Entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster ride! It has ups, downs, and loops. I've experienced all three with my women's fashion accessory brand Accented Glory. Too often, entrepreneurs only share about the ups. I believe in keeping it real and share the good, the bad, and lessons learned.
I recently shared one of my lessons learned with my online community Digital Marketing On A Budget for creative women entrepreneurs. In May of 2019, one of my designs was featured on Martha Stewart Shop as an Etsy Find. I know you're probably thinking that is amazing news and it was! I was so excited when I learned about it, however it was also a missed opportunity. See below the three lessons I learned from the experience.
As a mother and small business coach I always tell my children and clients, there are no failures if you learn from the experience. Experiences are building blocks for success! Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer What are some lessons you've learned from your experiences?
Accented Glory's design that was featured as an Esty Find on Martha Stewart Shop is our Double Cowrie Shell Adjustable Headband! Check it out in our Amazon Shop by clicking shop now below.
Guess who was featured on Refinery29...Accented Glory! This was a nice surprise this week. My Afro Puff Holder design…
No look is complete without great accessories! Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer
I’m currently offering a FREE copy of my hair accessory styling guide! This is a concise “no fluff” guide that I have created for natural hair women who style with hair accessories. As naturals, we can’t take the “one size fit all” approach when it comes to hair accessories.
In the downloadable guide I share what naturals should consider when styling with and purchasing hair accessories. I offer advice on styling with headbands, headwraps, and hair jewelry. I also provide styling tips that will minimize damage to kinky, coily, and curly hair. Visit bit.ly/NaturalsStylingGuide to access and download your copy! Tonya Cross – Accessory Designer What's your favorite hair accessory to style with? Let us know in comments below. 
This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.
Cowrie Shells is my primary creative muse! Cowrie shells have African roots and portrays a message of respect, honor, and inspiration. In the video below, I share how they influence my creativity. Click play to learn more.
No look is complete without great accessories! Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer
This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.
Amazon Prime Members in U.S. can earn $10 credit to use on Amazon Prime Day when they spend $10 or more with select small businesses like Accented Glory from June 7-20th! Also Prime Store cardholders in U.S. earn up to 10% back on purchases.
Purchase Accented Glory women fashion accessories and earn Amazon Prime Day credit TODAY! Click on Amazon Finds to shop with Accented Glory. Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer Check out some of the designs I have on Amazon! I also offer FREE U.S. Shipping. Click on photos to visit design listing in my Amazon Shop. - Tonya of Accented Glory
This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.
At Accented Glory various materials and concepts inspire the formation of my accessory designs. I allow my imagination and creativity to guide the way. In the video below, I share how symbols play a role in my creativity. Click play to learn more.
No look is complete without great accessories! Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer
Wedding Bells Are Ringing...Yes, it's that time of the year! I love wedding season because it provides an opportunity for my creative imagination to soar. I normally get custom orders from brides for hair accessory and/or jewelry designs. All the brides I've worked with have given me creative freedom and it shows through each unique design! Below are pics of designs I created for brides last season! I created my first veil and a floral hair comb. It was so exciting to make a creative contributions to both ceremonies! Are you a natural hair bride that needs hairstyle and accessory inspo for your wedding? Click Natural Hair Bride to check out Accented Glory's Pinterest board! Need unique hair accessory or jewelry designs for your wedding day? Click custom order to submit your request. Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer Accented Glory's visionary Tonya Cross got a chance to chat with Brittney Badie of Herbal Accession LLC. Brittney is a Chicago native that has always carried a passion for providing peace to others, through counseling, support and care. Read below to learn more about her and her business!  