Imagine being able to combine spiritual wellness into feminine hygiene products? Well, that's what The Goddess Detox is doing. They are not the typical feminine hygiene company that you see on the market. There's an energetic-emotional component that comes along with the use of their products. Olanikee started her entrepreneurial journey selling shea butter to both men and women.
After experiencing a profound shift in her life from reading the Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit, she learned the power of affirmations, the power of energetic exchanges, crystals, and setting up your altar. Olanikee also learned about African traditional spiritual practices and the impact traditions, rituals, energy, and herbs have on the body.
As a result of that exposure, she created The Goddess Detox. She said, "Just wanting to promote something more than just a physical standpoint. Like I really was into, like, energy, and I wanted to talk about the metaphysical properties of herbs.
And so, in terms of goddess detox, it has grown into a spiritual women's wellness brand and spiritual women's wellness company. Because for me, whatever we put out is more than just use this, And this is the result, you know, it's more than just the physical aspect."
The Goddess Detox products include the detox pearls, the vaginal steam, and the yoni wash, which comes with powerful affirmations, and the yoni wash comes with rose quartz crystals. All of these products are about intentions. The instructional booklets come with each product that explains how to use it. Within the booklets, women are encouraged to speak to the herbs or products, say their intentions, and what they want to materialize for themselves.
She said, "I really believe that women are very powerful. And for me, I want women to understand how to use that power. And most of the time, I'm telling them to speak what that is, you know, speak to things as if it's already here, speak love into your Yoni, speak what the intention is into the herbs." She believes women must reconnect with their vagina to understand it's a place of love, connection, a place of spirituality. She said, "It's more than a physical organ to pop out babies."
What are you most proud of when it comes to The Goddess Detox?
Olanikee has a lot to be proud of. Her product boasts countless positive reviews, and many women openly share their experiences with the products. She said, "I think what I'm most proud of when it comes to my business is the wonderful miraculous life-changing experiences that my customers receive when they use my products. There've been many women that were told that they couldn't get pregnant. They're now pregnant.
Many women may have had hysterectomies, and they weren't sure if they could use this product or if it would help them. And it has helped them, or they've dealt with pain associated with PCOS and endometriosis. And now when they have sex, they're not feeling as much pain, you know, maybe they've had like the debilitating cramps.
Like, literally can't do anything when their cycle comes, and then now their cycle comes, and they didn't even know. And that's such a 360, you know, from knowing when your cycle comes and knowing you're going to get these cramps and then not even to know that it came because you don't feel any cramps anymore."
Olanikee loves providing her customers with specific herbs that can help their womb area, or they want to be rid of negative romantic relationships energetically, and it happens. She believes it boils down to rituals and the process of cleansing your physical body, setting your intentions because rituals are an ancient and powerful way to shift the energetic fields in your life.
What were some of your biggest fears along your journey?
Olanikee's biggest fear was law associations potentially seeking her out because of the way she words things. She's not yet FDA-approved, which she is currently in the process of doing so that she can certify the claims of her products. She feared that people would not like what she was doing and try to sue her and take her company down.
Describe what it was like preparing for the pitch competition?
Olanikee has done one pitch competition before in person. This was her first virtual competition. The pitch experience helped her articulate her business better regarding what it is and what they offer. Lastly, she loved being able to vocalize what her business was about in a public forum.
She advises those who are looking to do a pitch competition, "Definitely practice and know which you know, who you serve, why you're doing it, and what your good products are. I really leveraged my audience. So I feel like being able to grow your audience or have a good email list or a good subscriber rate, like focusing on building out your audience, building extra email lists, and getting people to your email list, at times like this, right?
When you need the community's support, they're able to come through because I admittedly texted my people the day before. Make sure you're growing your email list. It's helpful. Even if you give a 10% off or 11% off discount code, grow your email list because they. Then your community helps you out in times like this when you need it."
Olanikee used the pitch funds to focus on marketing. She has reached out to influencers through Instagram to market her products.
Tell us about any significant setbacks that you had in your business and how you recovered?
Olanikee's setbacks surrounded inventory. She found herself constantly selling out. At one point, she received capital from PayPal, which prevented her from selling out. If you don't have products, how are you going to sell them? By having a product-based business having continuous inventory is critical.
What is the biggest risk you've taken so far?
Olanikee isn't as phased by risks as much. But talking about the vagina is a risk, especially from a spiritual perspective. When she talks about women being able to have other options than simply ingesting a pill or a cream is a risk because she focuses on herbs. She said, "I think empowering women could be seen as a risk too. Because it may not be how the world is right now, we're stepping into a different way of living soon, a different way of doing business. And a lot of it is feminine focus or from an energy focus just to kind of bring back balance into the world."
Granted $230k in funding, The Goddess Detox could consider this as a risk. She has to pay that back with a percentage of her sales. Olanikee said everything she does is a risk, from being visible online to selling products online. Because of the nature of what she sells, she could focus on what other people think. Strangers online may oppose what she's doing as well.
Olannikee said, "Online strangers have to see my product can be seen as a risk to different people based on like where they're at in their mind and their personal development because some people have a hard time being on camera. Some people have a hard time doing something different than the rest of their family. You know, I'm trying to say like, all these can be seen as risks, so I don't have one. I just think running a business, in general, could be seen as a risk."
How do you measure success?
Olanikee hasn't had a job since she was 23 years old. She describes success as freedom. Olanikee said, "I want a very luxurious life. It's still growing, but I just want to be able to buy whatever the f*** I want. I mean, I'm really big on spirituality, and at the same time, I understand that we need avenues where we can receive the funds. And I know some people may not find that money's very important, but it is very important to me because it really helps me have a life of freedom.
