Meet La Taunya Starr | Ayurvedic Soap Maker & Product Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with La Taunya Starr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi La Taunya, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To be honest, I was afraid to start my own business lol but I’ve been an entrepreneur at heart since I was born. I had my own babysitting business at 12, a candy store at 13 and a business as an image consultant/makeup artist at 15. So, it was inevitable growing into adulthood that I would have my own business.

I’ve been a DIYer most of my life so becoming a soap maker was right up my alley. My passion for creating effective products for hair, skin and body based on the Ayurvedic medicinal method was perfect because when I started 15 years ago, there were not many products on the market with this focus so educating and introducing consumers to Ayurveda was one of my main reasons for starting this business.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I feel what sets me apart from my competitors is creating my products around Ayurveda. At the time I started my business there were very few businesses out there using this system or type of ingredients. So, my excitement for introducing the world of soap making incorporating Ayurveda is still going strong 15 years later.

I am most proud of the promise I made to myself when I decided to start my business that I would never forsake the integrity of the ingredients I use just to make a buck. And, to this day, I have not wavered. Yes, it’s nice when you’re business is making money but it’s not worth it if you can’t look at yourself in the mirror knowing you did not give your customers your best.

I got to where I am today professionally because of my strong dedication to perfect my craft and give my best to my customers. Some of the best and most valuable advice I got from a seasoned soap maker is you can’t please everyone. That so far is the hardest lesson I’ve had to learn in having a business. I was running myself ragged and began hating my business by trying to please every single request and being pulled in every direction wasn’t beneficial for my health or business. Once I learned that it’s ok to set boundaries in business, I found my love again for my craft and business started to flourish.

I want the world to know that my brand has made a promise to create ethically sourced and environment friendly skin care focusing on pure, simple and natural whole plant ingredients that are good for your hair, skin, body and the Earth.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, nothing says Colorado like delicious food, great conversations with friends and the outdoors!! We’d make our way to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to take a guided tour (hopefully it’s during off season when they visit). This is so much fun because going under Red Rocks, seeing the dining area, touring the “celebrity” viewing area, hanging out on stage and of course challenging ourselves to walk up all 149 stairs!! I’ve always loved Garden of The Gods and that whole area so that will be a definite stop and afterwards enjoy a picnic before returning back to Aurora. Other places we’d visit during the week would be Pikes Peak, Royal Gorge, Nuggs Ice cream, Buckhorn Exchange, Casa Bonitas and finishing the week out – hanging out downtown around the Performing Arts Center, walking of course, taking in the night life, listening to live music and just people watching and eventually making our way over to the buzzing scene of LoDo.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
april + november llc would not be where it is today if not for the constant encouragement from my Mum, Dorothy Starr. She always told me that I’m resilient, creative and stubborn because I don’t give up easily and go after what I want. The instilled morals and work ethic I received from her has kept me afloat with my determination to not give up on anything I want in life.

My aunt, Sharon Tompkins-Grayer who’s excitement and support for my business keeps my passion alive. She’s the first person to immediately spread word of anything I post on social media and one of the best guinea pigs I can ask for.

And, last not least, my plethora of friends who over the years have given me honest and constructive feedback about my creations. They’ve been a big part of the reason that I’ve been able to continue in this journey of holding on to my integrity in providing the best products to consumers that I can.

Website: www.aprilnovember.com

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