SOURCE RW Entrepreneur Spotlight
Spotlight Entrepreneurs are hardworking small business owners who have taken advantage of SOURCE RW’s educational resources.
“We do ourselves a huge disservice when we don't take the time to pause and really discover who we are and what we are passionate about!” – DeAndra Glass
Name: DeAndra Glass
Business Name: Black Amethyst, LLC
Business Website: BlackAmethystNaturals.com
Business Facebook: Black Amethyst Naturals
Tell us a little about your business.
Black Amethyst is a self-care and wellness brand that connects the community with the knowledge of how to incorporate holistic thinking into their everyday lives. Through our workshops, Black Amethyst creates an environment for individuals to learn and personalize their own self-care products. Black Amethyst also offers an assortment of artisan organic skin and hair products for men and women and children.
What services have you utilized at SOURCE RW and how have you benefitted?
Source River West has a multitude of resources that have aided Black Amethyst in its development. We have attended the one-on-one business coaching, Techno Talks, and SBA programs. We will continue our desire to improve through Source River West’s business accelerator program in the fall of 2019. We have benefited greatly from the constructive feedback! It has allowed us to remain confident in our strengths while assessing opportunities for growth.
What made you interested in being a business owner?
I’ve always been a person that wants to help people. I initially started off my professional career in the medical field. After some self-reflection, I realized that my passion is to meet people where they are on their self-care journey and help to develop them into the best version of themselves. I wanted to help people on a deeper, more personal level—before they got sick. I wanted to be able to help the people in heal the many different aspects that could be impacting their lives in a not so positive way. That inspired me to start studying holistic approaches to people’s common problems. After several years, I decided to create Black Amethyst.
What have you enjoyed most about being a business owner?
So far, helping people! Black Amethyst hopes to become a staple partner and trusted resource hub for the community. The feedback we receive from our clients is everything! We get to watch our clients grow from the knowledge we’ve been able to provide through our workshops. Then to top it off, we get to see the magic that happens when our clients use our products. It gives a sense of pride to be able to see our clients moving forward in their journey to self-care.
What have you enjoyed least about being a business owner?
Not being able to reach as many people as we want to. We are a new business and that comes with its own unique set of challenges. For us, it is mainly exposure. I find myself wanting to spread the word to everybody about what Black Amethyst has to offer and not always finding the best vehicle to do so. We really want to be a company that has a positive impact on people's lives and that makes a change in this world!
Was there ever a point when you wanted to quit?
Not really. I’m very passionate about impacting the community in a positive way. If I ever have thoughts about quitting I think about the testimonials our clients. Being able to help even one person makes every challenge worth it!
Was there ever a point where you realized you had “made it”?
Oh not quite yet. We have some really big goals! We have been making strides but I don't think I will be able to say we have "made it" until we are able to grow a bigger platform and reach more people.
If you could tell aspiring business owners just one thing before their journey – that you wish you had known prior to starting your journey – what would it be?
Perseverance is key. I actually wrote that on my graduation cap before I had ever dreamed about being an entrepreneur. We do ourselves a huge disservice when we don't take the time to pause and really discover who we are and what we are passionate about! Then rinse and repeat! We have to allow ourselves the grace to make mistakes, learn lessons and change our minds. Always maintain your desire to preserve, be inspired by life to keep growing and find the joy that comes from doing what you are passionate about.
Black Amethyst has rented space at SOURCE and will be holding DIY workshops on Saturday, September 7th. Check them out here! For information about hosting your next meeting or event at SOURCE, please contact us at info@sourcerw.org.