I know you must've heard about Zariah Hunter by now?

If you haven't, you are truly missing out on a phenomenal young lady. Zariah Hunter is not only the owner of DoseofSemaj Juice, but she has her own blog and is currently majoring in Merchandising and Digital Retailing. One thing that stood out to me about Zariah was her passion and hustle. I can tell that she is willing to do anything to accomplish her goals and that she knows what she is capable of. She is a confident and inspiring individual and I knew I couldn't continue this series without featuring her in it. I truly am grateful that I have been able to make so many connections with such interesting and inspiring individuals like Zariah Hunter. I was able to reach out to her and set up an interview. We met up at her apartment and had a chat about her goals, dreams, and aspirations. I will have her interview questions and her answers down below.

Zariah Hunter's Interview

Q: Tell me about yourself

A: My name is Zariah Hunter. I'm from Houston, Texas. I attend the University of North Texas. My Major is Merchandising and Digital Retailing. The career I want to pursue is fashion styling. I just launched my juice business, DoseofSemaj Juice. I hope it will grow and flourish into something that can become another stream of income and will give me more opportunities after graduation. I'm all about multiple streams of income.

Q: What are your career goals?

A: My future careers is to have DoseofSemaj Juice on all grocery shelves. I would also like to go into influencing through my blog and other social media platforms. It would be a great opportunity to work with an array of companies that I love. Also, I would love to go into business with my Mom. She's a beautician and I'm a stylist so I believe we can build an empire together.

Q: Why did you start DoseofSemaj Juice?

A: DoseofSemaj Juice was started because my mom had really bad back problems because she stands on her feet for a living since she is a hairstylist. The doctors were putting her on all these different types of medication and we aren't really for that. So I was like, " let's figure out something we can do naturally to help the pain", because the pain was very intense for her. I went out to Bed, Bath & Beyond over the winter break and bought a juicer. We started juicing at the house and trying different ingredients. They were good. I have a job, but I was wondering what else I could do to bring in extra money because the lifestyle I'm trying to live requires funds. When I got back to school, I bought another juicer and supplies. And then I started DoseofSemaj Juice. I started like two-three weeks ago, I made my first posts on Twitter and it blew up. That's how it all started. Right now, I'm just getting accustomed to everything and figuring out the ropes of owning your own business.

Q: What about your business makes it stand out from others?

A: There's a lot of people on campus that sell plates of food but there is nobody that I know that sells juice that is natural and healthy. I feel like I can target certain students because it tastes good and it's also healthy for you. I think that's what sets me apart because there are a lot of people that wouldn't like my green juice because it has spinach and cucumber in it. A lot of students are like, " I don't know if I'll like it" but that happens to be my second best seller. All my friends know that I'm all about being healthy and I want to keep everyone else healthy as well. Another thing that sets me apart is that I have a quality product with quality ingredients.

Q: Is DoseofSemaj Juice the only business you're doing? Do you have another service or product that you offer?

A: Yes, I provide styling services. If you would like to get styled for a certain event, wardrobe styling or image consulting. I can provide those services as well.

Q: When will you be making your styling services available?

A: I actually will like to get that up and running soon. The difference between DoseofSemaj Juice and my styling services is that DoseofSemaj Juice is a tangible product. I've been having a hard time finding a way to market myself as a stylist because you have to get people to trust you and your credibility but I would like to make my styling services available as soon as possible.

Q: How do you balance school with owning a business and having an internship?

A: Right now, I juice when I can. I have my friend Tasha as the brand ambassador. She is able to sell on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I try to plan out my schedule where I can juice certain days and have my product ready to sell. I don't keep my products for over three days without selling them because at that point I don't consider them fresh. My mom comes down here to help me juice. It's just all about staying on top of everything. Even when I'm not juicing, I make sure to keep fresh ingredients and my supplies accessible to me for when I need them. I plan out my grocery lists and look at the weekly sales to see what I can get and where to get it from.

Q: Has being a person of color had some effects on the success of your business?

A: I don't think It has. It is continuously growing. The black community has been very supportive and even the ones outside of the black community. You're either going to support it or you're not. It just depends on that person. When Tasha and I go out to promote and sell, there will be people that are rude to us or look at us like we are crazy. Other than that, it's like them doing that is not going to stop the other 5 juices from selling. I really do want to show love to the black community because they are very supportive and I love y'all.

Q: Where do see your brand/business going from here?

A: Hopefully, DoseofSemaj Juice will be on the shelves of HEB, Kroger, Walmart, Winco, and Target. I also want to be juicing in a factory somewhere instead of my kitchen.

Q: Do you have any advice for others who are interested in starting a business?

A: Just do it! I could've waited. For me, I know there could've been a lot of other things I could've started because I feel like my vision for things is great. I've often been like " I don't know" or been on the edge about stuff but this juice business I felt like it would be something good that would flourish. Everything is not going to be perfect. I just changed my labels to something different and probably will continue to change as my business grows. You're going to be learning throughout the process. Right now, I'm in the dilemma of figuring out where to order my bottles from. I would say to just do it because it's never going to be perfect. I would suggest keeping your family close and people who support you will help guide you. And luckily, I feel like I've been blessed with that. I would say the main things would be to surround yourself with supportive people and to not stress and worry about perfection.

Q: Do you have any upcoming events you would like us to know about?

A: I don't have any upcoming events. I have been contacted by people in the community that want to interview me, I have been invited to sell my juices at a fraternity's event, and I'm working on getting DoseofSemaj Juice into a local diner. My mom has also started selling DoseofSemaj Juice in Houston.

End of Zariah's Interview

I'm so happy and honored that I was able to get an interview with Zariah Hunter. I'm so glad to have friends that are killing the game in all areas of their life. I know her business, DoseofSemaj Juice, is going to go far. If you have never tasted her juice, I don't know what you're doing with your life. You are truly missing out. I will have all her links to her social media and her website. I would love it if you would go and follow her. She is always posting gorgeous O.O.T.D and postings of her bomb juice. You definitely need to check her out.