Heeeyyy guys!! As you all know I am here for supporting black bloggers and black businesses. So today I would like to introduce you to one of my friends, Domonique!! She runs her own blog called Cosmic Psyche and she is the Founder and CEO of Lettia Organics. Now if you have been following me for a while and participating in my blog giveaways you should know that I give away Lettia Organics. Now that stuff is crack!! I use her Stay Golden Collection and I absolutely love it!!! I will be doing a product review on soon!
So anywho here's Dom :)
Hi friends! If you don’t know me, my name is Domonique Defillo and I am the owner of Soulful Endeavor Blog & Lettia Organics LLC!
I’m a 23 year old nursing student at ULSN who loves coffee, snuggling her puppy, Pinterest, working out, intellectual conversation, and helping/inspiring others!
Myself and Ky are actually from the same hometown (S/o to the Dell) and I’m so excited she has allowed me to share a little bit about my two passions with you all!
Soulful Endeavor
1. What made you want to blog?
When I really sit and think about it, I’ve always been really into expressing my thoughts. I’ve been in advanced writing classes all throughout school, and my mom always told me she thought I would grow up to be a journalist. Whether it be through social media or through person-person debates, I’m really into sharing knowledge and being a positive influence. I began Cosmic Psyche in January of 2017 during a time where I really needed an outlet to express everything I had going on in my life. I was trying to find what I was truly interested in after having been in a long relationship and putting everyone else’s needs before my own. So one day I said I was going to make a blog and from there it sort of blew up! My blog is my little baby, and has grown and expanded in the same way that I have over the last few years. It went from being a simple lifestyle blog to exploring the life of health and wellness, working out, black history, and pretty much everything I have grown to enjoy and experience as I’ve gone through this whole self discovery thing.
2. Who is your inspiration when it comes to blogging?
I honestly don’t know if I can say I have an inspirational blogger that I look to. A lot of my inspiration comes from my desire to help people gain the knowledge they need to have a happier/healthier lifestyle. So when I’m scrolling the TL on Twitter or Instagram and I see someone ask about some healthy alternatives to eat instead of red meat, or someone interested in making their special person a creative valentine’s gift my brain is like “Ou. Dom you should blog about that.” If I had to say an influencer I look up to as a whole, it’s Nurse Mo on Instagram (@iamnursemo). She’s an international travel nurse/blogger and an entrepreneur/motivational speaker, so we’re pretty much on the same path in life. She’s a gem and inspires me to use my knowledge + my social platform to help others.
3. What do you want your readers to obtain while reading your blog?
I want people who read my blog to feel like they’re reading advice from their best friend. I think I’m one of the least judgmental and most transparent people that I know (though I’m opinionated and always love to hear other opinions), but I want Cosmic Psyche to serve as a safe haven for people to come to and ask questions or learn about their health and wellness/ hear words of self love without feeling like someone is judging them or forcing them to be a specific way.
If I can change the way just 1 person thinks about life or takes care of their mental/physical health, then my goal has been achieved.
4. Where would you like to see your blog? (ie showcased on tv or being viewed by a celebrity, or someone paying you to write because of the content you talk about)
I would really love to rebrand Cosmic Psyche upon becoming “Nurse Dom” and from there, use my blog as a platform to speak to young women across the country about mental health, health/wellness, and all things GIRL BOSS. For now, I just want to inspire; but in the grand scheme of everything I would hope my blog flourishes and gives me the ability to speak into other lives on an international level.
Lettia Organics
1. Who or what inspired you to start your own business?
I have been making my own natural hair and skin care products for almost 5 years now, but have known about how beneficial they are for you for my entire life. The initial idea to switch to all organic hair and skin care came from the damage I did to my own curls, and the skin care issues that myself and those in my family deal with that brought down their confidence. Ruining my curls from dozens of chemical color processes and overuse of heat was a very hard time in my life. I struggled with self perception/self love because I had ruined one of my favorite features, and began trying to use weave and closures to hide my natural state—though that honestly worsened the problem. Eventually I stopped having a pity party for myself and began researching how to quickly restore damaged curls. I found that natural products are far more potent and much more enriching for your hair AND skin, so I said why not try? I have been hooked ever since.
My actual brand stemmed from my Grandmother’s use of natural products on her hair and skin, aloe vera specifically. She inspired me in so many ways, so it was most fitting I name my company in her honor. I had been distributing products through my blog for subscribers to the point where I decided why not make this an actual business, and help even more people while still inspiring others to look and feel like their best selves.
2. Where would you like to see your business grow within the next two years?
In two years I definitely plan to be on a large scale international level of distribution. I ship to customers across the United States and have shipped to a few different countries, but I plan to have an even larger consumer base and use my platform to speak about natural hair and skin care across the globe. I’ve got goals to be a part of hair shows, business expos, women empowerment events, etc— and being able to see my brand blow up on an even greater scale would genuinely mean the world to me!
3. What are some tips that you would give someone who is trying to start their own business?
Be patient with yourself, and move at your own speed. Running a business is not rainbows and butterflies all of the time, if ever. There are lots of longs nights, phone calls that need to be made, meetings & events that need to be planned, and research that should always be done. It get’s tiring, but if you are moving at your own speed and not focused on what those around you are doing, you won’t feel so overworked and drained. It’s important to always take care of yourself first, because without YOU there is no business.
I would also say that you should never feel like you shouldn’t start something that you’re passionate about because society says you should go through college first, or wait until you’re making a set dollar amount. That’s how many people miss out on their calling. You move when YOU feel like you should move. Not when the world, or your parents, or those around you say your ready. Believe in yourself, trust in God and in your vision, then align your passions with your purpose and you cannot fail.
4. As a businesswoman. do you see yourself being stressed out more trying to juggle a business, work, family, and relationships? How do you manage?
I get this question all the time and my answer is always that I am not stressed so long as I stick to my schedule. I have to plan every single day out, even my rest days. If I don’t write it down or I try to push back the day I do something it usually interferes with other priorities I have and then I start to stress. So I very seldom do that; I absolutely live by my agenda’s rules. It does get to be hectic when I get a million orders in a single day out of nowhere and I had obligations to meet with people or hang with family, but sometimes you have to make those types of sacrifices for the sake of your business—thankfully my friends and family are pretty understanding.
I’m also a full time nursing student and THAT can definitely get hard. My best advice for business owners who juggle multiple hobbies, or tasks/jobs would be to invest in an agenda, a calendar, lots of pens and highlighters and schedule yourself a legit shift as if you’re the employee (you kind of are in many cases lol) and then schedule your family time, study time, dog cuddling time, meal prep time, etc around your work schedule. Planning ahead is everything!
Thank you so much Ky for allowing me to share a special piece of my heart with your subscribers, I hope you all love what I have to share!
You can check out my blog and subscribe at https://www.soulfulendeavor.com/
My hair and skin care goodies can be purchased at www.lettiaorganics.com and our business page is @LettiaOrganics :)
Xox,
Dom
(IG: @yvungdom)
Also be sure to enter her G I V E A W A Y!!! Follow the rules on her insta!!