Founder Stories: Anicka Martin On Building Eneka Elements
In today’s Founder Story, we feature Anicka Martin, Founder of Eneka Elements!
Read on for lessons she has learned from launching and marketing her skincare brand.
1. Please introduce your business and share your role.
Eneka Elements focuses on “Legendary hair and skin for women and men” and that is the focal point of this brand. I have a self-care business that focuses on products and blogs that help improve the quality of dry skin and hair. I enjoy working with ingredients grown from Africa to Arizona.
I have written blogs and filmed YouTube videos focusing on how to get healthy skin and long healthy hair using natural ingredients. I focus on mineral and magnesium baths as well. I am a self-care advocate who wants to help others and that starts with ways to find time to get self-care in your routine sustainably.
Our blogs are showcased on Eneka Avenue which give tips to Legendary Anxiety Relief using your fingertips. I also highlight the usefulness and simplicity of several self-care forms in my blog titled 5 Yoga Mudras for quick relaxation.
One of my favorite things to do is to show people that self-care can be quick and easy and I share that on my site. I find people who request ways to increase happiness so I wrote self-care tips to achieve a more fulfilling life on our blog platform.
My audience is mainly people looking to have a healthier lifestyle and people who are active and those looking to increase activity in their lives. I have a lot of people who are into healthy hair and skin as well as those who want to get healthier physically and mentally. My blog space targets these topics. Longevity and living a healthy lifestyle is important to me.
What makes Eneka Elements stand out is the focus on natural ingredients from Africa to Arizona and our love for magnesium. A lot of people are magnesium deficient and we love finding unique ways to incorporate it into a self-care routine via body spray and bath soaks.
On the website, there is a blog article from one of our customers’ experiences using the Noir Queen Black Soap and how it improved her life. I also have an African Black Soap that is good for the body and hair and it is in a foam form to get more product use per bottle.
Eneka Elements uses floral water for healthy skin and hair with a highlight on Egyptian roses. Another product that is a best seller for us is the serums and creams we use to keep skin hydrated, moisturized, and looking healthy.
2. How did you prepare for, and go about your launch?
The launch was very important to me and I did my best to let the local community know that I was opening a new venture utilizing media articles. Being in the local paper as well as marketing and creating content on social media sites made a huge difference.
3. Since launching, what types of marketing campaigns and designs have worked best to attract and retain customers?
I have run Google marketing campaigns as well as utilizing marketing on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. It has been refreshing to interact with people on our multiple platforms and speak one-on-one with those looking for self-care solutions that our products target.
For example, certain products focus on those suffering from dry and hard-to-manage hair. I provide products that hydrate and moisturize hair strands to make it easier to manage your tresses. A lot of people in desert areas suffer from dry skin and our creams and serum are a great solution to try when it comes to alleviating that issue.
4. What have been the most influential brands for your business? Whose branding and marketing do you aspire to and why?
I appreciate fresh and sustainable products. One of my favorite companies for example is Mountain Rose Herbs. They are doing so much for the earth and promoting clean and sustainable products as well. They have organic and sustainable ingredients that go through rigorous testing and provide products that come from organic sources.
5. What are your favorite marketing platforms/tools?
One of my favorite marketing tools is using Google Business. It connects us to so many people and customers old and new. It is free and easy to start a profile with them and start connecting with people right away.
6. Looking ahead, what are you most excited about?
I am most excited about winter. We are based out of Arizona and it has been hot. Our best seasonal time is when things cool down from Fall to Winter. It enables me to get out to local vending spaces and we have more products available for example the body creams and skin care items that are more temperature sensitive.
7. Who or what inspires and motivates you?
I am most inspired by people who take care of those around them but forget about themselves. I really want to help them focus on their own self-care and make sure they are being taken care of as well. I have created self-care products to allow them to get great skin and hair in a simple and effective way. From relaxing magnesium baths with luxurious creams to bask in, as well as spa-quality botanical sprays and potent hair serums.
Eneka Elements offers a blog that speaks about all kinds of valuable knowledge on self-care on our Eneka Avenue Blog space. Self-care starts with the individual. It starts with a moment and Eneka Elements is a moment movement.
8. What are some lessons you’ve learned along the way that you would share with entrepreneurs hoping to launch or who have just launched?
I want other entrepreneurs to invest in their dreams and to keep sharing what they love to do with others. It can be a stressful duty of love to have your own business but it is worth it. I really enjoy seeing a local brand scale to be much bigger and to reach the customers that truly need their products.
9. What do you believe are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? And what makes a team successful?
The qualities of a good entrepreneur are those that have a solution to a need. If you provide solutions that work you can really help people doing what you love. Making sure you delegate responsibilities as you scale is important so you do not burn yourself out. Teamwork is essential. Also, remember when obstacles come around to pivot and keep evolving. Change can be a good thing and remember to be resilient.