Go Farther

I was never much of a teamwork type of person. It's the perfectionist's struggle. No one can do things
quite as well as we can so we don't trust them. When I started my career as a medical laboratory scientist, I worked by myself. At night. I could be alone with my thoughts. I didn't have to check behind anyone. I didn't have to check in with anyone. I was responsible for my work only. I did the best that I could and I passed what I didn't finish on to the next shift. I was a high performer. I received stellar reviews and multiple pay increases. No promotions though, but that's a story for another blog.

Fast forward six years, to 2010, I became a manager. I had a team of people looking to me for answers. I had a team of colleagues working along side me. I was also a part of a interdisciplinary healthcare team that combined efforts to make the patient care experience efficient and effective. I did well with my staff. I incorporated their ideas and asked what I could do to make their job better. That was pretty simple because I used to do their job. I knew what

it took. We had similar thought patterns. We were usually on the same page. Working with the interdisciplinary team took some adjusting. For one, I had no idea what a typical work day looked like for most of them. We thought and processed differently. I was used to keeping it simple but it took complicated and time consuming efforts to make minute changes in workflows outside of the laboratory. It was very frustrating but I eventually learned the law of the land. Got better at playing politics. Grew as a leader. And I accomplished things within my 6.5 year tenure that no one before me had done. I retired from that role in good standing with my colleagues and director.

When I started a network marketing business after 3 years in a managerial position, I realized that I could not build success alone. Not in network marketing, that's why it's called "network". LOL! In order for me to be successful, I had to teach others how to duplicate what I did to be successful. That was a very different concept for me. I was a Specialist in Blood Bank. At work, no one else in my department had the same level of expertise in matters of transfusion medicine that I had. And they didn't need to, I was hired because I was the expert in a subject that no one else wanted to learn. No one else could do my job. That is what made me an asset at work. But if I didn't teach my network marketing business partners, my business would surely fail. It changes your perspective on a lot of things. Not just business or work but on life in general.

I started my hair and skin product business very haphazardly. There was no plan in place. I did not
venture into it thinking that one day I could retired from health care to do it full time to build a business in the beauty industry. But here we are. In network marketing, independent business owners are encouraged to invest in personal development. As you grow, so does your business. There is a greater teamwork spirit than any other industry that I've ever worked in. Through personal development, I've learned to focus on improving my natural abilities and hire someone to do everything else. Which means, I need to hire a team if I want to grow my business to it's full potential.

It's not just about unlimited growth potential for my business, it's about giving people an opportunity to hone their own talents as I improve my own. We grow together. We feed off of each other and the business grows effortlessly, just by us focusing on our strengths.

Two and a half years in to this beauty business and I can say that I have grown tremendously as a person, but so has my business. I hired a graphic designer to do my labels. I am not a graphic designer. I pay someone to update my website. I am not a web developer. I pay someone to manage my social media. I am not a marketing guru. I have an assistant who helps keep me organized. I work like a tazmanian devil, I need someone to keep me in line. I pay someone to take my product pictures. I don't have the time it takes to take product pictures and edit them. I pay someone to handle my legal needs. I am not an attorney and Rocket Lawyer doesn't always cut it. I have a business mentor to help me navigate my next steps. I have a cosmetic scientists who helps me determine proper labeling and testing. I have a team who believe in my vision. They are experts in areas that I am not. I trust them. I can focus on what I do best and I know they've got me covered. The evolution of Fancy Free is obvious because of them. I am excited about what the future holds for us. I know I wouldn't be able to go as far as I've gone without them.

Growing a business of any kind is no easy feat. You NEED a team. There is an African Proverb that says "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Rome was not built in one day. Most empires that rise quickly, crumble even faster. I am not interested in blowing up over night. I have grown to enjoy the process of growth. Some days are better than others but I have my team to lean on. I make sure I talk to someone when I need encouragement. This makes a world of different. I don't I would've quit long ago without them. LOL!

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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How You Gonna Win When You Ain't Right Within

I have become increasingly pro-black since 2007 when Barack Obama began his race to become president. Honestly, I didn't think he would win, not because he wasn't qualified but I didn't believe that the powers that be, who really run this country, would allow it. Just my opinion. And that is when it all began. White America began to show it's true colors. Muttering under their breath what they had been holding in for many years. I believe it in was in the late 1960s when it became unacceptable to for a white man to call a black man a "nigger" in public. He still saw us as "niggers". He just didn't say it. He was still in power, so whatever. That is until Barack Obama, a black man, became the most powerful man in the world when was inaugurated as the President of the United States. And THAT is when all hell broke loose....

How could a black man, the lowest of the low, become POTUS, the highest of the high? After all,
most of America is white. Most of America is poor, uneducated and white. They have been taught that even though they are poor and uneducated, they are still better than "niggers". The masses began brewing. Upset. Angry. And as their hate could not phase the impeccably graceful Obama family, it upset them even more. If it weren't so sad, it would be hilarious. The Obama family represented everything America is supposed to be. Humble beginnings. Freedom to organize and gather people to help them help themselves. Remaining humble while growing an empire. Inspiring change for the better. Making an effort, no matter how impossible it may seem to accomplish. Barack Obama did everything he could to bring change to policy and corrupt government. The Obama family remained classy and free of scandal...for the most part. But wypipo were still mad. Mad that he had made it that far. Then in marches Trump.

Trump ran for president knowing what the majority of America wanted to hear. Without saying "I'm going to put these niggers back in their place.", that's what he said to them. Ha! Imagine that! An illiterate billionaire who built his fortune on lies and controversy is going to put hard working, intelligent, woke people in their place? And where is that? Not so fast. We ain't scared of you. We can read. We know the law. And most importantly, we won't stand for it. The era of Jim Crow is over. While the justice system is what it is, we know it isn't totally against us the way it used to be.

