Today on the Friends in Beauty Podcast I welcome the Founder + CEO of Ava Estell, Yaw Okyere, to the Friends in Beauty guest chair. Developed in response to his wife’s feeling of insecurity over her hyperpigmentation, Ava Estell, is an all-natural line of cosmetic products specifically developed for both the black community and people of colour, by those with first hand experience in the cosmetics’ race gap.    With a disproportionate focus on white skincare in the UK and products for hyperpigmentation marketed to non-white consumers often containing harmful chemicals and bleaches, Ava Estell has been developed to provide results often unachievable elsewhere; committing to confidence in complexion the natural way.    Created in 2020 during the lockdown, Ava Estell is already gaining traction in the world of cosmetics, having sold over £1 million worth of products in the first seven months. A year on they’ve passed £2 million sales thanks to its groundbreaking formulation and abundance of customer testimonials.    Its all-natural approach to achieving confidence-boosting skin has seen success around the globe, with 46% of sales outside of the UK and return customers from USA, Canada and beyond.   This was such an amazing chat with Yaw and it’s the perfect example of riding the wave of your entrepreneurial journey, taking in the lessons, and trusting things to fall into place at the right time.   In the interview Yaw shares: -How his entrepreneurial journey led him and prepared him for creating Ava Estell -Why he think Ava Estell grew so fast -The challenges + changes he’d like to see when it comes to the cosmetics industry for ppl of color -The most important thing needed to launch a successful brand -And so much more.   I’m telling you! Listen closely for the gems. Let’s go ahead and jump into this interview with Yaw + if you prefer to watch then tune in on YouTube.   Don’t forget to share with another #FriendinBeauty.   Enjoy this episode!   Leave us a 5 star review and share this episode with a friend or 2 or 3. info@friendsinbeauty.com   Resources Mentioned In This Episode:   -Entrepreneur.com - FB + Google Ads cours Additional Resources:   -https://www.amazon.com/shop/akuarobinson   -Skillshare - Use this link for 2 months free of the premium plan: https://skl.sh/30t352q   -Shop Mented Cosmetics - https://www.mentedcosmetics.com/?rfsn=1290937.f2481  Use Code “AKUAROBINSON” for 10% of your purchase  Announcements:   We’re on Apple Podcasts - www.bit.ly/FIBPodItunes!   Join our Facebook community…   If  you’re looking for a community of like minded, ambitious, and supportive #FriendsinBeauty all working to leave our mark on the beauty industry, join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsinbeauty Join the Friends in Beauty Mailing List: www.bit.ly/FIBTribe Social Media Info: Ava Estell (Instagram) - @avaestell Beauty Done Right (Website) -https://www.avaestell.com/ Yaw (Instagram) - @yaw_ok Friends in Beauty (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) - @friendsinbeauty Friends in Beauty (YouTube) - Friends in Beauty https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcYPyO8nAosEmjEE5nza9Zg?view_as=subscriber Akua Robinson (Instagram,Twitter) - @akuarobinson AkuaRobinson (Facebook) - Akua Robinson MUA Akua Robinson (Website) - www.akuarobinson.com   #FriendsinBeauty #FIBPodcast