Beauty Queen
La Shonda Tyree never thought she’d go into business for herself. But eventually, her candle- and soapmaking hobby became her career.
“I’ve always been good with numbers. In high school, I took bookkeeping and accounting. In college, I worked part-time as a bank teller in Teaneck, N.J.”
Tyree majored in accounting and worked in banking for more than a decade — first as a teller, then as a staff accountant and on to assistant controller.
But after the community bank she worked for was absorbed by a larger bank, she realized she wanted to be her own boss.
“For the past 10–12 years, I’ve been manufacturing my products and selling them full time.”
At first, she bought soapmaking supplies at local craft stores — prefab kits that she could customize slightly. But as her hobby grew, Tyree learned to make cold-pressed soap from scratch, finding recipes and connecting with soap makers online. Today, she makes and sells soap, lotion and scrubs from her store, Nyah Beauty, in Newark, N.J., and online. “Skincare can be simple — olive oil, coconut oil and shea butter have been used for centuries. It’s ‘beauty with a purpose,’ cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate and moisturize.”
Her accounting background allows her a deeper understanding of debits, credits and the flow of money — “so maybe I have a better understanding of my finances than some other small business owners.” But more than that financial knowledge, she says, FDU taught her how to connect and communicate.
“Living on campus with a roommate and floormates, you have to interact with them. In college, you learn how to meet people and how to become friends. You build community. No matter what career you have, you’re dealing with people. You have to understand them and connect with them.”
She wants that sense of understanding, community and warmth to radiate throughout her store as people shop, learn and relax.