We are the original people. Life began with us, in Africa. EVERYONE has the DNA of an African in
their blood. EVERYONE. We survived 245 years of torture while others perished. We are strong. We can not be extinguished. And what would extinguishing the original people get them? Struggle. Cuz we taught them the game. Remember? But most importantly, we know that hatred never wins. Love ALWAYS win. Hatred is exhausting and stressful. You can die from a heart attack because you were angry. But love his soothing and easy going. Watch yo back, wypipo. We will gladly correct you....in love. Everything you've done to us gonna come back to haunt you.

Dr. Dre Called It The Detox

Here in America, our culture does not naturally embrace our "natural smell" like others. We label it as "body odor", something to be ashamed of. Some people's natural body odor is pleasant to us. They're called pheromones. We are attracted to them. When we smells someone's odor and we do not like it, it just means that they are not for us. LOL! So I get it when some people are hesitant to try a "natural" deodorant cuz no one really wants to smell "natural". Truth is, most people don't even know what their natural smell is. However, if you're sick of pumping your body with chemicals that have been banned in most other countries but somehow are still legal in the U.S., you've been eating organic and started using Fancy Free for Hair & Skin to moisturize, the next step is switching to a natural deodorant (I've already put in my shameless plug so I'm gonna let y'all live on what deodorant to choose but we have Aluminum Free deodorant too.)

You've Made The Choice

Somethings work best when you drop them cold turkey, some don't. Making the switch to aluminum regular use of conventional deodorants and antiperspirants can change the bacterial microbiome in your armpits, causing an overproduction of bad bacteria which contribute to a worse odor when you stop using them.
free deodorant may be one of those things that require preparation. If you've tried to "Just switch" and you smelled terrible at the end of the day. It may be because the

The Answer

Try detoxing your underarms before you switch to the natural deodorant. When I was making the switch, I was home on maternity leave, so there were days when I didn't use anything, days when I only applied a little bit of milk of magnesia, days when I wiped with apple cider vinegar, etc. I did not do an official "detox" but I did abstain from traditional antiperspirant for an extended period of time, which is kind of a detox if we're considering the definition of the word.

How To

The Baking Soda Method

Baking soda is one of the best ingredients on the earth for pH balancing the body.  To detox your armpits with baking soda make sure you clean your armpits and while wet apply ALUMINUM FREE baking soda and leave on for 15 minutes or longer then wipe clean.  Repeat this procedure each day for a week or longer.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon, or Witch Hazel Method 

After a bath or shower to apply either lemon or apple cider vinegar to your armpits.  Allow the armpits to dry before going to apply deodorant which is optional.  Some of the quickest detoxifications come with removing both deodorant and antiperspirants all together.  Witch hazel can also be used in place of ACV or lemon with this protocol.

Clay Detox Recipe

You’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon bentonite clay
• 1 teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Mix the clay and vinegar with a spoon or two of water to achieve a paste-like consistency.
2. Spread a thin layer of this mixture on each armpit, allowing it to work its magic for about 15 minutes*.
3. Rinse off the mask in the shower using a soft washcloth and dry the armpits thoroughly after your shower. You can then apply a natural deodorant if you wish, or go au natural.
4. Repeat this process daily until your body odor has settled down and you can apply a natural deodorantwithout unwelcome side effects.
5. Finally, vow never to go back to your conventional, chemical-laden antiperspirant or deodorant!

*If you feel pain after application, you should rinse off the mask immediately, although it’s more likely you will experience a tingling or warm sensation as blood flow to the area increases – this is normal.

After the Detox

You will notice less odor - sometimes even when you're not wearing deodorant, less irritation and perspiration after using natural deodorant, no more product build up in your armpits, improved lymphatic function, and reduction in illness.

The motto Fancy Free, LLC. is keeping you free from chemicals. As a retired health care professional, I have seen my fair share of medical complications caused by drug treatments. I started digging deeper when I realized that Jehovah made us in His image. Our body is a perfect ecosystem. When we start adding things that don't belong, we upset the perfect balance put in place. I get it, sometimes it's hard to avoid all of the chemicals and fillers manufacturers are allowed to put in products we consume. Your body will tell you when it's time to take a break and detox.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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Summer Hair Struggles

Color and highlights still popping

My Fancy hair has been growing like weeds. The wet twist out, using Fancy Free Pomade for Hair & Skin, is my signature hairstyle. But this summer is different. I have been struggling with my hair. Let me count the ways....

1. I have hair color. 
2. I have less time to deal with my hair than ever before.
3. It's been so hot and humid.
4. I don't have real motivation to look "fly"
5. My husband always has to have input on my hair.

The Bleached Hair Struggle

I have kinky hair. Kinky hair has a propensity to require more moisture than heavier hair. Lighten it and you've added another level of dryness to your already dry hair. Of course, my hairstylist is one of the best colorist in the city. She uses quality product and techniques to prevent damage. She also recommended products for me to use at home. However, after a year, I'm finding that the dryness is effecting how long my wet twist outs maintain the curl pattern. So, I'm spending more money going in for conditioning treatments which can get expensive. Ugh!

All I got in me is 2 braids

The Ain't Nobody Got Time Fah Dat Struggle

I thought I'd have more time to do what I wanted to do when I left healthcare. WRONG!! I forgot about the whole active little one year old part. I also didn't factor in that my business would be growing. I mean....of course, it's going to grow, I work on growing it daily but I just didn't think about it. Setting aside dedicated hair time has become more and more difficult.

Started with a braid out now we're here.

