great workout in and you’ll get a great view of the city, too! Or, you can do something more chill, like having a sandwich and wine picnic in Piedmont Park. There is so much to do in Atlanta, when you visit, it’s sometimes hard to stick to the itinerary!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Imani and Sankofa wouldn’t be here today without the love, encouragement and support from others. Firstly, I’d like to shoutout my lovely parents, for giving me the inspiration to keep fighting everyday, my mom specifically for introducing me to the natural product world and my dad for instilling hard work as a value. They both lost their lives in my adult years and their absence is one of my sole inspirations. I’d like to shoutout my friends and family, for the mental support and love, they have supported me continuously and unconditionally and for that, I love you all. Lastly, I’d like to shoutout Brittany Barnwell-Bishop, one of my fabulous mentors from undergrad at Savannah State University, for recommending me to share my story with you all and for your continued support of me and my business. Thank you any and everyone who has believed in me!

Website: imaniandsankofa.com
Instagram: @imaniandsankofa
Twitter: @imaniandsankofa
Facebook: facebook.com/imaniandsankofaskincare

Image Credits
Jawan Scott, Marquise Eppinger, Ja’Andra Imani

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