Today we’d like to introduce you to Valese Jones.
Hi Valese, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The idea for The Queendom was birthed from frustration. My business partner, Bridgette Jones and I, realized we spent a full work shift getting all our beauty needs tended to and that the process needed to be more convenient, thus The Queendom Beauty Bus was born. Due to COVID, our full-service mobile beauty salon and spa lost our investor but, instead of accepting this as defeat, we came up with the Queendom Beauty Box. This Beauty Box solely features brands by companies that have at least one Black or minority female founder and for every box purchased, a sexual assault survivor receives our “Crowned Case” for free. We’ve gotten so much great press and feedback from people because of our care for the community, which is the foundation of our business.
Currently, we are still raising funds to finish the build-out of not one but two mobile salons. We were accepted into this really great accelerator program hosted by Impact Ventures that focuses on helping Black and women-owned businesses grow and scale. It runs from September to December. Hopefully, we leave it with some funding but, we are also crowdfunding and people can support us by donating to our campaign here: https://theerentparty.com/index.php/product/lets-make-beauty-services-more-accessible/.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As mentioned earlier, we lost our main investor because of covid. That was a major blow because it is already very hard to secure funding for a business, multiply that difficulty by 1000 when you are a Black woman. People also love to over mentor us and offer education opportunities without funding when the data proves that with the proper resources, our businesses succeed more often than they fail. This road has not been smooth at all and that’s why when we finally make it completely down it, we will make sure it is easier for the next girl/woman. I want even get started on the other difficulties caused by covid. The supply chain has been a literal nightmare. Overcoming struggles and solving problems is like 90% of the job as an entrepreneur. But we don’t complain about it because we’re passionate about The Queendom and know that it will make the lives of so many women easier.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Freelance Publicist that specializes in helping small businesses, nonprofits, brands and creatives build and tell their story. I’ve worked in entertainment, sports, beauty, fashion, dentistry and about every medium in between. I love all things communications related. Right now, I am definitely most proud of the fact that I have been able to gain and maintain clients during this pandemic. My industry always gets hit hard during times like this. So the fact that I am able to continue working is a blessing that I don’t take for granted at all. I believe what sets me apart from others is that I am willing to think outside of the box when the traditional methods are not working and that I am educated/experienced beyond the traditional scope of PR.
In addition to being a publicist, I am a certified digital marketer and have a master’s degree in Marketing and Management. I combine all of those skill sets to create effective campaigns that appeal to my client’s target audience in this digital age. I also plan events. Most recently, I planned a successful drive in concert and conversation featuring some of Dallas’ most talented independent artists and social activists and organizations. You can check out my website to see some of my work, sincerelynicole.net.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I played tennis for 15 years and as for Bridgette, she’s a great personal stylist that has worked on several fashion shows and photo/video shoots.
Pricing:
- Queendom Beauty Box-$35
Contact Info:
- Email: thequeendombeautybar@gmail.com
- Website: thequeendombeautybus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thequeendombbtx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thequeendombeautybus
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thequeendombbtx
- Other: https://theerentparty.com/index.php/product/lets-make-beauty-services-more-accessible/
Image Credits
Annie Cortes of XOCreativeMedia