And so I feel very grateful for that, and I'm very grateful. But I'm also very proactive in the life that I'm continuing to create for myself, not only from an energetic and spiritual perspective because I do my prayers, affirmations doing my offerings to my ancestors and Orisha, but I also am like taking steps to understand that I am creating my own reality.
And so, for me, success is the freedom to be able to do that and be able to create the life that I want. Everybody has the choice to create their lives. The freedom of choice. You know, for me, money brings that." She has built a conscious business that has a powerful impact on women's lives.
Support isn't always given to Black and Brown women in business; when has this shown and hurt or disappointed you the most?
Olanikee spoke to how the medical industry approaches herbal medicine. "So I don't feel like I've had an experience of not being able to be supported as a Black woman in business, but I will say now, I'm not sure if this is a race thing or not, but when it comes to, woman using herbs because they actually want to use the herbs to heal something.
Maybe they're infertile. Maybe they're suffering from PCOS and endometriosis. So maybe they have horrible cramps. I will say that some gynecologists or white gynecologists look at indigenous medicine and herbs as false. And that will never work.
Oh, you can use vaginal steam just to relax, but there's a whole slew of physical benefits that these herbs are doing to the woman, the uterus, but they'll deny that. And so now, in terms of indigenous culture and it being non-white, hey, is that supportive? Is it not that supportive? Is it a racial thing? I don't know, but sometimes these practices are looked down on as fake and a laugh and a joke when it comes to certain white gynecologists.
What's the most critical lesson that you've learned about business?
Olanikee mentioned marketing as a critical lesson for her to learn. After taking a marketing class through CiCI, The Six Figure Chick helped her change how she marketed her business to her customers. She learned how to use Instagram to post her products using the link in her bio that helped her grow her business.
She said, "But learning how to market on Instagram pages like that really made me money. I mean, that helped me make money to where now my business is fully sustainable. And then eventually, I was able to do my business full time. And so, for me, that was a critical lesson in business, because if you're not marketing your product the right way or the correct way, or to more people, then people are not buying, or maybe you're just forced to do vendor stuff in person. But we have Instagram, and we have the worldwide web where millions of people can see us."
What do you think is an important skill or asset that you need to succeed in business?
Olanikee believes having a vision is the most critical asset. She believes that you can hire people for the other components of your business, but the vision is vital. And that's something only you, as the founder, embodies. She explained, "It's having the vision, like, what is your vision for your brand? What is the vision for your company? Because I feel like that's kind of what the audience buys into. There are so many vaginal washes on the market. They're still growing. I think feminine hygiene for women, especially Black women, is still very open, and there's so much to do there still.
And I feel like what's the differentiating factor? What does your company stand behind? What is your overall vision? How do you want people to feel about your stuff? Right? And I think having that as the CEO is priceless because you have that vision, and I feel like your vision can't really be quite explained the way another person does it."
What's the most exciting part of the business?
Olanikee loves to create new products. She enjoys thinking about product creation, how it will look, how people will feel about it. She makes each product with powerful intentions, but also she's intentional about the product, how it looks, ensuring it has natural ingredients, and so forth.
What do you think the future holds for Black and Brown women entrepreneurs and small business owners?
Olanikee is optimistic about the future for minority business owners. She said, "The future is very bright for Black women entrepreneurs. I think that we have a really great opportunity to bring wealth to our lineage. And I'm not saying that every woman now has to have kids and babies. I mean, you can bring wealth to your family, and then through the family, having kids and babies, you can help that because not everyone wants to have a baby, and that's fine.
So, I just think it's really bright. Like there were times where we were not able to do business, right freely? And now we're in the age of technology and social media where Black women are really doing business. Like selling the products, selling you on how to make the product, selling you on how to start your business.
Many Black women are teaching women how to start a business and make money in different avenues. It doesn't have to be products. Some people are in real estate. Some people are in Bitcoin. Some people are in stocks and all these other things. And so I think the future is really beautiful for Black women entrepreneurs and that we have a really wonderful opportunity to bring wealth back into our lineage because it really is our birthright."
If you and I were meeting three years from now, looking back, what would it take for you to feel over the moon about your progress?
The Goddess Detox hopes to be internationally recognized. They want to be in international stores as well as domestic stores. Red Table Talk featured The Goddess Vaginal Detox pearls. With their product P**** Power, she understands the name might not be welcoming in various places, and she's working on other names. Olanikee hopes to be in the African and Caribbean markets.
Running a business while balancing a personal life can be demanding and taxing. How do you take care of yourself?
Olanikee practices what she preaches by engaging in spiritual self-love practices; she has another brand called Selfish Babes. She empowers women with the tools to take care of themselves. Olanikee makes it a habit to soak in spiritual baths mixed with basil water and coconut milk. She prays and affirms her intentions into the water and pours it on her body. Olanikee believes ancestor integration is key to remaining connected. She will engage in rituals that connect her to her ancestors.
She'll also take some time to watch Korean dramas. Going outside to be around nature and getting sun helps with her mental health. She works during peak times when she feels the most motivated. If she's not feeling connected to the work, she'll rest and begin the next day. She honors where she is at that moment.
What is your favorite quote or mantra?
"I choose me selfish, babe."
"Self-love is selfish, and that's great."
What is a book and podcast that you would recommend?
Book: After the Rain: Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love by Alex Elle
Selfish Podcast hosted by Olanikee.
What's your favorite business hack or app that you can't live without?
Shopify, MailChimp, and Instagram.
Name one food item that you have a hard time saying no to.
Candy & desserts.
What is next for The Goddess Detox?
The Goddess Detox will continue to expand its product line. They are working on opening up a new warehouse to house their products. Usually, they use another company to ship, but now they will be focusing on shipping their items themselves. She is hoping to connect with open-minded businesses to house some of her more provocative labeled products.
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