Today’s DREAM JOB Interview features the creative lady behind many of my favorite hair products (and, I imagine, yours too!) It’s been such a pleasure interviewing such dynamic entrepreneurs this year, and my experience speaking with Janell Stephens, founder and CEO of Camille Rose Naturals, was no different. I loved Janell’s southern charm and easy-going attitude about her own success, and I know you’ll enjoy reading this feature as much as I enjoyed interviewing Janell.

Dream Job Interview //

Janell Stephens of Camille Rose Naturals

Janell Stephens // Founder CEO // Year Launched: 2010

How did you get started in the beauty and hair care business? How did you know this is what you wanted to do?

I made body and hair products for my family so that I knew they were using products that were safe. It was a lifestyle change for us. When I first started making products, I was researching ingredients and playing around in my kitchen. I never had the intention of selling my products.

Camille Rose is a “total wellness” brand. We aim to care for mind, body and soul. We believe in healthy lifestyles that include exercise, paying attention to what we eat, and the effects of ingredients. I make products today the same way I did when I was making them just for my family. We got started after my child had a really bad diaper rash, and nothing from the store really helped, so I made my own cream that worked overnight! At that point I started thinking to myself, “How can I market this?” Eventually someone got a hold of my cream and approached me about selling it. Things just took off from there.

What were you doing before you launched Camille Rose Naturals?

I was a licensed therapist and I owned a home health agency. After graduate school I took a few years off before taking on my own clients. I’ve always been in business for myself, pretty much. I ended up selling my agency after about ten years, when Camille Rose was just getting off the ground.

How did you fund your business in the beginning? How long was it before you started seeing a profit?

I used some of the earnings from selling my home health agency to start Camille Rose. My husband also helped to fund the business in the beginning. I sold my first product in 2010, and it was a body cream. I didn’t see any real profit for at least a year to a year-and-a-half. The ingredients are so costly–making your own beauty products is a very expensive hobby.

We’ve chosen to pace ourselves. March 1st we’ll be going to 700 Target stores, and we’re in select Whole Foods. We’re also in a few Bed, Bath & Beyond locations. We’re being very strategic about where we want to sell the brand. You can’t find Camille Rose Naturals products everywhere, but we’re okay with growing slowly and letting God direct where we’re going with the brand.

What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?

I have five children, and I’ve had them all back-to-back. I started my own business because I wanted the flexibility that comes with it. The idea of being able to help my children get ready for school in the morning and pick them up from school in the afternoon was motivation for me to become an entrepreneur. I run my business between the hours of 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM so that I can cook for my family and take my children to all their (extracurricular) activities. I love the flexibility of having my own business.

What do you enjoy the least about owning your own business?

Honestly…no. I really like it! If I had to choose something, I suppose I would say that owning your own business brings a lot of stress, but it’s all good stress to me. There’s a lot of decision-making, and you have to create the business as you go. But even all of that is enjoyable to me. I love what I do.

How have you gotten the word out about Camille Rose Naturals? How have you established your social media presence?

Attending hair shows and trade shows really helped push me out there. And then once bloggers got a hold of the products, they would provide reviews on their own. When we were just starting, I didn’t know that companies reached out to bloggers, and I wasn’t familiar with the natural hair movement on YouTube. But nowadays, we do call on bloggers and have relationships with them.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I have to get a workout in every day (I’m doing CrossFit now!). I’m in the gym from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM. Then I get home and make breakfast, and while that’s cooking, I get my kids up and ready for school. I also make their lunches. Then I do my daughters’ hair, we pile into the car and say our prayers, and we’re off to school. After I drop off my kids, I go to my office, which also has a warehouse and a lab. A lot of my products are still made by hand, so I need the space to “cook” my products. Throughout the day I make phone calls and answer email, and I manage the invoicing. I’d say that administrative tasks like filling orders takes up the most of my time. I leave the office at 3:00 PM every day because I have to pick my kids up from school. After school we do activities and homework. I try not to do any work from home in the evenings, but some nights I’ll do research or answer a couple emails or other things that have to get down. The hardest thing about being a mom and owning my own business is that I have to juggle all of these roles. It does get tough.

What’s been the most amazing moment for your business thus far?

My Target contract. I love and shop at Target, and to see Camille Rose Naturals on the shelf with other brands that I respect is such a great feeling. On March 1st we’re introducing our Coconut Water Collection to Target, and I’m excited about that as well. The products in the collection are made with real coconut water. And we have a brand new product in that collection called Style Setter (it’s a heavy cream that gives hold to wash-n-go styles, rod sets and twists), so I’m excited about that too. I can’t wait to get that in everyone’s hands. We have some other exciting things coming from Camille Rose Naturals too, like a new body collection and larger-sized shampoos and conditioners.

When do you feel most creative in your business?

I feel most creative when I first wake up in the morning and I’m lying in bed with tons of ideas. In the morning, I am Superwoman! I walk into my office feeling like I can take over the world. I have a white board in my office that takes up an entire wall, and I write all of my ideas on it. I’m also creative in putting together the formulas for my products. I create every single formula from scratch. I need to be by myself when I’m “cooking” my products in order to feel inspired.

What advice do you have for aspiring natural beauty entrepreneurs?

Keep working at it. Keep praying, don’t rush, and don’t come out with a million products at one time because before you know it, you’ll have spent a lot of money. Just take things one step at a time.

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It’s so inspirational to hear from Janell that you can be a successful business owner (not once, but TWICE) and still maintain your faith in God. I think sometimes we receive mixed messages about being successful in business and being Believers. But Janell’s story proves that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. You can still be humble and faithful and ambitious.

To learn more about Camille Rose Naturals, visit the website, and shop the products at Target!

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