Tesi Johnson Used $15K In Shopify Capital To Scale Jamaican-Inspired Wellness Brand

Like many Black business owners, Miami-based entrepreneur Tesi Johnson had already grown a thriving brand before seeking funding to help her sustain it. With no outside investors and a rejection from her local bank, Johnson found support for her company, Iset By Nature, from the online selling platform Shopify.

After seeing the rapid growth of her wellness brand, the company offered Johnson $15,000 in funding to help scale her business.

Iset By Nature has received over $95,000 in capital from Shopify, making it one of many Black-owned brands to benefit from its commitment to leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs like Johnson. “Shopify is aggressively pursuing ways to make commerce more equitable for Black business owners, including giving them access to capital,” said Shopify Director of Product Vikram Anreddy. “Shopify Capital is a simple and effective way for entrepreneurs to get the financing they need to grow their business, as it does not require personal credit scores or request lengthy applications or paperwork.” To date, the company has given more than $4.5 billion in funding to merchants selling on the platform.

For Johnson, the help came at a crucial time for her brand.

In 2020, when interest in holistic remedies and plant-based diets peaked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for the health and wellness products Iset By Nature is known for rose rapidly. After five years of working directly with suppliers in Jamaica and a small staff, Johnson’s true test in entrepreneurship would be in weathering the storms that often come on the road to success. “You need to have an unshakable belief in your own talents and capabilities,” she said. “Being an entrepreneur is going to shake up everything. You’re going to have long periods when you’re broke and not making any money. You’re going to have periods when people don’t believe in anything.”