Brittney Baddie of Herbal Accession TC: Please introduce yourself and tell us who you are. HA: HEY! I am Brittney, the founder of Herbal Accession LLC. I am from and live in Chicago. I am a natural enthusiast, a positivity influencer, and a knowledge seeker. I just launched my small business, Herbal Accession, in October of 2020, but my passion for healing and being a service to others started long ago. I have 15 years of experience in social service and completed a Masters program in Health Communication to further my dreams of promoting health and wellness to others. My focus now is to help others in their journey of healing. TC: I love connecting with other fellow naturals in business! Tell us about your natural hair journey. HA: I can’t talk about my hair journey without mentioning my spiritual journey as well because they both carry the same significance and, simultaneously, occurred at the same time. In order for me to grow and know my natural hair, I had to grow to know myself. I had been natural for the first 18 years of my life but I never knew how to take care of my own hair. I didn’t know my own hair, what products worked best for my hair, and even what my natural hair really looked like. My mother would take me to the “shop”, which was a local in-home beauty salon to have my hair straightened (hot comb/flat-ironed), or to my aunt’s house to get braids or she would spend a Sunday night burning and curling my hair with a hot comb. I could remember begging my mother, in high school, to allow me to relax my hair. At the time, I admired the long, sleek, neat hairstyles that I couldn’t enjoy because my hair was naturally curly and “unruly”. Finally, after I turned 18 and was ready to move away for college, she agreed that I could relax my hair. I didn’t realize, at the time, how delicate my crown was. I attempted my own “box relaxers”, dyed my hair, used excessive heat and manipulation and dried out my hair. I literally fried my hair. When I came home from school during my Spring break, I went to the shop to get a “touch-up” but because my hair was so damaged, the stylist had to cut my hair off. I was devastated. I remember looking in the mirror on my way out of the door, in tears and thinking “How did I get to the point that my “crown” was so damaged that I didn’t care enough to prevent this?” “Why did I care so much that I would stand out from everybody else?” and even more important “Why is my hair so impactful to my life?” To be honest, I didn’t know how to take care of my hair because I didn’t know how to take care of myself. I remember being in my dorm, combing through my hair and globs of broken, lifeless, damaged ends falling into the sink and ignoring the fact that my hair was suffering. That was my approach to a lot of situations in my life at that time. I realized that much of my despair had little to do with my actual hair (or lack thereof) but it had much to do with my alignment within myself. I had to dig deeper to find out what my hair needed, to be repaired, much like I had to dig deep to repair myself. This was the beginning of my natural hair journey. TC: Now you have a unique skin care and relaxation product line! Tell us more about your brand Herbal Accessions and how it came to be. HA: I was a natural skin care and product junkie. I would buy the latest popular products in hopes of finding the perfect body care/skin care that answered all of my skin care needs and had all of the right ingredients. I realized that majority of these products only have one or a few natural ingredients and was full of unnecessary preservatives and chemicals. I was pushed to take an even closer look at what I put on my skin and in my body after I had my son, who experienced severe eczema. After researching eczema, I learned that it can be treated simply by becoming conscious of the toxins we ingest and put on our skin. I decided to ditch spending money on popular brands of wellness and body care products and simply make them myself with no preservatives and just the right mix of herbs and ingredients. I created my own “perfect” product. Within recent years, I have also been conscious in advocating self-care. I had family members that suffered from illness due to simply not prioritizing their own health. I wanted to combine a variety of products, that I personally love and enjoy, into a brand that specializes in combining these two factors- self-care/reducing stress and all-natural herbs and beneficial ingredients. That’s how Herbal Accession came about! Herbal Accession’s goal as of now, is to open a wellness center in Chicago that offers free classes on how to grow herbs and plants for healing and wellness, how stress affects our minds and bodies, mindfulness and mental health workshops, public nursery, and Herbal store. TC: Love your brand story! I see from your website that you also have wine and elixirs. Wine Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week. Tell us more about these products. HA: Yes! Girl I love a good wine! Our wine has been the top selling item lately! Kudos to that! I often indulge with a glass of wine or cocktail and a nice warm bath for relaxation, but on my journey to better my health and become conscious of what I consume, I learned that a lot of wine brands that I used to enjoy, were full of preservatives and additives. So one day, me and my fiancé went to a wine making class and it dawned on me, that I could make my own. I could include the level of sweetness I enjoyed, as well as any other perks or herbs I chose and most importantly, no preservatives! I started simply making sweet red wine (that’s my favorite!) and then I incorporated THC/Cannabis into my wine after learning about the natural benefits of Cannabis for stress relief, anxiety, and well-being. I was trying to create a drink that offered a delightful calming effect. My Elixirs are infused with Indica Strains of Cannabis for a relaxing feel. The wine is infused with Sativa strains for an uplifting, yet relaxing feel. I plan on expanding my collection to include wine infused with some of my favorite natural herbs such as lavender, rosemary, hemp, etc.  Full Moon Candle
