Interview with Rosemary Ikpeme, founder of Try This An That
Rosemary Ikpeme and her mother, Maria Ikpeme, are the founders and creators of Try This An That, a small blacked owned shower cap brand in the UK.
TTAT creates shower caps for people who wear braids, dreadlocks, long protective hairstyles,voluminous curly hair and afro hair.
What did you do before launching Try This An That?
Before getting into my current passion, I worked in the media industry for about 10 years. I loved working in the industry because it gave me a sense of creativity which later grew, and has played a big role in my brand, Try This An That.
What inspired you to launch a shower cap business?
The shower cap business idea came from a problem we both faced. My mother and I are both big lovers of wearing braids. The major problem that came with that was finding a good shower cap that could completely cover our hair, and fit around our heads properly in the shower. Most times we turned to using plastic bags, which we both agreed was not a proper solution to our hair covering problem.
Our hair being a symbol of our identity, heritage and culture, it obviously took a big role in how we felt about ourselves so it was important for us to find a solution to that challenge.Thats when we decided to create a shower cap brand that would help people like us with a similar problem.
Our shower cap brand is unique in that it is specifically designed in Extra Large and Jumbo sizes for both men and women who enjoy wearing long protective hairstyles like braids and dreadlocks. The shower caps are made of high quality material that is 100% waterproof and beautiful designs. Our mission is to be inclusive and make everyone feel and look amazing in whatever hairstyles of choice they chose.
Who is your ideal customer?
We mostly aim for people of colour because they are the majority when it comes to wearing long and intricate hairstyles and have been left out by this market. However our shower caps work perfectly for people with natural voluminous hair, afro hair and curly texture hair.
How do you spread the word about what you do?
We use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook ,TikTok and YouTube to market the shower caps to spread the word on our small business. Word of mouth has also been a huge success to reach out to our customers who really love our shower caps.
Our most successful strategy has been working with influencers. This has worked really well for us because that way we are able to reach a larger audience base. This also helps promote our sales and offers which also works to our advantage.
What’s been the biggest obstacle you have faced?
A big obstacle we have faced is not having a big marketing budget to run the campaigns we would like to and gain more reach which is a crucial part in any small or large business in the market.
And your proudest moment to date?
Our proudest moment is when we actually heard back from our first customer giving us a review of our shower cap, saying how we have helped them stop the use of plastic bags for their head whenever they wear long braids which she really loved.
It was at this moment where my mother and I felt that the shower caps were having an impact on people’s lives and that our mission for helping people feel and look good while wearing these hairstyles was actually coming to life.
Why is work important to you?
For us, work is important because we both love leaving a positive impact on people’s lives and for this brand, we choose to leave an impact by making people enjoy rocking whatever hairstyles they love without feeling insecure or worried about their hair getting damaged fast because it keeps getting wet in the shower.
What’s your advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
For anyone wanting to do something similar, I advise that the first thing they’d need to do is intensively and clearly study the target audience inorder to know what points problem you are solving for them.
Secondly, having a clear vision for the business to help with setting realistic and well timed goals. Lastly, being ready to pivot at any time because so many things are changing and with the many things being done differently, being flexible is highly needed.
Find out more about Try This An That.
