Croissance Hair and Skin Care Ltd owner Crystal Williams and founder of Prudent Caribbean David Chong Ling believe Trinidad and Tobago is fertile ground for innovative entrepreneurs to thrive, even amid the economic haze that came with the covid19 pandemic. The companies are making waves in the local self-care industry and have been spreading their reach beyond local shores.
In this two-part series Business Day writer Marshelle Haseley speaks with both business owners about the growing pains of building a business amid unprecedented unpredictability. They discuss how they ensure their products stand out in what seems to be a local market saturated by imported products. They also share their weathered challenges to a point where they can now see the rewards of stressful days and sleepless nights.
Crystal Williams, founder of Croissance Hair and Skin Care Ltd, had no intention of creating a business, she was simply trying to create something that could work well in her hair – something she could not find anywhere in TT. She is not a trained chemist but found a way to create a product that works best for many women across TT.
"There was a lot of research, testing, trial and error before I got to the very first version of the hair moisture therapy, which it wasn't called that back then. A lot of testing was done, substituting some ingredients with others as my knowledge increased and eventually coming up with the initial formula."
She said the thought was not to create something to sell to others. "There weren't any lofty ambitions at the time. It was just a matter of being able to manage my hair well enough so that getting ready for work every day was made a bit easier."
She said it took almost a year of research, testing and step-by-step improvement before she had a formula that worked well for her hair.
It wasn't long before family members, friends and colleagues at work started commenting on the obvious change in her hair. "They asked what I used in my hair because they liked how it looked. When I told them I made my own hair product, they asked for samples – they loved how it worked for them too."
Williams later found herself supplying them with more bottles of her hair care potion and that's when she realised there was a potential business opportunity worth being explored.
"After speaking with those close to me I came up with the brand name Croissance. The hair moisture therapy was the first product. It took almost 18 months between the idea and my first official sale."
Asked about major challenges she encountered while producing and working toward the official launch of her line of products, she said there were more than a few.
Among the challenges was equipment. Williams said figuring out a faster and more efficient way of producing larger quantities to supply her growing demand sent her to the drawing board. She said, "It was easy to make just enough for myself every few weeks, but making enough for others was more difficult. It would take hours just to make a dozen bottles. Yes, that wa
