Shantel Jackson is about her business

Photography by Irma Iormidze

Shantel Jackson talks, branding family and more. in Volume 4 of HEIGHT Magazine. The actress and model filled us in on her successful career. Read more below.

HM: First I have to say. Miss Jackson, you have such   a great sense of style! It's not forced and you hit the mark every time. When did your love for fashion begin?

SJ: Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. I enjoy fashion so much, my love for it started at a very young age seeing Michael Jackson’s glitter glove. I was obsessed with it. I had to have it. I love to have timeless pieces of fashion, that glove will forever be a statement. Watching movies, seeing the fashion, the glamour, the style, all those things caught my eye and never laid off. You can do so much with fashion, change up looks, it's endless. I love that fashion is always changing.

HM: You've managed to navigate multiple fields successfully. Model, actress, influencer and entrepreneur. You are what we consider as,  'Self-Made’. What are some key decisions you think have played a part in your success and effortless transitions into each area?

SJ: Honestly, I would say I'm still figuring out each of those areas in my life. I'm just starting to get my feet wet in acting but I'm excited to see what I really do in that area of my life. Some key decisions I've made in getting me to this point have been deciding to maintain focus and believing in what I was doing. I've seen first hand what happens when I put 100% of my focus into something. My invention, Shoe Gummi, of course started as an idea, and with time and development that idea grew into a tangible product that I could use and with more research and belief I was able to launch my first product. Now I’ve developed 6 products and 3 different colors!

HM: How and what influenced your decision on creating Shoe Gummi?

SJ: My love and obsession for high heels really influenced the birth of Shoe Gummi. I love being in heels. I always feel at my best, confident and sexy in them. But wearing heels does come at a price and pain is the price you pay for that beauty. Wanting to be in my heels longer, pain free, and more comfortable is how Shoe Gummi came about. I exhausted all options on the market at the time with high heel inserts which can slip around in the shoes, crowd your shoes or do nothing to help with comfort. So, I thought placing something outside of heels would work better and not crowd inside of the shoes and Shoe Gummi was born.

HM: Now, it's evident that absolutely no one can deny your natural beauty! Can you tell us about your skincare line Chic Beaute?

SJ: Thank you. I’m big on my skin care. Especially exfoliating and using the right types of product for my skin type. My line Chic Beaute consists of exfoliating sponges and my Beaute bar facial soap. I believe having your skin on the right track starts with washing your face with the right product for your skin type and exfoliating a few times a week to remove dead skin off the surface of your face. We buy all types of products to use on our skin but what's the purpose if the products don't penetrate the skin? Exfoliating allows your skin to absorb your skincare products better. And my facial bar is for all skin types, helps with mild acne, hyperpigmentation and clogged pores and gives you an overall good cleanse.

HM: What other products can shoppers find there?

SJ: My fabulous line of lashes are also under Fanci Goods. My lashes consist of top quality mink and faux mink which are made by hand, we also have premium synthetic as well. It doesn't stop there, we also have everything you need to apply lashes as well from lash adhesives to lash curlers and lash applicators.

HM: I've personally purchased from your Fanci Goods online store. You've managed to take something as simple as a headband and made it popular to WANT! What made you tap into that market?

SJ: Thank you! I appreciate you supporting my brand. Honestly, before I introduced cosmetic headbands through my company Fanci Goods, I used them from other companies either while doing my makeup, washing my face or using them just to be a cute hair accessory on a lazy hair day. Women started to ask where I get the headbands I was wearing in videos or pictures so I thought I should start to sell my own. I started to customize my own line of headbands making them bigger to cover more hair lines, more luxurious, plush and with designs and colors other companies did not have.

HM: Shantel, when it comes to strategizing, brand management and marketing. You are quite successful with hitting the consumers needs by being relatable in our opinion. How important is that to you?

SJ: Thank you, I think it's very important. From a personal perspective, I’ve had the opportunity of being on reality TV shows over the years so I’ve become comfortable being myself on cameraand the same with my audience on social media, in some way being relatable just comes natural to me. From a business and marketing perspective, much of our content is made with the customer in mind, since Shoe Gummi is a one-of-a-kind product I try to share as much information about it as I can to keep our customers informed. We make an effort to reply to all our comments and DMs as well. We’ve been receiving so many great videos from influencers around the world trying out our brand and sharing the results with their friends and family, many of the videos have gone viral reaching millions of views. This has been extremely beneficial in growing organic followers and lets customers really connect with the brand.

HM: How supportive is your family and friends nucleus?

SJ: My family and friends have always been supportive of everything I’m doing. It's because of them that I had ladies besides myself to help test out my product Shoe Gummi in the beginning stages. Their positive feedback helped me realize I really had the next big product on my hands.

HM: When it comes to women in business. Some people are intimidated by us knowing what you want. Have you experienced that as well?

SJ: I think it’s important to know what you want in life and in business. You need to have a vision in order to achieve your goals. You can’t pay attention to anyone who might be intimidated by that.

HM: Online shopping is really taking over with the convenience aspects it provides, especially when Covid hit us in 2020'. Virtual malls are becoming more popular. What are your thoughts on that and would/have you consider having your retail outlets in one?

SJ: I'm a big believer in changing with the times. If you want to make it in retail right now having a strong online presence is needed. The world is always changing and if you don't adapt you will get left behind. All my brands are currently sold online, Shoe Gummi is sold exclusively at shoegummi.com, fancigoods.com and mychicbeaute.com

HM: What advice would you give another woman looking into entrepreneurship?

SJ: Entrepreneurship is not something to take lightly. It really takes time and effort to build a company and a team to help build a company that will last. Make sure it's something you really want to get into, take your time and research every aspect of your business that you're thinking of doing, no matter if your idea has been done 1000 times over, find ways to make yours stand out!

HM: Shantel, this question may seem odd...But, how often do we honestly look at ourselves with adoration?

SJ: Oddly enough that question isn't odd to me, in fact I don't think we look at ourselves enough in that way. As of lately it's been a great feeling to look at myself seeing how I've grown so much mentally and personally and so have my businesses. There's so much to praise in terms of how far I've come from Shoe Gummi just being an idea to now it's my reality and on the market. I admire the person I’ve become, being stronger than ever and I owe that to the things I've gone through with starting my businesses.

HM: Name five things you admire about yourself?

SJ: 5 things I admire about myself...How I believe in myself, how I believe in the products that I not only sell, but also use on a daily basis, my will to never quit even after I've failed, my ability to take risks, and how adventurous.