Segment: I Started Making Hair Oil for Free - Demand Turned My Personal Recipe Into The Organics

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Segment: I Started Making Hair Oil for Free – Demand Turned My Personal Recipe Into The Organics
Date: April 9, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Derrick Abaitey sits down with Emma, founder of DI Organics and DI Studio, to explore her journey from experimenting with hair oils for personal use to building a successful organic haircare brand. The conversation sheds light on the intersection of content creation, personal branding, and entrepreneurial grit, offering hard truths and practical insights for aspiring influencers and business builders. Emma shares her organic, audience-powered evolution, the realities of influencer longevity, and the catalyst moments that turned her passion into a thriving enterprise.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Building an Audience Before the Product

• Accidental Influence: Emma didn’t set out to become an influencer. Initially, she shared haircare routines and her authentic self online, attracting followers organically.
  • "I didn't start out to be a content squish. I just had the followers." (01:09, Emma)
• Turning Fun to Business: What began as a hobby—sharing lifestyle and haircare videos—transitioned into a business opportunity when her audience began to grow.
  • "Maybe in the beginning you do it for fun, right? Just doing a lifestyle video for fun. But at some point you realize...let's put some business hat on and advertise some products to the people." (00:51, Derrick)

The Genesis of DI Organics

• Zero to Launch: Emma started DI Organics with minimal resources, using her school allowance.
  • "All I needed was the bottle...I just needed 50 CDs for that." (03:10, Emma)
• Pre-orders Spark Growth: She sold her first products by taking pre-orders, reinvesting every cedi she earned back into the business.
  • "When I took the pre orders, you got the money and I got the money and put it back inside." (03:30, Emma)
• Initial Reluctance: Her iconic hair oil was never intended for sale; she mainly used it for herself and generously shared her results on social media.
  • "I didn't want to make it into a business. I was doing it for free on social media." (04:12, Emma)

Scaling with Intention & Education

• Product Line Expansion: Realizing demand for more than just oil, Emma enrolled in courses to master formulation and added shampoos and conditioners.
  • "If they believe me to be using my oil, then shampoo is needed, deep conditioner is needed, all of that. So that's when I went to school...learned the formulations." (05:13, Emma)
• Competition and Validation: Winning the Sunlight Shiro competition gave her both validation and a financial boost of 5,000 Ghanaian cedis.

The Realities of Influencer Longevity

• Business as an Exit Strategy: Emma underscores the importance of parlaying internet fame into lasting ventures.
  • "You can't be an influencer for the rest of your life. Your time will pass. People come, people will be younger, people will be more vibrant..." (05:50, Emma)
• Navigating Changing Audiences: She discusses the need to adapt as generations shift and to create businesses that outlast fleeting online attention.
  • "There are just some few cases or people...that she's still like handling the deals but it's on rare cases that you are still relevant to that point." (05:50, Emma)

Hard Truths for Aspiring Influencers

• Content Alone Isn't Enough: Derrick highlights—using Emma’s journey—the power and also the limits of building an audience without a sustainable plan.
  • "The real power of influencing...is when you build a brand and people are...you know, looking to you for things beyond content." (00:09, Derrick)
• Maximizing Your "Moment": Emma likens the influencer cycle to an athlete’s career: you must capitalize on your prime years by building something more substantial.
  • "So football. You can't play football for the rest of your life. Even if you don't want to retire, the regulations will retire you. Yes. So that's the same with influencing." (07:34, Emma)
  • "Within that 10 years...what did you do within that 10 years? You have to find something to do in that 10 years." (08:12, Emma)

Challenges in Content Creation and Brand Work

• Creative Flexibility vs. Structure: Emma admits to working on the spot rather than meticulously scripting content for brands, sometimes to her own detriment.
  • "I am an on the spot thinker...sometimes I'm supposed to write scripts on what I'm supposed to do...but then I'll go here and now I'm like, nah, I think this will work better." (08:49, Emma)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Influencer Realities:
  • "You can't be an influencer for the rest of your life. Your time will pass...So the moment you get that people are looking at you, you have to find something and put it inside." – Emma (05:50)
• On Building a Business Audience-First:
  • "This is the second time I am hearing a guest say they built audience, either deliberately or by accident, and then they decided to find products and services for the audience." – Derrick (00:09)
• On Creative Flexibility:
  • "I am an on the spot thinker…sometimes it doesn't work." – Emma (08:49)

