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Stepping out on faith can be scary for a lot of entrepreneurs but for 27-year-old Founder of Salt xo, Jhalesa Lewis, it was her calling. Lewis started off as a waitress before being offered a job as a middle school teacher with a salary of $33k a year. Despite a lot of people congratulating her on the job, her passion for it wasn’t there..

“I knew my value and decided to reject the offer and completely dedicate my time to create what’s now Salt.xo,” she said.

Lewis had always been into creating her own products and started her company Salt.xo 3 years ago. The first products her company made were handmade soaps that she sold on Facebookand passed out to her college peers. What started off as a few hundred dollars a week, generated $100k her first year in business. To date, the company has earned more than $16 million dollars in sales and over 160,000 Instagram supporters. Her best seller the Yoni Gel was inspired by her own personal experiences. After showering, Lewis never felt completely fresh. She searched for a product that would give her a tingly and clean feeling. When she could find one, she created it. It was important for her to make something that had natural, handcrafted ingredients.

In addition to managing an 8-figure business, Lewis balances the challenges of entrepreneurship with motherhood. She was pregnant during the peak of her business. On top of being hormonal, fatigued and overwhelmed, her one-bedroom apartment had turned into a warehouse. Thankfully, her now fiancee took the lead on running her business so that she could focus on her pregnancy. Lewis credits her son as her biggest motivator and her success to her own mother who raised 5 kids in a single parent household.

“She worked hard for us. We never went hungry or without shelter. I know she struggled but that never affected us to the point where we were lacking,” said Lewis. “She made a way out of no way. God definitely showed his favor over our lives.” 

Salt.xo is continuing to grow and plans on being in major stores this year. For more on Salt.xo you can check out their website here: http://saltxo.com