Meet Yolanda Jacobs: Product Developer

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

Hi Yolanda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process was to develop and market to the public a deodorant formula that worked so well it could compete with conventional deodorants without the use of questionable ingredients. Most mainstream deodorants I used over the years failed before day’s end. As I became more knowledgeable, I also realized that many of them weren’t all that healthy to my body or the environment. I went on a quest to find a more natural solution. I used the crystal rock with some success until one day it stopped working. I spent countless hours on the Internet researching DIY deodorant formulas. I tried a few, added my own tweaks and met with some success. But I needed more than a modicum of success. I needed to know that whatever my activity or hormonal level, my deodorant would hold up. I needed consistency. After much tweaking, throwing the whole kaboodle away, and starting over with more tweaking, I finally came upon a formula that worked. I shared it with family and friends, who were pleased with the product. I was so excited, I did what many entrepreneurs do. I started a business. Eventually, I soured on the formula because I learned through trial and error that baking soda and underarms don’t go together. Baking soda can be pretty caustic on the skin and the friction between our clothing and armpits can really get things burning under there. There came a time when I knew that I couldn’t sell this formula to anyone else. If I was experiencing burning, itching, boils and rashes, someone else was also experiencing it. I tossed all remaining containers and went back to the drawing board. Since then, I’ve tested quite a few formulas on my willing team of volunteers. Today, two of those formulas are the mainstay of my business. I’m satisfied that not only are these formulas effective, but they’re gentle on the ‘pits AND clothing.

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?
Developing solid products that people see as staples in their lives has been my goal since the beginning. I believe in total transparency around what goes into our products. We list ingredients on product labels and on our website. We want our customers to know exactly what they’re placing on their bodies. Integrity is an essential component of our business structure. This has caused us to miss out on certain funding opportunities, but we’re okay with doing marathons versus sprints. Most of my business has been self-funded. It’s one of the few ways to remain in control of ingredient quality, something really important to us. Self-funding a business means sacrificing quite a bit along the way, so I often had talks with my family to confirm they were all on the same page. My children were a huge motivating factor. In the course of running my second brick-and-mortar location, I considered decreasing store hours since I was the only one working the shop. My children wouldn’t hear of it. They immediately assigned themselves certain days and kept the shop running so mama had time to relax, relate and release. An important lesson I’ve learned is that you can either persuade people your product is what they need or you can give them what they’re telling you they want. I’ve learned to do a bit of both. Meeting our customers needs while maintaining our integrity and transparency is important to our success. We have great products. It took me awhile to be able to say that with confidence. The fact that so many of our customers return to us again and again, says so much about our products, and I’d like to believe, our business ethic.

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?
Our company’s motto is “as close to nature as possible.” In a nutshell, that’s me. I love being outdoors, hiking, biking, walking, climbing mountains, swimming or sitting somewhere people watching. I prefer homecooked meals over eating out, but if I can find a good Korean BBQ, I’m there. I also do tuna sushi. Despite my love of nature, I’m also a gracious host, so my friends really need to love seafood, if not Korean BBQ. I haven’t found any one eating establishment I like in Georgia. I’m Louisiana born and bred, so it takes a bit more to impress me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It would have to be my mother. Every time I complained about the ineffectiveness of the deodorants I tried, she’d say, “Well, make your own and stop complaining.” She said it enough that I decided to do just that. My deodorant formulations were in the early stages when my mother passed, but if she were here, I know she’d be proud. I also know she’d be wearing our deodorants. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank the committed volunteers who are always willing to lend their ‘pits to my latest creation. They’re the reason I can confidently launch a new product, which also includes body butters, specialized skincare, soaps, lotions and body sprays, in addition to our deodorant line.

Website: https://nandisnaturals.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/nandisnaturals
Twitter: twitter.com/nandisnaturals
Facebook: facebook.com/nandisnaturals
Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/Nandisnaturalsproducts

Image Credits
Yolanda “Nandi” Jacobs