Jamaica-born Susan Randall Strachan is making a name for herself in the cosmetic industry.
In her community of Bloomfield, New Jersey, she is the go-to person when someone wants the right product, whether it is to have great-looking skin or have someone pamper and style their hair.
Part of that attraction is her bubbly personality and the ready smile that just lights up her face.
In an interview with Freedom Come Rain, Strachan confessed that she just cannot help herself.
“I am a businesswoman, but before that, I am a child of God, and so I have a two-fold approach regarding the service that I offer,” she shared. According to Strachan, a lot of times in interacting with her clients, she ends up sharing her faith, and sometimes she is a “springboard” as many just need someone to talk to.
For her, hairdressing facilitates this passion of hers so well, as she gets the opportunity to evangelise and interact with her customers while making them feel good about themselves.
Strachan is more than a hairdresser though, as she is also pushing her NBI (No Bootlegged Ingredient) cosmetic line, which includes Natural Facial Moisturiser, Handmade Oatmeal Facial Soap, Hair and Skin Serum with Almond Oil and 100 percent Black Jamaican Castor Oil among other products.
A deeply devoted Christian, Strachan balances her time with work, church, and her family, which includes her little “heartbeat,” Lola, her dog.
“I ensure that for each role that I play, there is a balance. As a mother and wife, I make sure that my family is ok first,” she stressed, adding that thankfully it is much easier now that her only child, her daughter Kayla, is now grown. With a cheeky chuckle, she quipped, “Well, the verdict is still out on that as she still sticks to me.
The only “baby” in the family these days is her dog, Lola. During work time, she gives her full energy to that, and when it is God’s time, Strachan states, she ensures He gets his due.
Being a dedicated Christian, Strachan said God is always at the forefront of her life, and she credits Him with every success that comes her way.
26 AND COUNTING
Commenting on NBI, Strachan said she made it a family effort.
“My family became a part of all aspects of its development, from the thought process to the creation; they were there every step of the way,” she notes.
Born in Jamaica, Strachan moved from Kingston to live in Portmore, St. Catherine, where she attended Bridgeport Primary School before migrating to the United States in 1984.
A licensed cosmetologist with over 25 years’ experience under her belt, she worked in corporate for a while but kept feeling that something was missing.
That “something” was making the products that have now become her cosmetic line.
With 26 products now under her brand, Strachan is looking ahead to penetrate markets not just in the United States but all over the world.
Susan Strachan confesses to having big dreams for NBI All Natural and envisions it becoming a household name. She is quite certain that one day every woman, man, and child, globally will know of her brand, and all who use it will say that it is the best product they’ve ever tried.