The Humidity Is A Hater Struggle

On top of making sure my hair is moisturized because of the color, I'm dealing with the hot, steamy, east coast summer climate. I'll be damned if I sacrifice 2-3 hours fooling with my hair for it to only look like something for 4-5 days because of humidity. I need to get 1.5 weeks out of it, at the very least. And forget an up-do

The I Ain't Got Nowhere To Be Struggle

Storyville Time

Let's face it. My reality is I'm whipping it up in the kitchen, playing with my son, laundry, errands, computer work, phone calls, etc. I leave home to drop my boy off at daycare and go to the grocery store. Who am I looking cute for? I know I should look cute for my husband but we've been together since 2003, he knows I'm fly when I need to be. I make sure my workout gear is cute. However, I can't commit to cute hair too.

$186 Vacation Hair

The My Husband Is Picky About My Hair Struggle
When I decided to grow my relaxer out, it was a family decision. It's our hair. My husband doesn't like weave or individual braids/plaits. He deals with my quirks so I oblige him when it comes to my hair. He liked my waist length vacation cornrows but they only last 3 weeks, are expensive, and take a lot of time - See Struggle #2. I twisted my hair in small two-strand twists that I could style as if it is braids. He said it looks cute but I can tell he's not impressed. He prefers faux locs. Heavy, expensive, take forever to install faux locs. I just can't commit.  

Fancy "FREE" Twists

So, what's the moral? Even the Natural Hair Consultant has hair struggles. You are not alone. As we grow and evolve, so does our hair routine. Right now I'm trying different conditioning treatments for colored hair, water, and Fancy Free Milk for Hair & Skin as a moisturizer I can use frequently. 

Fall will come. My color will grow out. I will hire a few more employees. My son will start school. And all will be right with Fancy's world and hair....until it's not. LOL!

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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Becoming Aluminum Free

So, I'm going to touch on a subject that most women do not discuss. I'm writing about it because when I talk about it in a "safe environment", I find that it's a common issue that a lot of women face.....underarm sweat. My super close friends and I refer to it as an "Underarm Problem." My husband used to call me "pheromoney". I say "used to" because we have fixed the Underarm Problem.

So let's start at puberty, I noticed it. I used regular deodorant and sometimes I would feel sweat rolling down my underarms. I couldn't really repeat tops after one wear because the underarms would smell sour at the end of the day. Sometimes they would still have a smell after I washed them. I tried Febreeze and other laundry solutions. Nothing worked. So, I just dealt with it. I wasn't insecure about it. I didn't like it but whatever. I'm still cute.

When I went to college, all of the big time deodorant companies started coming out with "Prescription Strength" deodorant. Same issues. Except for now I'd have this film on my armpits. I'd have to scrub them separately to get the film off. SMH. By the time I turned 25 years old, I had tried the under crystals, which broke me out, so I figured out that alternating my deodorants helped. That seemed to work unless I was having a long day. I considered botox under my arms for my wedding but $1200 wasn't in the budget on top of the wedding expenses, so I put botox on the back burner.

I tried Certain Dri and some other underarm gels that claimed to help with sweating. They weren't a good fit for one reason or another. At 32 years old, someone told me about Donna Karan Cashmere Mist deodorant. FINALLY!!! I found something that worked. It was $16 a pop but worth it. I didn't smell sour at the end of the day anymore. I smelled like perfume. It had sooooo much aluminum in it though, 17%. But my clothes would still smell sour in the armpit part. When I got laser hair removal in my underarms, that helped but only temporarily. I also tried a few brands I found in Europe and Sephora. Nope. Right back to Donna Karan. I did figure out that spraying apple cider vinegar on the armpits of my clothes would get rid of that sour smell.

So, here I am, a 35 year old woman who can't get control over her Underarm Problem without spending $25 on deodorant....cuz that Donna Karan price went up every year. SMH. Then one day I had lunch with my cousin and she was telling me that had to have surgery. She was explaining how she knew something was wrong because her underarms had suddenly started stinking and she never had to use deodorant before that. I was jealous about that no deodorant thing but I started thinking. MAYBE, juuuuuuuusssst maybe, my underarm problem could be triggered by all of the crap they put in the deodorants I had been using. I was also pregnant. And you know how crazy pregnant women are about what they put in and on their bodies.

So, I started trying natural deodorants again. First, I tried a direct sales deodorant, it irritated my underarms. Then a fellow Underarm Problem friend recommended Piper Wei, another natural deodorant. AND IT WORKED!!! I was so excited! FINALLY! I had started to notice my underarms getting dark though. I thought it was related to being pregnant, until I stopped using it for a couple days and the darkness cleared up. *sigh* Breaking me out again. Then I realized that most aluminum free deodorant have baking soda as one of the main ingredient. Baking soda was triggering an eczema like reaction on my underarm skin. I knew I couldn't be the only one dealing with this. So the mission began.

I started researching and found that milk of magnesia works well as deodorant. I tried it. It worked. But it was inconvenient. Like, pour it in my hand and spread it. Naw. I ain't 'bout to commit to that. Let me put it in a roll on container. The rest is history. The end result is Fancy Free Deodorant, a roll on, natural deodorant that is aluminum free. My son is 1 year old now, I've been using Fancy Free deodorant over the course of the year. Here is what I noticed a few things:

• My clothes no longer smell sour at the end of the day
• I no longer smelled sour at the end of the day
• I no longer had a deodorant film on my underarm skin that required an extra scrub in the shower
• No yellow stains in the armpits of my white shirts (only the occasional grey smear when I didn't let it dry before I put my clothes on)

So, it WAS the crap in the deodorant making me funky and having me think I needed more deodorant. LOL! Anyway, it took me long enough to get it right but I was able to solve a problem that most women have. 

