Exploring Life & Business with Benita Akadie of Formulaire

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benita Akadie.

Hi Benita, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My business idea was born shortly after the birth of my son. I had perinatal and postpartum depression and the hormones made my skin everywhere break out and scar. It was like my first time going through puberty except for the first time my skin remained perfect. I, never having to put much thought into my skincare routine, was now finding myself in a position where nothing I was used to doing was working on my skin.

My face, chest, and back, were covered in acne and the parts that weren’t covered in acne were covered in dark marks in scars. When he was born I didn’t have a lot of money for makeup as I was a single parent but my appearance could stand some refinement. Before having him, I was a young lady who worked out twice a day and had amazing skin so I never wore makeup.

Suddenly I found myself 76 pounds heavier and my skin left me looking like a stranger even to those who knew me. I wanted to feel like myself again and clearing my skin seemed easier than losing the weight. I was naive and thought that since nothing I’d used was working for me, creating my own skincare line would be easy. It was so hard and costly. I’d research ingredients and the anatomy of the skin and test everything on my own face so for a while, I wasn’t making my skin better with my experiments.

I was making things worse. It took years (about 2) of trial and error before I locked down a set of formulas that I could recreate and sell because they worked. I’d owned a business before having my son so being self-employed is not new to me. The pandemic saw me lose my job which provided me with ample time and opportunity to grow my business from the ground up. I was a single mom who desperately needed to find herself again and be reminded of all that makes her great outside of being a mom.

I created a company that encourages all women to take a few minutes to themselves and reminds them that they are fierce and capable and deserving of everything they have their hearts set on. They can have luxury skincare that actually works and clears their skin. It isn’t overbearing or heavy skincare either. It’s just enough to keep you looking like you just stepped out of a shower all day. When you look good, you feel good.

Formulaire wants to help you look good in your own skin so you can embrace it and feel good in it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely wasn’t always a smooth road. As I mentioned before, I was let go from my job during the pandemic and that was kind of tough because that job was funding my skincare research and experiments. I had to get resourceful and creative to get supplies and continue my experimenting. In June 2021, my son and I survived a head-on collision with a semi that resulted in a broken femur for me.

My son walked away with a few scratches but it completely traumatized me. After having corrective surgery, I couldn’t walk or even stand up very well. Ironically, I worked on my skincare most when I was incapacitated. It helped clear my mind but the accident put a huge damper on our finances and my emotions. It was during this recovery time that I finalized my formulas for Formulaire and started to build my website.

There have been many tiny struggles to overcome in my journey to owning a product-based business. Gaining the proper and accurate knowledge of chemistry to understand and build skincare formulas effectively is a challenge that I work on every day while balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Formulaire currently offers unique skincare products and loungewear and relaxation essentials.

Our skincare is formulated for the real person who just wants their skincare to be effective. Companies make a lot of money featuring one “effective” ingredient per skincare product they release. Formulaire is not in the game to waste your time and money. Our skincare is full of effective botanicals and effective active acids that are proven to help clear skin and maintain and even improve the integrity of your skin.

Our inundating moisturizer has ingredients in it that combine at least four highly effective ingredients that are usually used individually in products. We put them all together to save you money and time and on buying separate products. Our brand isn’t about a ten-step skincare routine. It’s two steps to visibly glowing and clear skin. Frees up your valuable time to maybe write in your journal while lighting our candle. Or maybe to wrap yourself in our luxurious robe after a much-needed bath.

Our mission is to prove to you how worthy of the love you are. To help you uncover what makes you so valuable in this loud and fast world we live in. Women, mothers, in particular, are good at ignoring themselves to take care of the needs of others. Formulaire wants you to know that your needs matter and should be placed first.

Our future goal is a brick-and-mortar location where women can come put themselves first and pamper themselves like the true queens they are.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I am not a flashy person. This is why I own a skincare company that focuses on being yourself and loving you as you are. I look for the same things in a mentor. There is nothing wrong with rewarding yourself for success in business. Some mentors focus too much on rewarding themselves than they do on growing their mentees and even their own businesses. I suggest a mentor that aligns with your values.

My mentor, Sabrina Lee, is in a different industry than I am entire. But for all the millions that she’s made, she’s not flashy. She reinvests her money into our mentorship. She helps us make connections that we otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to make. Though her business advice pertains to her industry, it’s universal in that anyone in any industry can follow her tips and succeed. It was very important to me that she understood the struggle of starting from nothing as well because I wanted a mentor that could relate to me on a human level.

To be honest, I got lucky in finding Sabrina. Finding mentors can be very difficult. It also can cost money. Expect to pay people for their expertise. I know that at the beginning of owning a business, money can be tight. But investing in a good mentor can save you costly mistakes in the long run. Do not expect free mentorship. Especially if you have a mentor that does pour into you and your business. Even if they do now accept compensation, you should always be grateful and try to express your gratitude to them as well.

Gaining a mentor requires you to step out of your comfort zone. With the right mentor, it is most always worth it.

Contact Info:

• Email: Management@formulaire.co
• Website: www.formulaire.col
• Instagram: www.Instagrams.com/formuaireco
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/formulaireco
• Other: www.TikTok.com/_thebword

Image Credits
Shanita Dixon Photography