Brand Crush: Shyneeknobs. An Interview with Beauty Founder Tonia Thomas

Shynee Knobs is a brand I'm proud to say has worked with Krisztina Williams Media for a long time. Founder Tonia Thomas is always so positive and kind, and that takes center stage in her nail polish and beauty brand.

From inspiring affirmations to empowering products, she aims to lift other women up. With her children's line Princess Knobs, as well as her bath and body, self care and journal products; she is inspiring a generation of young girls too. It's a privilege to get to know her more with this interview.

Q: When did you first get into cosmetics & what led you to start your brand? 

A: Well, back in 2019-2020 is when I first came up with the name Shyneeknobs, she was supposed to be a wholesale business for nail accessories, bling for products, etc. I remember sitting on my couch watching a movie and just as clear as day I heard this voice say "Shyneeknobs is not what you think she will be, change her to nail polish."

WHAT!!!! Was my thought and so I literally heard the voice again as if I really didn’t hear it the first time. The voice was of God telling me that he decided that Shyneeknobs will be nail polish. I was like nail polish…I have no idea how to make nail polish. And from there the research started and Shyneeknobs was born 2 years later.

 Q: I love that you include positive and empowering affirmations with your products. Was there something in particular in your personal life that inspired you to do that?  

A:  Absolutely, growing up and even into my adulthood I felt alone, not heard, talked about for whatever reason, not invited into occasions with family or friends. I was always an introvert and still am till this day. I was manipulated, used, disrespected, and even made to feel less than the black sheep of the family so to speak.

Until God picked me up and helped me find myself and love myself again. I found Tonia again, so using affirmations for each nail polish is a way to inspire other women and girls to start finding and loving themselves from the inside out, with God and through color. Color is a big part of life, it is a way of expressing how you feel, how you move through the day.  Color is a mood changer, so why not paint your nails the color that makes you feel how you want to feel inside, and with that the color allows you to shine on the outside knowing that the affirmation attached to the color is with you every day, every hour, until you feel like changing it.

The main priority is to help women and girls love themselves from the inside out, meaning our hearts and how we feel about ourselves.

Q: How much of a role does faith play in your business decisions?

A: Faith plays 100% of a role in every decision that is made in my life and for Shyneeknobs. God is my business partner! What he says goes - how to move in everyday decisions, what to make, how to make it, the name of each polish as well as the color. Shyneeknobs is not just my baby; she was given to me, entrusted to me by my heavenly father.

Q: What was your biggest challenge when you were initially launching your brand?

A: Everything! No matter what it was everything was very challenging, from the research, waiting for God to give me the name of each polish, then he would give me the colors after. Designing the logo was changed so many times at first until I saw the crown and got an okay from God. Into Shyneeknobs second year, God said it is time to change the logo because Shyneeknobs is growing, so I changed it. Shyneeknobs is now in her third year and there are still challenges. I don’t think that will ever change.

Q: What would you say in your personal life had the biggest effect on who you’ve become as an entrepreneur?

A: I always felt that working a 9 – 5 was not for me and struggled with it, however, I was always able to maintain a good work ethic. I felt like there had to be more out there because for some odd reason

I knew I was meant for more and I was going to figure it out. I soon realized I wanted to work for myself and stepped out on faith.

Q: I love that your kid's line Princess Knobs is prioritizing inner beauty and mental health. How do you see that continuing and growing in the coming years?

A: Princess Knobs is a girls line dedicated to fostering a positive self-image and promoting mental health among our girls. 

By prioritizing inner beauty, the brand encourages girls to value qualities like kindness, empathy, prayer, learning from within, shine their light and resilience over superficial attributes. This approach not only helps build confidence but also establishes a strong foundation for mental well-being. Shyneeknobs will be adding more diary/journals, and prayer journals like a weekend prayer mommy and me day. There will be subscription boxes that will include many products that we offer, like customized bracelets that I have just learned to make, and much more.

Q: If you don't mind sharing, as a busy entrepreneur, what would you say has been your biggest challenge when it comes to your mental/emotional health, and how do you typically deal with that?

A: My biggest challenge is trying to do everything, trying to be there for family and the business, but if I am not there for Tonia then nothing gets done.

I have learned to walk away from anything that is making me feel overwhelmed by leaving it alone for as long as I need to

for me to get back to the peace that God has given me. I will focus on completing one task at a time, rather than multitasking which can often lead to increased stress. Breaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps can also make them seem less daunting.

Q: What advice would you give to beauty brand founders just starting on their journey?

A: To stay true to what the brand means no matter what trends are going on, but also be willing to add to your brand as time passes on. Never let anyone tell you not to do something unless it's God, because he knows the path of your business. Don’t be scared to fail, failure is part of life but don’t just stay there, get back up & keep moving forward. The thing is to never stay down and always remember why you started and most importantly always talk to God and remember there is nothing wrong with talking to yourself & asking yourself questions because it is a sense of self care.

Take time out for you no matter how easy or hard it gets because social media will make you feel like you have to post, create reels, go live or compare your business to other businesses everyday in order to grow your business; but in all reality it is overwhelming and can cause you to give up. So just take your time and do what is best for your business.

Q: Where do you see your brand in 5 years from now?

A: WOW! 5 years from now I see Shyneeknobs in major stores across the country, opening up an academy for women and girls to learn how to create their own polish or creating a subscription box that will give them everything they need to create at home. Inspired Apparel, and am working on some other things that will be mentioned in the near future!

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A big thank you to Tonia for sitting down with us so we could get to know more about the woman behind the brand. Your dedication to inspiring and empowering women is, well...inspiring! It goes to show that no matter what we do with our lives, we can find ways to incorporate supportive and empowering practices that lift each other up.