We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sierra Jolivette. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sierra below.
Sierra, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I get my work ethic from my parents. Growing up, I watched both of my parents work hard and lead by example. My daddy taught me the importance of being punctual. He would always tell me , “you leave the house early enough to give yourself time in the event there’s an emergency.” This has stuck with me. My friends would sometimes make jokes because I’m always the first one to arrive. My mother taught me the importance of following through with my commitment. She would always tell me, “if you tell someone you’re going to do something , you have to do.” My mother was and still is great at holding me accountable. I can remember in my younger years when I used to do hair, there would be days that I wasn’t feeling it and wanted to canceled appointments. My mother would say to me, “ You told them you would do their hair today right? Then you have to do it.”
I am so thankful for my parents and the way they raised me. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without them.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Tranquil and Chill is a self care line that I launched in August 2020. The self care line includes calming and uplifting scented candles and wax melts, linen sprays, bath salts, body butter, journals, and shirts. It started with me making candles, bath salts , and body butter. I was battling depression and this was an outlet for me. I would make these items and then give it away to friends and family until one day my therapist asked me, “ When are you launching the business?” It was my way of decompressing and releasing stress. I never thought anymore of it. I never wanted to be a business owner. I always thought business owners work all the time and never have time to themselves. My therapist told me something and it changed my perspective. She said, “It will be your business, you can work it how you want.” That definitely had my wheels turning. A couple months later after that conversation, I launched Tranquil and Chill.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back on my journey, I would say the most important qualities and skills were: time management, self care, and grace. Working a full time job, attending college full time, and trying to launch a business you need time management to juggle it all. Thankfully I had one semester left at the time I launched my business but it was definitely challenging at times. I also had to make time for myself to avoid burnout and feeling overwhelmed. I made self care a priority. It didn’t matter if it was a pedicure and manicure appointment or a day at the spa. I was getting my self care in. Lastly I gave myself grace and reminded myself it was okay to miss out on things to rest.
My advice to anyone thinking of starting a business is to put yourself out there. Find like minded individuals and connect. Also, don’t place expectations on others to understand your vision. Oftentimes some people won’t understand and that’s okay. God didn’t give the vision to them, he gave it to you. Believe in yourself and know that anything is possible.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did was support me. No matter what I had going on, my parents were there. Even now as an adult, my parents still show up for me. Whenever I have events for Tranquil and Chill, they’ll come out and support. When I purchased my first home, they were there. I had a major surgery in 2019 where I was off from work for 7 weeks, my parents were there.
My parents also created a safe space to allow me to be me. They never tried to change me or make me go down a certain path. No matter what I wanted to do, they had my back. They made sure I felt loved and I knew I could talk to them about anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tranquilandchill.com/
- Instagram: @tranquil_and_chill
- Facebook: Tranquil and Chill
