Why didn’t anyone tell me starting a business would be so hard?
Or maybe they did and I just didn’t listen. Yup, that’s it, I DIDN’T LISTEN.
Here is my journey to creating my baby, SAJOKI.
This one’s going to be a little more informal. If you’ve watched Friends then this is “THE ONE SHE CRIES OVER HER BUSINESS.
INCEPTION!
The initial idea was to create a haircare line. I did a big chop 5 years ago and cut off all my relaxed hair. The day I did this, I was with my cousin and we both looked at each other like “Yup, I’ve lost my mind.” I had no idea what having natural hair would entail, the products it needed or the patience it deserved. I just did it.
Within the first few months of having my hair natural, I learned to braid it myself. At this point, I wasn’t confident in it in the slightest and had no clue what I was doing. I came home and on a random weekend at a friends house I asked her what she uses for her hair and she said Shea Butter. That’s when everything changed.
Shea butter changed my hairs’ life and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m not exaggerating.
Over the years, as my hair continued to grow, the more compliments I got, the more complaints people were telling me about their hair and the more convicted I was to do my part to help in any way I could. If you don’t take anything else from this REMEMBER THIS: FIND A WAY TO MONETIZE THAT WHICH YOU ARE MOST COMPLIMENTED ON. That is of course if you choose to. Anywho…
I’ve been working on my business unknowingly for the past 4 years. I say unknowingly becasue I was the guinea pig for every product I’m putting in your homes. Formulation after formulation until perfection.
I’ve been intentional about starting Sajoki for the past year and a half, working tirelessly to ensure everything I produce serves to actually EMPOWER WOMEN TO FEEL SEEN FEEL SAFE AND FEEL BEAUTIFUL in the best way I know-how.
That single phrase is the reason I work so hard. Our products are simply a physical manifestation of that phrase. ANYTIME YOU USE OR WEAR SAJOKI YOU WILL FEEL SEEN, FEEL SAFE AND FEEL BEAUTIFUL PERIOD!
Last year on July 5th 2020 at 9:38 pm I told 2 of my friends that I’d finally come up with a name for my business. This year on July 5th 2021 at 7:20 pm I shared it with the public. To say God’s timing is unmatched would be the gravest understatement and I am eternally grateful.
THE WHY
Why the name ‘Sajoki’?
I knew from the very beginning that this business was always going to be an extension of me. As a result, I used that which defines me before I walk into any room, MY NAME - SANYU JOANITA KINTU. I took the first 2 letters of each name and boom SAJOKI.
This is why I also finally “pulled up my socks’ (as my friend says) and decided to be the face of the brand.
Why add ‘Beaute’ to the name
This was because in my life, to date, I’ve felt the safest, the most beautiful and the most seen when I was in Mauritius. The language most spoken in Mauritius is French, hence the name having the accent. The island will always have my heart and my business is a piece of my heart so Mauritius had to be a part of it in some way. Also because bruh it gives it a little personality you know.
Why venture into more than Haircare?
Simple. I knew I had to diversify from haircare when I got a lip infection that turned my lips grey and scaley and I realized I needed a solution I couldn’t find at the time. I decided to create the solution. I’m doing body care because we all love to glow and smell incredible even on a cloudy day when you feel crappy. And finally, I’m going into wellness because I’ve suffered from chronic anxiety for the past 4 years, and if there's anything I stand on with my entire being, it's mental health.
[Stay tuned for more details of the story on my IGTV @sajokibeaute. I can’t believe I just typed that out and actually meant it.]
I’ve poured my entire heart into this business. I truly hope that not just the products but the message resonates with as many women as possible. Whether that be feeling safe mentally in order to feel beautiful or have your hair glowing that’ll make you look in the mirror and feel incredible. I want to create a brand and community that serves every woman in a world that suffocates our minds, our hearts and our beauty.
To me and to this brand, you are beautiful not because of what you have done, are currently doing or are yet to do. You are beautiful simply becasue you are. Your being is enough.
Thank you all for the incredible amount of support I've received these past two weeks. I cannot say THANK YOU enough. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
I give all the glory to The Lord for the wisdom, the strength and the grace to bring this to life. My name Sanyu, means Joy. Joanita Means God is gracious. So by definition, I am joyful because God is Gracious. And I will continue to dwell in Joy and his Grace with every step I take in the path he has set for me.
SAJOKI BEAUTE COMING THIS AUGUST
@sajokibeaute
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