---

Important Timestamps

• [00:09] – Derrick on the power of building an audience and influencing product demand.
• [01:09] – Emma reveals her influencer journey began by accident in 2019.
• [03:10] – Emma explains how she launched DI Organics with 50 cedis.
• [04:12] – Story of making and sharing her first hair oil for free.
• [05:13] – Emma on expanding the product line through education.
• [05:50] – Emma’s perspective on the lifecycle of an influencer and long-term planning.
• [07:34] – Analogy comparing influencer careers to footballers’ limited active years.
• [08:49] – Emma discusses her biggest creative challenge with brands.

---

Conclusion

This candid conversation with Emma offers inspiration and tough love for anyone looking to leverage content creation into something enduring. Her journey from "accidental" influencer to purpose-driven entrepreneur illustrates the power of cultivating a community, thinking ahead, and building a business that stands the test of time—long after the spotlight fades.

Transcript

[A]

Because of that, the demand, because people are like 800 and they finish this one. So now we have to pre order right now before. So I open pre order. That's the start of the organics as well.

[B]

This is the second time I am hearing a guest saying that they built audience, either deliberately or by accident built audience and then they decided to find products and services for the audience. I mean, and this is the raw power of influencing. Right. When you build a brand and, and people are, I mean, I'm sure people are watching this episode and then they like what you're wearing. So anyway, give me the affiliate link, I'll drop you in the comments.

[A]

Okay, Right.

[B]

And then they want to. But this is the, the real power of influencing. So someone is watching right now and you're thinking, where do I start? It starts with a small circle. You have start creating content either on Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And when you've built some sort of audience, maybe in the beginning you do it for fun, Right? Just doing a lifestyle video for fun. But at some point you realize that. Nah. Okay, now let's, let's put some business. Business hat.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

On and then, you know, advertise some products to the people. This is great. It's actually the second time a young lady is telling me this because I

[A]

didn't start out to be a content squish. I didn't even know what that was. You know what it was in 2019. I mean, I just, I just had the followers. So it was like one brand that reached out to me that she wants to give me bags so that I posted. So I collected bags the first time and then the next time it was like a big company and they, they did photo shoots for 800 CD and I was so happy. I see 2019, 800 cities. You spoil it for me. So that was when I was like, oh, so this is a thing like people get paid to start making money from these things. I was like, okay, then this something I can't consider. So that's when it started. So when they paid me the 800c and then I later I was like, but this job is playing to you for 800 cities. So that's when I start upping the prices and I started like finding out, talking to people and everything. And I, I started like making sense. That's when I started finding my feet in like the content creation part. And Covid happened and we're all home. So now people were watching my page and the reach grew and everything. Then I Changed my YouTube from hair cuz I was just doing hair on YouTube to showing my personality. Okay. Then people found me funny and then dud cuts like short clips, post it on socials, making memes and everything. And that's also part of the reasons why I sort of blew up. And yes. I can't really pinpoint. That's why when you ask me if there's one picture, I can't think. Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's just like things that were building up.

[B]

It's. It's. But. But essentially it's been content. Content. Content, yeah. Right, yeah. It started off content.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Well, by accident.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then you know, you put intentionality and started actually doing it yourself, you know. And this is why content is very powerful. So now let' your company DI Organics and DI Studio. Now I think you've already hinted how you started it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Where did you get the money to start it? You didn't have any money?

[A]

Oh, it wasn't hard.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Because I had give me money weekly for school.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So I had like all I needed was the bottle and I just needed 50 CDs for that. For the bottles. Cuz I didn't put label on it or anything on the product or anything. Like I just needed a bottle and that time bottles were not expensive. Yes. So it wasn't very hard. Like I just had 50 cds that I put inside the first one. So the ones I took pre orders from.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

When I took the pre orders, you got the money and I got the money and put it back inside. And then my brother trusted me with an Okada bike and I started Okada business and realized that transport service business is not my field. So I sold it and put it back into the business. And then I went into a competition. I think it's called Sunlight Shiro.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah. So Sunlight was doing a competition and they said write your business pitch to them and everything. And then they selected 10 people and they kept short listing, shortlisting and I won the 5,000 cities. And

[B]

so this product you were making.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You had it before the thought of making into a business.

