Jo Sesay
FOUNDER, BLACK ROOTS
Black Roots is a wellness company dedicated to holistic care through herbalism. Jo Sesay's vision of wellness grew out of her upbringing, heritage and education. As an herbalist, she saw the need to assess the entire person, and not just a symptom presented. Pairing this lived experience with a graduate degree in psychology and addiction counseling, and firmly planted in an ancestral wisdom tradition which acknowledged and encourages a focus on the whole person, she began creating a wellness community with people at its center, that encourages all to feel "rooted truly".
- Shelby Miller, Senior Manager, Accenture
- Funding
- Tested Idea
- Business Plan
- Business Website
- Purchased Equipment or Supplies
- First Customer Testimonial or Review
As an entrepreneur, Jo says she sprouted Black Roots through her own roots: not only that of her heritage, but also as a woman. After learning she had fibroids and precancerous cells near her ovaries, she decided to establish a holistic lifestyle that didn’t make her hate being healthy. She also decided she would make herbs a source of healing for her own personal battles with depression and anxiety. This passion for care extended across her family and community until she realized through her personal network how many more people needed what she could offer.
Like many entrepreneurs, Jo found that just getting started was more challenging than she'd realized it would be. When she was getting started, and registered her business, she found out she was pregnant with her second son, and her oldest had just turned one. She had to put launching Black Roots on hold, and it wasn't until after this life experience that she felt she began to make some small strides. After her baby was born, she discovered Sky's the Limit, and began working with mentors to help her launch with more confidence and clarity.
Jo had the opportunity to work with Shelby Miller, a senior manager at Accenture, who provided mentorship and guidance through the skysthelimit.org platform, where she reports she benefited from strategic business mentoring on branding and marketing. Shelby was also able to bring in his experience in consulting and coaching to support Jo, while doing something fulfilling that aligned with his interest in supporting entrepreneurs in the early stages of their businesses.
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With Mr. Miller I've worked on everything from branding to marketing. The most key of all was our formulating of my story. He really showed me the importance of connecting with people and them knowing why Black Roots matters.
Jo Sesay
on her experience working with mentor Shelby Miller -
Thanks to Shelby Miller I've been able to connect deeper with my customers. I also revamped my story which has allowed other parents and wives to reach out to me. It also opened the door to me receiving more one-on-one clients for herbal consultations [and] I've gotten more customer reviews.
Jo Sesay
In addition to mentoring, Jo has been motivated by the journeys of other entrepreneurs within the Sky's the Limit community and the stories of their resilience help keep her inspired knowing that her business can be successful and that the work is worth it. And, the Sky's the Limit milestones have helped her move her business forward by giving her the structure she needed to harness her vision into something tangible.