Carmella Williams Turns Expertise into Business
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Carmella Williams always knew she wanted to have her own business, but growing up she didn’t know what kind of business until one day she asked herself, “What is it that I am an expert on?”
That’s when the “all-that-hair-on-top-of-yourhead-light bulb” lit up and directed her to focus on creating hair products for dry, brittle hair.
“Hair has been a central part of my life since I was a baby. What to do with it, what to put in it,” she says.
Williams grew up with very curly, dry hair. Dry hair is more common among women who have curly hair because the sebum produced can’t travel down the hair shaft as easily as straight hair, causing curly hair to be more prone to breaking, she says.
Williams found that natural hair salons aren’t common in the area and that few people really deal with curly hair, unless they’re using relaxers to straighten it, which usually contain harsh chemicals.
She began watching videomakers on YouTube who were creating natural conditioners from products found in many kitchens to help hair breakage. Among these products are bananas, avocados and flax seed.
The biggest problem people face in making these products, she says, was that they stick in one’s hair, which hampers their effectiveness. Williams wanted to perfect her formula with natural products, so she started creating her own from natural ingredients in her kitchen.
Now 34 years old, Williams has been the owner of her own hair and body product line, Carmella Marie, since 2013. “If there’s something out there you want but don’t see, then you want to address that,” Williams says of her line.
Williams has 14 products she sells online and in 11 stores. She plans to add a new product to her line this month. Her products are still all natural and some are certified organic.
“I just jumped into the business,” Williams says. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to enter this industry.’ I just wanted to help women.”
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
