Alyeria Faith is the founder and CEO of Maya Apothecary, the skincare company that is revolutionizing self-care. Born in South Africa and raised in Kenya, she moved permanently to London at the age of 16 and has been pursuing her wildest dreams ever since.
Through her relentless obsession with personal growth and an unwavering commitment to living life on her own terms, she has now forged her way into the skincare industry, not by force of will, but through the sheer art of living a life of deep surrender, alignment and an unwavering commitment to her own soul. Even when it was anything but easy.
Her vision is to bring this level of confidence and self-awareness to every “woman on mission”. to liberate human potential and see other women rise.
What is it all about Maya Apothecary all about?
Maya Apothecary and the VYB skincare line are really an expression of my soul. The mission behind the business is to give women the keys to step into their power and manifest the life of their wildest desires with more pleasure and ease than ever before.
Through ritual skincare products, infused with elevating and healing frequencies, we offer women a new way to slow down, get intimate with themselves and return to their true essence.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 20, and probably in some way long before that. I have always known that there is something bigger than me that I am here for, but it took me a long time to set aside my personal desires and to let that bigger vision guide me.
Maya was born from that journey – from stepping beyond myself and heeding the call from my own soul to just trust in the moment and let life guide me. The business is its own entity – I’m just a steward for it, and the impact it is here to create.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
The ability to trust in the unseen and to embrace the unknown – the entrepreneurial path is full of uncertainty and things change constantly, so being ok with that and learning to trust yourself in the process is critical
Not making it personal, or making your success or failure mean anything about you. Every step on this path is a lesson and a step closer to realizing who you truly are (if you let it be).
Knowing what your role is and outsourcing the rest. Sometimes we have to wear a few hats at the start, but don’t get caught in the trap of trying to do it all yourself! Knowing how to build great teams, and great culture, is the greatest skill you could learn as an entrepreneur
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
Everything we do is about building relationships and creating lasting memories. My deepest desire and passion is creating beautiful things, spaces and experiences for people – and that’s what I will continue to do.
After this body care line, we will be launching a beautiful face care line later in the year, and beyond that we have plans for so much more – you’ll just have to keep an eye out!
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
We don’t sell skincare, fads, or quick fixes. We sell a lifestyle, and true transformation – physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. We are also hyper focused on community and building a community that goes far beyond our skincare brand in supporting women in living their out their souls desires and creating a wildly abundant life
Lastly – the experience. I am obsessive about the quality of the ingredients, how each thing is sourced, package and presented, and the full experience a customer has. I pour every ounce of love I have into every tiny detail; and I hope people can feel that.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
Trying to do things on my own timing, instead of letting life lead the way. Now I work on Gods time. Your soul, God and the Universe are far wiser than you – when you listen, and trust, everything falls into place in the perfect timing.
Doing too much and not asking for enough help. Every day I am learning how to a) get clear about what I need and want, and b) how to ask for it clearly so that my needs are met, and I am fully supported
Letting business get in the way of my self-care and not prioritizing myself enough (that only lasted 3 weeks before I quickly adjusted). I don’t do burnout, self-sacrifice or hustle. I work hard because I LOVE what I do, and I also make sure that nothing starts before noon, and that my mornings and evenings are mine. I build from overflow!
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
We are only marketing through our exclusive launch partners and social media right now, although our paid advertising will kick off during the second half of our launch to boost the efforts of our partners! Relationships are so key to building a community-based business and we love working with incredible women who have the same vision and values as us!
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Oh wow, in this business specifically my biggest challenge has been working with a bigger team and learning to do things in ways I’m really not used to. This business has more people, more moving part and more demands than anything I’ve ever done – and I love that! It’s also just asked so much more of me – so learning how to be clear in my communication and prioritizing things effectively has been a huge growth opportunity for me.
In life in general I’d say my biggest challenge has been un-learning everything I’ve been taught about how life and business works and trusting my soul above all else. It sounds fun, but it will challenge you more than anything else, ever.
What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first real business idea was a travel and concierge company for executives and entrepreneurs. I was 21 and living in South Africa at the time and I was determined to make the thing work. I put my heart and soul into that business and had just got it up and running after 6 months of intense work when I broke up with my then partner and moved back to the UK. I closed the business and started over because I was totally heartbroken. Life is funny like that, you never really know what’s going to happen. I learned so much in that first business though and it’s where my love of creating experiences and building relationships came from!
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I’m learning to be present. Fully and unequivocally in the moment as much as possible. The more present I am, and the more I can actually be in my body and heart, and not my head or emotions, the easier my life gets.
This has been the single greatest gift in my life – everything is so much easier and more joyful when we understand the reality of the moment we are in (instead of the mental concept, thoughts and projections we are usually having about the moment).
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
Not much. I’d probably worry less, knowing what I know now, and not waste energy trying to make things happen faster than they want to.
I’ve never built a business like this before. For the first time I’m not caught up in what I want the business to be – I’m really just listening to what the next step is, and taking it. Moment by moment, day by day. I don’t have a list of goals, just a clear vision for what’s being built and a clear map of all the pieces, and I’m not worrying about “how” we will get there. It’s building itself. Everything is easier and more enjoyable from this angle. Yes, I still have hard days, but I come back to this place of ease so quickly it astounds me.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
Alyeria Faith: Honestly, we are super simple – the biggest thing for us is partnerships and Social media. So, IG and using Planoly to map everything out is huge for us.
Second would be Monday.com – I finally found a project management tool that designs things the way my brain works – visually and in timelines that show project progress all in one place. Still getting used to it but it’s a joy to have something simple.
Infusionsoft (now called Keap). The OG crm system, and a great tool for managing our sales and marketing funnels, partner programs, emails and every customer sequence in one place. It integrates seamlessly and we have the most amazing team who manage it all!
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Alyeria Faith: Self-care, self-care, self-care. That means rest more than you think you need to, do what you need to ensure great sleep, exercise, hydrate more than you normally would, eat well, and keep giving yourself time and space to unwind, alone and in nature. Set solid boundaries and keep your word to yourself.
Everything else becomes so much easier when you are fully resources and working from your overflow!
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
Alyeria Faith: My team, my husband and my vision. I am relentlessly committed to following my soul, and to keep showing up each day, but there is no way I could do this without the amazing people surrounding me who keep me focused and give me my to-do’s!
How can readers get in touch with you?
Readers can get in touch via our Instagram @mayaapothecary. Maya Apothecary. There will be some exciting updates in the upcoming weeks that you won’t want to miss! Stay tuned!
Our community IG is @andsherises which is driven by supporting women to build the life of their wildest desires, from the soul, and with ease, grace & a hint of grit.
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