Visit the Fancy Free Shop to see the full description of all of the ingredients and what roll they play in our deodorant to keep your underarms dry and smelling great.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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The Shea-M of It All

As a newly minted naturalista, I spent a lot of time AND money trying out different hair products. I could never find anything that got it quite right which is why I started making my own. However, Shea Moisture quickly became one of my staple products for shampooing and conditioning. So much so that I often recommend it to my Natural Hair Consult clients. It's relatively inexpensive and chemical free, right in line with the Fancy Free motto - Fancy and Free of Chemicals. The fact that it's owned by a black family was a plus. An awesome plus. A big plus. However, in 2015, a larger company, Bain Capital, became an investor to the family owned and run Shea Moisture. With big investors come new "visions" for the company. We know that. It never fails. BUT when loyal customers, black women, voiced their concerns about what the new investors meant for the company and products, Shea Moisture executives reassured us that nothing about Shea Moisture's core values would change. In fact, partnering with an investor allowed Shea Moisture to free up resources that gave them more freedom and capitol to invest in the community. So they said. The reality is, to grow as a company, you need more money to expand. Dassit. Dassall.

Now, when I saw the name "Bain", y'all know what I thought of, right? Bane, the villain in that last Batman movie. I'm just saying. And the fact that Mitt Romney is part owner of the company, a rich, white man.... I'm just trying to figure out how this conversation even started. Anyway, my experience in the corporate world is that no one cares about the people, only the bottom line. So let's see how this plays a role in this Shea Moisture ad fiasco.

Black women spend an average of $7.5 billion dollars every year on beauty products. Let that sink in. Seven. Point. Five. But what do people with money want? MORE MONEY!!! If we have loyalty from our black women, how do we expand our territory? Market to them. I'm sure that's how the board meeting went. And then the marketing team came up with that "interesting" campaign for hair products. And WE WENT AWF! Like, seriously. We get it. You want to expand, so you switch up your target audience but at what cost?

I started selling Fancy Free for Hair & Skin in March 2015 but I had been making it for myself since 2012. By summer 2015, I had an official logo, the Fancy Girl. A black girl, with big hair. She looks like me. She looks like my friends. She looks like a lot of the people who buy my products. My vision for Fancy Free is big.....YUGE - Donald Trump. In the beginning, I had some suggest I remove my beloved Fancy Girl to make it less ethnic. And it's true, when I'm out vending, some non-African Americans look at my banner and keep walking because they thinking it's not for them. However, the ones that try it, love it. They were not deterred by the brand of products that looks like it's not for them. They just wanted quality product. White isn't always right. African Americans rush to buy items that we never meant for us. Like, seriously, any shapely woman knows not to even try to fit into a pair of True Religion jeans. THEY WEREN'T MADE FOR US!!! Some designers have blatantly stated that they don't want black people wearing their clothes. They don't market to us. But we still buy for whatever reason.

I wish that the Shea Moisture executives had put their foot down at that meeting. I wish we didn't know that Shea Moisture thought that black women, who spend $7.5 billion dollars on beauty products, just wasn't enough for them. However, because we told them how we felt, they learned a valuable lesson and will tweak their approach. But....the damage is already done. I will still buy but only when I catch a B1G1 sale to combine with my coupons and can get it for next to nothing.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sine up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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The Emotional Roller Coaster of Entrepreneurship

One of my loves, who is actually the reason why I started blogging again after taking a couple years hiatus, started a meet up for black women entrepreneurs. I was very picky about how I spent my time because, well, I didn't have much to spare. However, since taking my jump, I'm more open to opportunities to network and get out of the house. I'm oucheah! Cuz ain't nobody gonna know about my product if I don't get out in deez streetz and tell them.

Anyway, the meet up was such a blessing. It was a protected space where we, black women, who always have to be strong and look like we have it together, could be vulnerable and express our needs. A few key takeaways were that:

• Entrepreneurship is lonely
• It is scientifically proven that human beings are designed to operate in a team

Let's start with the loneliness of it all, as I sit in my living room alone writing this blog. Yeah. It seems cool to have the freedom during the day to schedule things as I please. I don't have the constant interruptions of office mates and colleagues asking me dumb questions. However, that can backfire because I am alone with my thoughts, which leads to the next take a way.....

Human beings are designed to operate in a team. We are not meant to do things alone. It leads to the dreaded emotional roller coaster that comes with entrepreneurship. There are days when you feel like you can take over the world and get it all done. There are other days where it is all too much and you just wanna take a nap. Then there are the days that you feel like you aren't doing enough, that you are a complete loser, and you start to rethink your life choices. All because you're by yourself. I mean, look at some stories of people being stranded after some kind of accident. A group of people is more likely to survive than a single person in the exact same circumstances. Let that sink in.

So, even though I know all of that, I had a bad day this week. I did it too myself. It was not warranted. I started comparing my progress to someone else's. I wondered if I could make it happen. I wondered when my growth would reach it's tipping point. I wondered what I was doing wrong. Then I snapped out of it and gave myself some kudos, like my therapist taught me. After that, I had a conversation with a sister friend about being emotional. She reminded me of who I am and also reminded me of the source of those emotions *whispers* cuz she knows my real life. Then said "You'll be alright. Just keep swimming." She was right. I snapped out of it.

But then I had to talk about that roller coaster moment with someone who was at the meet up with me. My cousin, who is also my attorney. I hit her up and said "cousin confessions". LOL! I told her about my emotional roller coaster and what triggered it. We laughed at me for being "crazy" then we started talking about strategy and timelines. We had a few "ah ha" moments and felt good about Fancy Free when we ended the conversation.

