Sonia had been making her own natural afro hair products ever since her daughter had begun suffering from eczema and was only able to use the mildest shampoos and creams. But it took a friend to suggest that Sonia market the products for her to start seeing the commercial potential in it: “The same friend designed a website for me and soon I was being contacted by people from all over the world. Then the reality dawned on me… I had
a business.”

The immediate success of Evelyn Products was partly a result of Sonia’s basic desire to meet the actual rather than perceived needs of her customers, fulfilling the requirements of countless people who’ve had bad experiences using unsuitable products for afro hair. “It wasn’t just my daughter - I’d had reactions that had caused my hair to fall out at the roots. I did some research and found this was a very common story.” Sonia tried to answer a real consumer need by combining essential oils and water-based products, doing away with the synthetic ingredients that can cause so many problems for afro hair.

Armed with her promising commercial concept, Sonia sought help through Business Support Wales. Not only did she receive assistance from a Graduate Start Up business mentor to formulate a business plan, she also profited from the opportunities created on her behalf to pitch to various investors. “This turned out to be the most fantastic opportunity. Up until that point I’d been so determined to get the business going that I’d had to use my credit card and savings to buy everything.”

Sonia also found the Graduate Start-Up workshops hugely useful, especially those focussing on the more technical side of setting up a business. “I had very little experience but bags of enthusiasm”. Sonia explains that without this guidance it would be difficult to keep up with the major players in such a competitive industry.