A Troy University graduate student turned one of her passions into a business she hopes grows into something bigger.
Jada Talton is a graduate student at Troy University’s Dothan campus. She also works for the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and has her own company called LJ Surreal LLC.
Talton said the name of her company is very personal to her.
“I was adopted from China when I was a baby,” Talton said. “My partners kept my Chinese name that the orphanage gave me as my middle name, so it’s Li Jia.
“That’s where the ‘LJ’ comes from.”
Talton also added her company’s name is connected to something she is very interested in.
“’Surreal’ kind of came about because it really has something to do with my art background,” Talton added. “I’ve always loved surreal art.
“I know it kind of looks weird and it has that funky look to it, but also it kind of represents where I am right now in terms of my life. Everything that’s happened to me and how far I’ve come is really surreal in itself.”
Right now, LJ Surreal LLC sells makeup items. The items include an eyeshadow palette, blush and lip oil. Talton said she was interested in creating a product that she could put her own twist on.
“I know lip oils are really popular right now,” Talton said. “I like the pastel color palette like the Japanese Kawaii look, so that’s kind of what I was going for in terms of packaging and design.
“I wanted something to look more like a premium product.”
Wanting to create a premium product, Talton took matters into her own hands by using her art background to create the product and packaging design for her Love Potion Lip Oil.
“I started with a sketch on my iPad of the graphic that I came up with,” Talton explained. “The little heart bottle was drawn by me.
“I had a sketch and then I went into Adobe Illustrator, and I made that design and everything else, in terms of packaging.”
Talton’s manufacturers in China helped her bring the design of the product bottle and the box packaging to life.
Talton looks up to her mother, who is also a business owner, for how to model her own business.
“One of my biggest role models, when it comes to business, is my mom,” Talton said. “She just opened her store in Dothan, and she started it at a time that, honestly, wasn’t great.
“It’s something that she always wanted to do.
There were a lot of people that told her she was opening her store at the wrong time and that it wasn’t going to be successful, and now she’s doing great.”
Owning and running a small business can come with some hardships.Talton gives some advice for people who are looking to make their passion a business.
“When it comes to this kind of thing, I would say if your heart is really in it, you should definitely pursue it,” Talton said. “Be smart about it. Be patient, and speaking from personal experiences, make sure you feel like it’s the right time.
“Don’t hold yourself back from doing [it], but it’s okay to say, ‘maybe right now is not the right time and let’s do some careful planning.’ There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Talton’s company, LJ Surreal, is currently selling only makeup products, but Talton hopes to push out other kinds of products soon.
“I’m going to be creating more stuff,” Talton said. “Right now, I’m actually working on some cute little frog sticky notes.
“I would like to get into more stationary things.”
If anyone is interested in learning more about Talton, her company and her products, they can find her on Instagram and TikTok @ljsurreal.
As mentioned, Talton is a fellow Trojan, she’s offering a 10% off coupon code. For 10% off, use ‘TROY10’ on LJsurreal.com.
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