The point is, who knows how long I would've been in that funk had I not reached out to my team to at

 least talk about it. Entrepreneurship is not easy. It takes a lot of mental tenacity to make it through each day with the growth, set backs, highs, and lows. Any success story has a team of people pushing the main character through. Your team does not have to be in the same industry, it's just important to have a safe place where you can be vulnerable and receive encouragement. 

In the end, I know that I made the right decision. My father and husband always remind me that the tough choice is usually the best choice and that nothing worth having will be easy to come by. 

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sine up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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Desires of the Heart

Soooooo, I used to have time to blog regularly. Then I started a business. Then I had a baby. Then I went back to work. Then business started picking up. Life became crazy but the whole time, I was working on myself. Not just growing my business but growing as a person. Improving how I manage my time. Improving my relationships. Loving myself more. Not being so hard on myself. Reading more. Meditating. Eating better. I also began to grow out of things. Outgrow relationships. Outgrow activities. You get the point.

Fast forward to today. I have finally fully retired from healthcare to pursue my passion. And, also, allowing what has been chasing me my entire life to catch up to me. You see, I grew up in a salon. I feel like every woman in my family has a cosmetology license, including my mother. I even worked in a salon while in grad school and apprenticed under my mother but never took the exam. What some may see is a woman who started small, business picked up, opportunities are presenting, so I decided to go for it. What people don't know is that this was written. Business is picking up, so I need more space to manufacture. What will that space look like? Eventually, it will be a beauty salon. That's the 2 year plan. All that running from cosmetology has come full circle. LOL!

In college, even though my career path was not clear, I knew I did not want to work beyond the age of 35. At the time, I thought I would work a little bit and then my husband would take care of me. LOL! I mean, my mother is a stay at home mom, why can't I be one too? No one knew this. I never shared it with my husband. Why? Well, life happens. Reality hits you. I assumed that we could not sustain our lifestyle on one salary, so my intention was to stay in healthcare until I was retirement age. While I had reached my career goals by the age of 30, I thought I'd develop new ones for healthcare related advancement in my career. Nope. That's not what happened. Once I mastered my job function, I was looking for a new challenge. This was right around the time when I began my journey in multilevel marketing.

Say what you want about multilevel marketing, but for me, it was an eye opener. I was open minded
and I realized how powerful I really am. I learned about myself. I realized that sitting in a windowless office, tucked away in the corner of a blood bank was not what Jehovah intended for me. I thought that multilevel marketing would be my ticket to a Fancy Free life but it didn't work out that way. Turned out that Fancy Free was my ticket. It had been right under my nose for about 2 years. I started selling the hair product. More and more women were scheduling natural hair consults. Fancy Free business was picking up. 500% growth in my second year of business. Those numbers happened during a year where I was working on a HUGE project at work, pregnant, oh yeah, and had a baby. This all got me thinking. If I grew this much with wishy washy, inconsistent marketing, imagine what I could do if I focused all of my energy on Fancy Free. Endless possibilities. No limits.

So there it was, staring me in my face, my destiny. But how was I going to transition? Our household

budget included my, now half time, salary. Simple. Get out of debt. If we paid off all of our credit cards, we could afford to live off of my husband's salary. Simple. Not easy though. LOL! So we got to work. Scaled back on splurging. We were chopping that debt down, big time. The whole time, my work environment was becoming more miserable. Once my focus shifted from being a Specialist in Blood Bank to growing as a CEO, I no longer wanted to spend time blood banking. I wanted to be building Fancy Free. So EVERYTHING irritated me. It was time to go.

Once we set a date, that's when the magic began. You see, when you begin to walk in your purpose,
the flood gates open and everything works toward helping you receive the desires of your heart. Things lined up in a way that I couldn't have even imagined for myself. I never told my husband I wanted to retire by 35. I kept it close to my heart. Between Jehovah and I. But I was open and flexible. The silence while meditating let Him speak to me. I just listened. Now, here I am at 36 years old and retired. Only one year behind schedule. I mean, the Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, so 1 year isn't so bad.

No, all of our debt isn't completely paid off but we're on our way. No, I don't have a building yet. But the reality is, all of your ducks are never going to line up the way you want them to before you take the "jump". Jehovah wants you to rely on Him and not your own understanding. When we humble ourselves, accept that there a lot of things that we just don't know, and actively seek guidance, things happen, BIG things happen.

What are the desires of your heart? Go after them with all you've got. There is nothing you can't do once you've made up your mind.

Shameless plug alert:
Fancy Free, LLC. is the manufacturer of quality products for hair and skin. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreellc.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sine up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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Laws Of Power

I dealt with much internal turmoil in the first half of 2016. How did I get there? I'm a reasonable person. A forgiving person. A generous person. Maybe that's how. I allowed someone who had hurt me repeatedly back in to my life. Not without hesitation but I feel like we all make mistakes and we all grow from our missteps. I mean, if someone has the courage to come to me, admit how they were wrong, and apologize, who am I to continue to shut them out?

Fast forward to September 2015, I found myself in a position where I had been betrayed by the person. Betrayed and hurt again. But this time, I wasn't surprised by these antics. After all, I invited them in. EYE put myself in the position. I trusted again when I shouldn't have. I learned a tough lesson that cost me. Not only time but money as well.

I know that I can't expect everyone to treat me the way I'd like to be treated. I know everyone wasn't raised the same, but to be slapped in the face with that reality by someone who has been in your house, breaking bread with your family is tough. I had literally been defeated because I wasn't dealing with honest and reasonable person but, deep down, I knew I wouldn't have felt any resolve even if I had won. I typically have no problem cutting people and situations off with the swiftness but this situation really bothered me. I couldn't figure out what the REAL issue. So, I did what I always do. In true scientist fashion, I went to gather data from everyone who knew the details.

