In a bi-weekly series, we're asking female executives, founders, CEOs—basically, boss ladies—about their "power suit" a.k.a. the outfit they wear every day for easy dressing to conquer whatever the job throws at them.
Beatrice Dixon's natural feminine hygiene company, The Honey Pot Co, began with a dream—literally. The founder had been suffering from bacterial vaginosis for almost a year when one morning, in a dream, her grandmother handed Dixon a piece of paper and said it would solve her problem. "She told me to look at the paper and remember [what was on it] because I needed to make it when I woke up," Dixon recalls. The ingredients mentioned in the dream were water, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and lavender. "When I woke up, I wrote down [what I saw], and within the next couple of days I compiled the ingredients and made it." It being an external wash that would eventually cure her ailment.
What separates The Honey Pot Co.'s offerings from your usual pharmacy haul is that all products are free of chemicals, toxins, and artificial fragrances. (The ingredient list of her top-selling menstrual pads: lavender, rose, aloe vera, and mint.) She points out that she can't say these products are a cure-all for your "Honey Pot" issues (the herbs are not FDA approved), but compares using her products to taking a daily multivitamin. "The goal is for your body to take what it wants and use that. One of the ingredients in our wash is marshmallow root extract, an herb that helps to lubricate mucous membranes tissues," she says.
Dixon's previous job as a pharmacy technician gave her the background knowledge necessary to calculate her initial recipe, which she started passing to friends. "I was giving it away to any woman that would take it," Dixon says. "Sometimes the wash was in a spray bottle, sometimes the wash was in a pickle jar—I was just figuring it out. Then I went to the Bronner Bros. hair show in Atlanta; I sold out 600 bottles over the weekend."
Dixon spoke on stage during the Essence Magazine Wellness House on March 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Honey Pot Co. officially launched in 2014, landing on the shelves at Whole Foods. In 2017, Target started carrying her products and the line grew to include menstrual cups, tampons, pads, and even postpartum vaginal products. The following year, Dixon raised $1 million in venture capital—one of the first 40 women of color to do so. (According to Forbes, startups led by black women receive less than one percent of venture capital funding, which contributes to racial funding gaps.)
When I asked her what advice she has for other entrepreneurs, she answered emphatically, "Know your f*cking business, backwards and forward. You need to understand how you’re going to create a pathway to profitability if you want venture capital funding." She also added: "Use your company as a tool to make the world a better place, to bring wealth to your family and community, then do it all over again." The Honey Pot Co., itself, has participated in give-back initiatives with organizations such as Happy Period and AFRIpads.
Dixon is currently focused on keeping her company strong and continuing its growth in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, companies that make The Honey Pot Co. bottles are also urgently making containers for hand sanitizers, impacting her supply chain. "Everyone is dealing with this, though," she acknowledges. "No one can get their stuff made at this point. Everyone is dealing with the same thing." Ahead, Dixon talks about maintaining a routine during this time of crisis and how she still looks like a boss—who's comfortable!—during virtual appearances.
Her Morning Routine
"My first couple of hours are mine. I take that time and do what I have to do for me. When I wake up, I drink a large glass of water, brush my teeth, wash my face, and I put on my workout clothes. I work out at 8 a.m. on the dot. [I meet] with my trainer via FaceTime and it's a combination of HIIT, kickboxing, and boxing for 30 minutes. I'm becoming more of a morning person ever since I built this habit. I shower, do my whole skincare routine, get dressed, and write in my gratitude journal. I usually meditate for 10 to 15 minutes, make my coffee and some food, and then I get to work and start my calls."
"My favorite sandals are slides that look like squirrel tails, so they're busy."
Her Getting Dressed Strategy
"Even when I was quarantined at home, I was still getting dressed. I'm a person who still does all my [typical morning] things. I moisturize my skin. [If my hair isn't] done, I will wrap it up. I don't wear makeup outside of lipstick. I still put on my perfume, essential oils, and wear a nice maxi dress. Zoom calls and Instagram Live [opportunities] haven't stopped for me, so I still have to get dressed for that."
Her Work-From-Home Uniform
"My vibe is always extremely comfortable yet still pretty. I love maxi dresses and kimonos—I have these African print ones, that I can wear with leggings or a hat. Last summer, Free People had these harem pants that came in orange and white, which I loved, and I love a good African print wrap skirt. One of the brands that I love is Afropolitan. I've gotten some things from Wax and Wonder and my closet is 98-percent Free People.
Jewelry is a big thing for me too. I wear a lot of Aziza Handcrafted and Fanta Celah. I wear a lot of rings and earrings. I'm not a huge necklace girl because my skin is sensitive and I can only wear certain types of metals on my neck. I do so much with my rings and earrings, if I put on a necklace it might be too much.
A bold pair of earrings provides the finishing touch to a WFH look.
I do not wear heels. I might spend money on perfume or jewelry or a few hundred dollars on a dress, but I had to get the taste for heels out of mouth since they're uncomfortable and not necessary. I've pivoted my style to be more of that comfortable, chic, and boho look. Normally I am in sandals, gladiators, or slides. I love my Yeezy slides. When it gets cold, I'll wear a pair of Converse, a cute baby-heel boot, or sneakers. My brother is a sneaker head so I let him sort me out. My favorite bag is handmade from Sarep + Rose. I have so many of her bags and she's family, but I still pay for whatever it costs. I don't ask for the homie hookup."
The Words That Describe Her Power Outfit
"Comfortable, stick of butter (I like wearing just one color), and good fabrication."
Her Motto
"Learn how to die. We're all going to leave this place, or our body will, so it's important for me to be extremely present and to live out my dreams right now."
Get Dixon's WFH aesthetic, below:
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