TC: Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience? HA: I simply want to thank your audience for reading and allowing me to talk about my passion and experience. TC: Where can our audience find out more about your business, products and services? HA: You can keep tabs on updates, latest news, goal and mission progress, product announcements and engagements via Instagram-@herbalaccession or at herbalaccession.com/pages/expanding-the-brand.  I spend a lot of time reflecting during this time of year. I look back on the choices I have made and evaluate the life lessons I’ve learned. This season is also an opportunity for new beginnings; a time to choose a new path and start with a clean slate. Have you considered what will be your catalyst for an epic year? How will you fill the blank pages of the New Year? Answer these questions with one (1) of the seven (7) ideas listed below. 1. Hair Vision Board Do you have hair goals you want to accomplish this year? Making a hair vision board is a creative way to start the year. A vision board is an amazing tool for visualization. It’ll help you establish your intentions, clarify your goals, and create a plan of action. I’m the type of girl who thinks experiences are better shared. Why create your vision board alone when you can host a virtual vision board party with your curl friends via Zoom! 2. Try Something Different Trying something different is always better with friends! Virtual group activity events are very popular right now. There is a wide range of activity options from virtual paint-and-sips to happy hours. You can organize a Curl Friend Zoom Party and learn something new together. Forewarning, these group activities are full of fun and laughter. Your curl friends will want you to plan more events throughout the year! 3. Invest In Yourself This is a great resolution for my fellow natural hair influencers. Take an online class, webinar, or course that will help you better serve your audience. We should be “forever” learners and willing to invest in our craft. The topic possibilities are endless! From marketing to hair care classes find something that’ll interest you. 4. Love Your Tribe Life is too short! Stop wasting time and energy on people that are not an asset to you. Love on those who both uplift and inspire you to be a better version of yourself. Find ways to show them how much you appreciate the role they play in your life. Gestures such as thank you cards and small gifts are fantastic! 5. Take A Mini-Vacation For your mini-vacation, you can book a room at a local hotel or resort and unplug. Another option is a staycation; you can stay at home or camp-out in your backyard and unplug. Unplug by taking a break from your electronics and doing relaxing activities. Who doesn’t love an evening stroll or great book? I know I do and you can do them all during your vacation! 6. Get More Organized If you function better in clutter, this one is not for you! Organized things allow me to be more creative. Clutter has a negative affect on my productivity and mood. A clutter-free environment is also a pathway for me to get things done quicker. If clutter free sounds like something you need in your life, strive to get more organized this year. 7. Focus on Self-Care Curl friends please make time for yourself! Sow into your well-being whether its physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. To be your best self for others you have to replenish and restore yourself. Self-care can be something as simple as daily meditation or reading a few chapters of a book. Self-preservation is not a selfish gesture. It is something much needed for your health. I hope you found this list helpful. Is there anything else you would add to this list? If so, feel free to place it in the comments.
Tonya Cross - Accessory Designer Accented Glory has gain a lot a visibility this year and we're LOVIN' it! Many small businesses have experienced setbacks with the global pandemic this year. Accented Glory was fortunate to pivot early and has had much success even amidst Covid-19. It is truly a blessing to be in alignment with your vision and purpose! We're excited to announce that we ended the year with a bang! We now have the title of Accessory Business Of The Year by Buy From a Black Woman (BFABW). BFABW is a non-profit organization that supports Black women entrepreneurs by providing tools and resources that enables them to be successful. They offer educational programs, funding, and a directory listing for their organization members. During the month of November BFABW celebrates Buy From A Black Woman Awareness Month. Throughout the month they host giveaways and events. Accented Glory is excited to be a part of this amazing organization and believe we have found our tribe! Below are some additional features our visionary and accessory designer Tonya Cross has been a part of this year. Click on names to read and/or listen! Black Profits Feature Cornell Report (Mention Paragraph 5) Enterprise League Feature (Our project is #19) The Spirit Talks Podcast Women’s Entrepreneurship (Mention Paragraph 14) Cierra - AKA Accessory Diva  |
Cierra CrossCierra has been a part of Accented Glory since its launch in June 2013. Outside of being an "Accessory Diva", she's a millennial who's currently navigating adulthood. Click Not One Of Your Little Friends to check out her podcast! Archives
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