I started by immediately re-listening to "The 48 Laws of Power". I would say reading but I've read it already so I listen to it on YouTube while in my office. Multi-tasking. LOL! After listening, I realized what I did wrong and how the situation could've been handled differently for a more positive outcome. When I say positive, I mean, how I could've gotten what I wanted. *shrugs* No shame. The lessons taught in "The 48 Laws Of Power" teach that while you have to be strategic in your actions, sometimes you also have to humble yourself and lose a battle or two in order to win the war. So, I checked myself. It didn't have to end that way but I was more focused on what I thought was right instead of by any means necessary in order to win. BOOM!

Then I talked about it in therapy because knowing how I could've handled the situation differently still didn't fix that nagging feeling. Like, why did this bother me so badly if I saw it coming eventually? Well, my therapist was able to get me to see how I was tying this situation into some other unsettling relationships in my life. It was my "lightbulb" moment. Once I figured that out, I was able to drop that nagging feeling like a hot potato. The biggest weight was lifted from me. It was literally like storm clouds cleared the sky and the sun came shining through, complete with a rainbow and angels singing.

This situation taught me some valuable lessons about myself and human nature. Sometimes people just don't like you. Don't try to figure it out. Their poor taste doesn't diminish your value. It doesn't make you a bad person, a bad friend, a bad sister, a bad mother, a bad daughter, a bad wife.....none of that stuff. Sometimes you don't get closure and you have to be okay with that. Leave it alone. Going back will only result in more hurt. Sometimes you just have to take the gut punches in order to get what you want. Man up. Take it.

That's it. That's all.

Twelve Weeks A......Mom

I often find myself stopping in the middle of whatever I'm doing just to stare at my son. If he's awake, I'll talk to him, read to him, sing to him. If he's sleeping, I'll stare at him, rub his cheeks, kiss on him, rub his head. To me, he's perfect. A perfect combination of his father and I. A perfect culmination of what my life has become.

Adjusting to life with my perfect little prince has been interesting. I'm learning a lot about myself. I don't care about the same things I used to care about. All I want to do now is make sure he gets every opportunity I had and more. But I'm also struggling to find balance. Taking care of a newborn is VERY time consuming and I'm also working toward building a financial portfolio. I want to leave him with a legacy not bills.

Me trying to "find balance" is me saying I need to manage my time better. When I say "I don't have time." now, it means something completely different than when I used to say it a year ago. A year ago, it meant more so "I can't be bothered". LOL! You know, being shady. But now, I really just don't have time. I have stuff to do. I'm constantly moving. Straightening the house. Doing laundry. Running errands. Making shea. Shipping shea. Talking to people about Thrive. Looking for properties to invest in. And allllll of those things come AFTER I perform wife and mother duties. Because, to me, those things are most important.

You see, I am blessed with a very supportive husband who has enough faith in my abilities to agree for me to give up my full time salary so that I can spend more time working on my entrepreneurial ventures and raise our son. The last thing I want to do is make him feel like I don't have time for him. And my son. He's such a joy. I really just want to play with him all day but I have to "adult" also.

In short, I've been a mother for 12 weeks and my whole world has been turned upside down. I couldn't be happier with the way my life is set up. I find myself close to Beyonce "I'm so blessed" tears. But I'm a thug so I don't cry. LOL! I'm focused on conquering time management and balance while I try to fit everything I need to do in between snuggling and loving on my son and husband. 

Did You Ever Think That You Would Be This Rich?

Haha! Well, from our point of view, we aren't rich....YET! BUT we have come a loooooooonnnngggg way.
Last week, we finally purchased dining room chairs for our formal dining room table. A small purchase but the significance of that is we went almost 3 years with no chairs. Like, we had this fancy a$$ table and would pull out folding chairs for dinner and company. And guess what? I ain't care. LOL! We did that because I am a firm believer in waiting on the perfect thing instead of rushing into buying something just to say you have it. AND...remember that budget thing I've been talking about? Well, based on our budget, dining chairs just weren't an immediate priority.

Sunday morning, I made myself breakfast and sat at the head of my dining room table and started singing R. Kelly's "Did You Ever Think?" to myself. Which essentially asks someone who's finally "made it", did you ever think that you'd ever accomplish all that you've been working for all these years? Now, we are no hip hop stars or don't claim to be rich or well off or anything like that but we are just now getting to a space where we are starting to see some of the fruits of our labor. It's a great feeling.


To put things into perspective, we purchased our home from a prominent defense attorney in our city. Now HE has made TONS of money in his career. We aren't there yet but life has a funny way of coming full circle. The previous owner is also one of my really close friends' mentor. In 2005, when my friend graduated from law school, his mentor, the previous owner of now OUR home, hosted a white party, which my husband and I attended as boyfriend and girlfriend. Me, maybe a year into my career and my boyfriend had just finished his second year of medical school. We were still thinking in college student budget numbers and hadn't started any businesses so we were, for lack of better terms, thinking small time. We always tell the story of us sitting in the corner of that very same dining room at that party back in 2005, looking across the house thinking "Wow! Do you think we'll ever be able to afford something like this?" and laughing at ourselves for asking such a ridiculous question. OF COURSE NOT!!! But look at God, 5 years later, we purchased that VERY SAME house that we thought we'd never be able to afford.

Buying the house was not the epitome of our accomplishments, it was a symbol of all the hard work we put in within those 5 years to be in a position to do that. We were proud of ourselves. Our parents were excited. Our family felt blessed as well. Yes. The house was empty for a good 2 years after we moved in. In fact, we had a church fellowship hall folding table that was left there for us as our dining room table for 3 years before we actually bought a real one. Hahhahahahahahhaa!!! So to sit in a real dining room chair at my formal dining room table that is decorated with Marshalls, Home Goods, thrifting and traveling finds felt really good.

