How did Joseph Evans III and Brandon Patton build a million dollar business from home?

In 2019, CNN wrote an article about how the skincare industry grew 13% to amass sales of $5.6 billion in 2018. In addition, according to Fortune Business Insights, the skincare industry will boom to be a $200 billion industry by 2026. As social media and social media influencers continue to grow, products that make you look and feel better are becoming more and more important. Beauty products that promote healthy hair and skin are growing more and more popular. Beginning as early as 2015, Brandon Patton began realizing that if he wanted to be a proud member of #BeardGang, that it wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

Patton started his journey to grow a healthy and attractive beard. And as a Black man, it wasn't easy. So he began researching best practices for growing and maintaining his beard. Patton quickly realized there was very little information available regarding beards, upkeep and maintenance. Being the researcher that he is, Patton began reading books, articles and medical journals related to beard and hair growth. After months of research and product testing, he began to achieve the look and texture he desired. And of course, others began to notice the quality of his beard. Aside from the endless compliments, he began receiving requests for tips related to his beard maintenance. He eventually started a YouTube Channel. Naming it “BlackMensBeard” his channel focused on educating men of color on the fundamentals of growing a healthy and attractive beard.

Teaming up with Joseph Evans III, the duo founded Evan Alexander Grooming. The name is a culmination of Joseph's last name and Brandon's son's name. Joseph wanted to pay homage to his ancestors while Brandon wanted to memorialize the birth of his son. The company began with very humble beginnings. In fact, Evan Alexander Grooming made its first million… from an apartment.

The pair each saved up enough money to survive for a year without any profits, and then went to work. Founded in 2018, they began with a team of six. And they each focused on all elements of the business. Spanning from branding, marketing, and social media to shipping, ordering materials, and working with manufacturers. The overall hard work of the team in multiple areas greatly supported their achievements. Each team member brought their expertise to the business.

Can you imagine what the neighbors thought when they saw 18-wheelers coming to the apartment? And dropping off several pallets of raw materials? This was multiple daily deliveries and traffic going in and out of the residence made some people skeptical about the happenings. But what was in those boxes and containers? Gallons upon gallons of oils. Such as grapeseed and jojoba oils, in addition to pounds of yellow beeswax, coconut oils, and shea butter. I mean, what Black beauty product is complete without a little shea butter, right?

The amount of deliveries eventually prompted the team to meet drivers at an agreed-upon location and load their vehicles with products and raw materials just to be able to navigate the quantities. The 6 man team made room for all the deliveries by any way possible. The piano, dining room table, and living room sets… all done away with. Everything was replaced with racks, products, and shipping boxes. And all of the equipment and materials were put on wheels to swap space for video content creation and ads. Maintaining a strong social media presence was always a priority amongst the team.

The kitchen… became the laboratory. Giving a whole new meaning to cooking up in the kitchen.

Joseph and Brandon are quick to give a shout-out to the property management company. As well as their neighbors. They definitely appreciate everyone for being so understanding and patient as they made their dreams come true. As we all know, all it takes is one Permit Patty or Barbecue Becky to throw a wrench in any Black owned project.

Today, the company’s marketing efforts have yielded several hundred YouTube videos, thousands of subscribers, several million video views and voted as #2 for Top Black YouTubers 2019. Evan Alexander Grooming offers an array of products. Everything from an Organic Leave-in Beard Conditioner, Face Scrub, all-natural Deodorant, to NON-GMO Hair Supplements.

The co-founders believe Evan Alexander is more than just a brand. They have differentiated themselves from others in the industry by becoming thought leaders and influencers in the space of Men’s Grooming. They utilize their platform to provide a plethora of research, guidance and lifestyle content to engage and educate men across the world. Evans and Patton believe Evan Alexander has become a movement for the modern man. Their clients stand out in the way they look, dress and maintain their appearance.

Evan Alexander was created to produce and distribute high-quality natural products for men of color. They believe healthy hair and skin begin with the utilization of quality products. And these products must be created with the end-users’ hair and skin type in mind i.e. (kinky, curly, straight, wavy hair, etc.). Through research and data analysis, they provide tools to enhance the experiences of those consumers that many other hair and skincare products often forget.

Products at Evan Alexander have been curated to provide the modern Black man a unique and tailored experience. The product line has been designed specifically to enhance the health, quality, and appearance of men of color. Using only fine raw materials in their products, their formulas have been tested and blended to exacting levels to deliver a superior product. It is a belief amongst the company that it is the immense attention to detail and unwavering ethics that give their products an advantage that others emulate.

“Our #1 priority has been and will remain, to win the trust of our consumers, by educating and informing them.”

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