[A]

Yes, I didn't want to make it into a business. I was doing it for free on social media.

[B]

And you were using the product yourself?

[A]

Yes, yes. So that's how, that's how my first. I have people that have been using my products from then because they know I had cut my hair and that was what I was using to grow my hair. So it was something I posted that. Oh guys, this is what I do. This is the oil I use to grow my hair. So people are like, oh, we can't find these herbs here. We can't find. This helps here. And I was like, please, I'm not going to do anything. Like I'm no, I'm a student. I'm not coming to do business. You know, all those things. So it was my oil that had made that I poured into the bottles to sell. So then when they pre ordered, because the oil takes time to make, that's why they had to pre order for me to like make it. Yes. So I was, I started with the oils.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes. But then I realized that like I have to expand as a business so just oil is not enough. If they are, if they believe me to be using my oil, then shampoo is needed, deep conditioner is needed, all of that. So that's when I went to school.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yes. Went to school, learned the formulations and all of that and I started making the product. Like I expanded and had like a lot of product in there.

[B]

I mean you could have just focused on being an influencer. Right. But for me, what I just love about your story is the fact that you added business to it because you know that your brand can influence people to even buy your products.

[A]

Yeah. And you can't be an influencer for the rest of your life. Your time will pass.

[B]

I wonder. I would, I would take that statement again. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

You can't be an influencer for the rest of your life. Your time will pass. People come, people will be younger, people be more vibrant, people be more in tune with the culture as opposed to you. That's why they are generations. Millennials have a different thought process as compared to the genesis. And that's the same way that the Gen Z's will have a different thought process as the Gen Alpha is the ones coming now. So you can't always be on top. There are just some few cases or people like Nana Am round that she's still like handling the deals by to on rare cases that you are still relevant to that point. Okay. There was a, the meeting I was in yesterday, they were looking for artists to do something and then they mentioned they were like oh, the top three musicians that we know they already big. They already. Okay. People know them but they are looking for someone that appeals to the younger people. So that's always going to be it. So you can't be dependent on it. You just have to find a way to make sure that your influence starts working for you when people don't see your face. So you have to find something. Not necessarily be, start selling. You can start something if you're an influencer. I can start an agency. Because now you're connected to people. You can start something even if it is, if, even if it is your 9 to 5. You can find a way to infuse your influence into something that can keep working for you. When you are sleeping, when, when there are days where you don't want to show your face, when there are days where you want to have a vacation for one month, but then there's still something running for you. Because influencing can be very dicey. You can lose it. Like, I don't even know how come I've been relevant from 2019 till now. Because like, it's a long time. Usually like some people are just there for like some months and then they are gone. So the moment you get that people are looking at you. You have to find something and put it inside. Like find something and just put step influence inside. Like, otherwise you can't, you can't be. Oh, you can't be popular forever. It's not possible. You can, people hear about you, but you can't have that hold on people forever. It's facts that people have to start dealing with. But you, it can be your. So it's like football. So football. You can't play football for the rest of your life. You have to. Even if you don't want to retire, the regulations will retire you. Yes. So that's the same with influencing. If you're lucky to be able to, to, to be an influencer for 10 years, 12 years, that's a blessing. So that 10 years, you should be able to, hey, 10 years is a long time for you to be able to build something like people's attention being on you for 10 years. Wow. What were you doing? Like, that's amazing. So within that 10 years, when now you are telling your children that, hey, me, when I was there, I was popping. What did you do within that 10 years? You have to find something to do in that 10 years.

[B]

I love it. This is like some of the things, the hard truths that people don't want to hear that, you know, you're not going to be on top forever. The time is going to come when somebody else is going to.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and then you, you'll be there. You'll be stuck there. Now, Emma, what's the biggest challenge you faced in influencing brands?

[A]

Sometimes my biggest challenge is that you see, I don't prep like when I'm going to interviews. I never ask. What questions will you ask me? I am on the spot. I'm on. I'm an on the Sports Thinker, but sometimes I'm supposed to write scripts on what I'm supposed to do. I can write the script and then I'll go here and now I'm like, nah, I think this will work better. I work on the spot, like in the middle of it. Like, I can be looking at the product before I'm like, okay, I think this will work better. But sometimes it doesn't work.

[B]

With some brands, Connected Minds podcast.