It made me think about Beyonce's HBO documentary, "Life Is But A Dream", she said something about
taking it all in that really resonated with me. Imagine being Beyonce, a legend, a business woman, a true talent, and a wife with strong family values. It's sooooo easy to get caught up in the next opportunity or figuring out what your next move is going to be because you want to make sure your family is taken care of. So much so that you don't even enjoy what you're doing in the moment or even what you've accomplished up until that point.

I'm a woman on the move. Like Beyonce, I'm always thinking of the next step but I'm learning to just take it all in every now and then. It's ok to pause and pat yourself on the back. I had a busy day on Sunday but I took my time to eat breakfast and sent my husband, who was at work, an affirmation text. I thanked him for his role in my life and being a blessing to me and my family as well as our unborn son. It felt good to just take it all in and just be thankful.

While we never settle and are always looking to improve and grow, your blessings only increase when you are grateful for what you have. We have seen much increase in our 13 years together. We are grateful. We share our blessings. We are thankful. We are just getting started!

How Fancy Free Came To Be

Growing My Relaxer Out

I grew up in a salon, my great aunt's salon. A blue magic, press and curl, Marcel irons salon. My whole family grew up with long, healthy, relaxed hair. So, when I told my mother I wanted to grow my relaxer out
Since big hair was attainable with relaxed hair, I kept relaxing my hair for about 10 more years. After 3 degrees, a husband, and reaching my career goals, I was now more focused on my health. I was working out, making sure my food was organic and trying to eat right. I say "trying" cuz I love sweet and cakes and pies. One day, I asked myself why I was cautious about what I was putting in my body but still putting that crap ON my body. So, I had a talk with my husband, since my hair is his hair, and we decided no more relaxers. I would grow my relaxer out and finally have the big hair I wanted 10 years before.
Transitioning was tough for me, even though I knew how to take care of and style hair. Something about the 2 different textures made it difficult. But I saw it through and about 6 months into my transition, I was able to cut the last 2 inches of relaxed hair off and be totally "free" from chemicals.

at 20 y.o., her first question to me was "Why?" At 20, I ain't have no real answer other than that I wanted big hair. LOL! Which was a legit answer. She told me to rod my hair, pluck it out, and I'd have big hair. Hahahahahhahaha!!!

Fancy Free Natural Hair Consults

Not relaxing my hair has been a journey for me. I have had to experiment with styles and products. About 7 months in, I was able to get into my groove. That's when the questions started when I'd go out. And not just "Is that a twist out?", I'm talking they wanted step by step instructions for the entire process while I was walking out off my office building, running late for an appointment. This would happen to me all the time.

Almost every where I went. When my accountant suggested we start a home based business, I hadn't been introduced to direct sales yet, so....I ordered business cards and set a new gmail account. Voila! "Fancy Free Natural Hair Consults" was born. My marketing strategy? I would answer 3 questions about my hair, if there was a 4th question, I'd hand them a business card to set up a time for the interested party have a consultation. That didn't really start popping off until the product came around.

Fancy Free Shea Pomade

I have thick, kinky hair. Kinky hair tends to get dry. In experimenting, I found that I needed a heavy, shea based product to seal the moisture in and hold my twists. I tried a few products off the shelf but the texture was too waxy and difficult to work with or I didn't like the smell. I never thought about making my own. I went to a natural hair expo on a mission and I found a product made by a natural hair stylist, based in North Carolina. It smelled great and was easy to work with. However, the cost of shipping and time it took for me to get what I needed was just too much. So, one day I decided I could make it myself. I got me a recipe from the interwebs, picked up the ingredients and got cooking.

The first batch was a disaster. After making a mess in the kitchen, my husband spilled my shea all in the refrigerator and on the floor. *sigh* I was laugh-crying about it at work and one of my colleagues told me to whip it instead of melting it. It's less work, doesn't separate, and doesn't make that big of a mess. She was right! I whipped my own hair product for about a year before I started using it on my skin too. 

I kept that product a family secret for about 2 years. Only my sisters and I were using it. LOL! Then one of my master public relations girlfriends was getting dressed at my house for an event and used some of it. She said "This product is bomb! Start selling this ASAP!" So, I did and the rest is history.

NOW, my Natural Hair Consults include a 2 oz. Fancy Free Shea Pomade, a 3 day supply of awesome sauce nutritional supplements, that I use myself, and a customized hair care plan. I also sell the whipped shea by itself. With lots of support and word of mouth testimonials, Fancy Free Shea Pomade has grown leaps and bounds in just 9 months. As we continue to grow and try to fit the needs of every curly hair texture, stay tuned for more products in the Fancy Free line.

Just know that it is our goal to have everyone fall in love with their natural tresses and keep skin glowing and moisturized. 

Visit our website at www.fancyfreellc.com/hair for more about me and sign up get email updates about products and sales.  

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What's your number?

http://images.mid-day.com/2012/oct/bribe.jpg

In 2013, I started my first home based business. I started it fort he tax benefits only. I really wasn't looking to
be a full on entrepreneur. Let's face it. I have a cushy job as a supervisor. That comes easy to me. I re-direct, delegate, and solve problems. I get paid for what I know, not what I do. I take that back. I get paid to accomplish goals and meet deadlines, not to cover a work area for an allotted time. Which was all fine and dandy to me until I started hanging around people who were making monthly what I make yearly. I say, in the most humble way possible, I do well for myself. So, to see that kind of money in someone's income statements really got me thinking about my real "worth".

