Name: Nicole Nelson
Company: Coco Brands
Website: https://cocobrands.co.za/
Contact: 069 311 1361
Email: nicole@cocobrands.co.za
Social Media: https://m.facebook.com/itsmadebycoco/
Entrepreneur Nicole Nelson says after years of battling to find the right product to prevent, reduce and minimise her stretch marks, she decided to make her own, using butter.
Nelson is now the proud owner of Coco Brands.
"I've always been curious about personal care products and cosmetics. So, I started trying to create my body butter using unrefined shea butter, cocoa butter and essential oils.
"I wanted to create an effective formula with ingredients sourced from nature and it worked. I developed almost no new stretch marks, improved my older stretch marks and cleared up my daughter's eczema. The rest is history," she said.
She said it wasn't easy when she started on the journey.
"It hasn't always been easy. I was determined to not copy a formula or a process created by someone else. I spent my early years developing products through trial and error, getting feedback from my 'guinea humans'. It was a steep learning curve of preservation, emulsification, stability testing, natural alternative ingredients, and more," said Nelson.
She said one of the challenges she faced was battling to access both financial and non-financial support.
"I faced many challenges that were all too familiar to any woman of colour trying to start a business. I struggled with financial and non-financial support, also juggling being a single mother, work-life balance, fighting mental and emotional burnout, and struggling to be taken seriously in what's still largely a man's world," she said.
Nelson said it's through determination and resilience that she is not only still standing but her business is thriving.
Coco Brands aims to only use packaging that is readily recyclable and biodegradable.
Nelson advises young female entrepreneurs to have a plan when following their dreams.
