Meet Joy Edwards | Founder & CEO of Sweet Surrender

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joy Edwards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joy, what do you want your legacy to be?
As a mother, I want my legacy for my children to be a plethora of love, joy, and happy memories to last several lifetimes and my business, Sweet Surrender. I want my business to provide a source of income and financial stability for my family for generations.

My dream and goal is to be known for the products I pour my heart into, empowering and inspiring women to put themselves and their overall well-being at the top of their priority lists, and normalizing daily self-care however that may look.

When people think of me, I want people to remember how I made them feel. Whether spending time together in person or a phone conversation, I want people to remember the smiles, love, and laughter I brought to their lives. The people in my life are very important to me. I want them to feel loved, respected, and cherished by me now and always.

Just as I want people to remember me making them smile and laugh, I want people to remember how my products made them feel about themselves.

I want every thought and memory of me as a person and of Sweet Surrender to be filled with feelings and memories of love, laughter, joy, and beauty.

It is my goal for my legacy to be one of love. The love I have for my family, friends, and loved ones, and the love I shared with the women whose lives I touched and empowered to love themselves more through the elevated self-care that is Sweet Surrender.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets Sweet Surrender apart from others, is me.

I was suffering silently for years from dry, itchy skin. I was uncomfortable in my clothes, I was uncomfortable in my own skin because it was dry, irritated, and tight which was exacerbated every time I took a bath or shower.

My confidence and self-esteem were extremely low because I was always concerned about how I would be perceived by others when they saw my dry, ashy skin. My skin would start to itch at the most inconvenient time and not being able to scratch, or trying to conceal my scratching and hiding the white, ashy, scratch marks was torture.

To develop a formula without any formulating skills was incredible. To have that formula become the solution I had been needing and hoping for most of my life can’t be described in words.

I have overcome many challenges and obstacles in my life; however, the development of my body butter is an accomplishment that comes in second on the list of my greatest accomplishments, with my children being at the top of the list.

The path to entrepreneurship is easy, but the road to success as an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. From financial issues to a lack of business acumen, marketing, advertising, and everything in between, the challenges I’ve encountered along the way have been difficult, to say the least.

The small steps I’ve made and continue to make every day have all added up to great strides, leaps, and bounds. I’ve learned that progress is oftentimes a very slow process. Whether in your personal life or your career, keep looking ahead and take steps toward your goal, no matter how small the steps may be or how long it takes, you will get to the finish line.

There are times when I need motivation and feel stuck. In these times, I find when I look back to when I first started and look at how everything has evolved from then up to now, the progress is undeniable and remarkable and I get motivated and inspired to keep going.

If I could only tell you one thing about Sweet Surrender for you to remember, it would be, that she was created for melanated women to love and celebrate their unique radiance and beauty.

Sweet Surrender is more than a brand, it’s a way of living a more relaxed, softer, balanced life so that women of color can set aside societal beauty norms, and look and feel their most confident and beautiful best through elevated daily self-care.

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?
Living in Henderson, we would definitely have to hit the “World Famous Las Vegas Strip”!

I absolutely love the water show in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Planet Hollywood has the most amazing vibe, and you cannot come to Vegas without taking a stroll downtown for the Freemont Experience. Freemont is a whole vibe on an entirely different level. A zipline, multiple stages featuring live bands, patio bars, and the people-watching! It’s just a fun and an unforgettable experience.

I also love to hang out off the Strip. I love the Sunday Gospel Brunch at Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles. They have a great atmosphere, gospel music that touches your heart, and food that feeds your soul.

For a more low-key experience to just chill and relax, Blueberry Hill never disappoints, and The Golden Nugget has the best prime rib!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, I give thanks to God for blessing me with the talent, vision, and opportunity to glorify Him through the entrepreneurial spirit I was given.

I have to give a huge shoutout to my family for believing in me and my vision and supporting me, especially my husband, Leon Edwards who encouraged me to share my body butter with others who, like me, have dry, sensitive skin and have been looking for healthy, high-quality products that offered real and lasting solutions and relief.

I’ve been blessed to have an amazing tribe of women supporting me. Without them being placed in my life to help and guide me, I don’t know where I’d be today.

To Makena Gargonnu, Ashleigh Channel, and Risha Ferdinand, a huge shoutout filled with more love and gratitude than words can express.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Website: https://www.sweet-surrender.biz

Instagram: @sweet_surrender_co

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SS_BathBody

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4sweetsurrender

Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/L5F2p0JdRr6j08aeCJ4jvw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFbsAV5PyEITSJNoVIb7Cw

Image Credits
Joy Edwards, Founder & CEO