Most home based businesses are considered "direct sales". What is direct sales? The principal behind it is, the individual markets a product or service for an established company. As an individual, you get paid a commission for the sales you make and then you build a team to do the same thing. The company compensates you for adding member to your team. You help the people on your team sell the product and/or services and receive a portion of the commissions from your team's efforts as well. The great thing about this model is that it encourages team work. As a team leader, I want to sell and make money and I want my team to sell.

Not only do you get to help a gang of people earn the kind of income they dream of, you also open your mind. Prior to opening my mind to direct sales, I thought I would be set with a salary anywhere between $80,000-$100,000 per year. I'd earn that going into an office, working about 40-50 hours per week. I'd have to be on call, since I'm in the healthcare field, which meant my phone may ring in the evenings after I already left the office for the day, on the weekend, in the middle of the night, or even while I'm on vacation. I was fine with that until I saw that there were other ways to earn money, help people, like I enjoy doing in healthcare, and feel like I'm being compensated properly for the time that I spend "working".

I LOVE the technical aspect of my healthcare profession. The patient testing. Process improvement. Buying new equipment. Validating a new test method that will save my staff time and frustration. It's awesome. I don't like the managerial aspect of it. Personal issues. Disciplining staff. Terminating staff who don't correct their mistakes. It can be really stressful at times. Late nights. Coming in early to catch up with night shift staff. Staying late to be prepared for an early morning meeting. The thought often passed through my mind..."I don't get paid enough for this." I know I am not the only one who has had these thoughts.

What is enough though? Like, if they suggested they'd double your salary, would you still feel like you didn't get paid enough? Maybe I would take double to deal with the same stress. Maybe. But eventually, the feeling would come back. "I don't get paid enough for this crap."

What's your number? How much money will it take for you to deal with the "crap" of your job on a daily basis where you would feel like you get paid enough to deal with it? Everyone has a number. I'm curious. Being around entrepreneurs in all fields, not just direct sales, I've become more comfortable in naming my number with confidence. I am fine with walking away from the table if the numbers and conditions aren't satisfactory to me. Why? Because I know my number. I know what I bring to the table and the value I add. Truth is, the people I end up negotiating with know it too.

Remember, know your worth. When negotiating a salary, a recording contract, or a distribution deal, you have to know your worth and stand behind it. Otherwise, the person whom you're negotiating with is going to try to  low ball you. Nothing personal, it's just in their best interest to get the most value for the least amount of money.

Although I wholeheartedly believe in the power of direct sales and the benefits of a home based business, but I love my career. Direct sales has given me the confidence to venture out in to some other things while I build my team. It also gave me the confidence to negotiate terms with my employer that give me the flexibility to grow my own businesses and also continue to grow in my career. Those negotiations took over 3 months but I knew my number and I knew what I had to offer so I could advocate for myself.

If you don't know your number, figure it out. If you don't love your situation at work or in life, fight for change. You add value. It's highly likely that the people you are working with know that and will give you everything you want. That's how you live the "Fancy Life".

Busy vs. Productive

In this day in age, everyone is soooooo busy. Busy building a brand. Busy changing lives. Busy on
social media. Busy walking in circles. Busy protesting. Busy rallying. Busy doing nothing. LOL! Yes, sometimes I say I'm busy because I don't want to do anything. A consistently full schedule can be exhausting. Sometimes you do need to schedule in "nothing" also known as down time.

Being a business woman and a hospital laboratory manager, I find it more valuable to be productive than "busy". We only have 24 in a day, so when I work on my business, my "Money Making Time" needs to be spent doing just that, doing activities that will make me money. Or get my mind right so that I can make money. If I find that that is a way to automate a task. I automate. If there is a task that doesn't require my direct input, I delegate. There is a list of things that I have to do every single day and then there are special items on my "to-do" list that I like to take inventory at the end of each day to make sure I got those things done. Boom. Productivity.

As a lab manager, productivity looks a little bit differently. I can pull data to see the "productivity" of my staff. Who did how much of what and how long it took them. Sometimes, I measure my own productivity by how messy my desk is. LOL! I am constantly looking for ways to improve processes so that my staff can use their time efficiently instead of wasting time working on, what I like to call, "foo foo ka ka stuff". It's just not efficient use of resources for me to pay a skilled professionals to perform clerical tasks, like scanning and filing papers, just to say they're "busy". When the auditors come to assess my department, there is no fat to trim. We are all "productive".

Let's get into "busy." I"ll admit it, I, too, have fallen victim to popcorn brain and shiney object syndrome. I'll start doing one thing then get distracted by a text message or an indicator light on my phone. The next thing I know, I've spent an hour on the internet chasing down the real reason Mariah and Quad, from Married to Medicine, had a falling out. Yeah. I was busy. If no one actually saw what was on my phone, they'd probably think I was reading emails or a personal development book. But was I productive? No. LOL!

A goal is nothing but a wish if you don't have a plan of action. Actions without a plan just keep you busy and not productive. It's so easy to get caught up in "activities" for the sake of doing something or being seen or getting the attention of the media. Everyone is busy but are they busy making decisive, calculated moves or are they just running on a treadmill. Moving, just not toward anything. When you are participating in activities, ask yourself "What am I trying to achieve here?" "Is this a good use of my time?" "Is this helping the cause?" "Will this activity actually make a difference?" "Is this going to help me reach my goal?" Or am I just gonna be busy?

In my journey toward the fanciest life possible, I've learned a lot about myself and improved how I operate to increase productivity. Having a Fancy life is possible but if you need help with getting where you want to be, I would LOVE to help you. Fill out the contact information form so we can schedule your consultation on how to move from being busy to being productive.

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