Not leather jackets and matching tattoos but payroll specialists, postal clerks, and brand protectors.
Explicit Essentials is woman-owned and woman-operated. Our direct employees are women, and every day they bring grit, humor, and brilliance to what we do. But what’s even more incredible is how far that circle extends. Beyond our walls, there’s this wider network of women who’ve carried us through storms, built our foundations, and cheered us on when things looked impossible.
Even if the role they played seemed small on the surface, every single contribution made a giant difference in keeping this business alive and helping it grow in ways that deserve a damn standing ovation. This blog is our thank-you letter to them.
Cheryl Darrup – Koppa Brand Protection
When international scammers started hawking knock-off versions of our products, it nearly killed our company. Enter Cheryl Darrup at Koppa Brand Protection, a strategist and savior rolled into one. She and her team use cutting-edge tech to hunt counterfeiters across the internet, document the evidence, and shut their asses down. Cheryl doesn’t just fight fraud, she restores hope. Without her, we wouldn’t be here telling this story.
Rachel Kaminetzky – SRIPLAW
It wasn’t enough to just find the scammers. We wanted justice. Rachel Kaminetzky of SRIPLAW took our case and fought for us fiercely and won. She secured major monetary damages, proving that counterfeiters don’t get to rip off women-owned businesses without consequences. Rachel gave us more than money, she gave us back our sense of power.
Rhonda – Payroll Specialist
Every company needs someone keeping the numbers straight and the paychecks flowing, and for us, that’s my mom, Rhonda. She’s a breast cancer survivor, a living reminder of resilience, and the one making sure our payroll is handled with care. She fought cancer and won, payroll is easy compared to that. She’s the quiet powerhouse who makes sure the rest of us can keep fighting loud.
Tawnya – Our Contractor Extraordinaire
We’ve outgrown not one, but two spaces and each time, Tawnya stepped in to build us a warehouse that gave us room to breathe, create, and expand. Contractors don’t always get the spotlight, but she deserves it: she literally built the walls that hold our dreams (and way too much inventory). Twice.
Mary Gray – Culpepper CPA
Accounting nightmares? We had them. Mary Gray at Culpepper CPA swooped in, untangled three years of messed-up taxes, and handed us back clarity. Oh, and when she’s not balancing books, she’s adopting Great Danes. Anyone who can wrestle giant dogs and the IRS is a superhero in our book.
Insley Edgar – St. Johns Asset Management
Money management isn’t sexy — unless you’ve got someone like Insley Edgar in your corner. As our financial advisor at St. Johns Wealth Management, she keeps us on track, mapped out smart moves, and given us the kind of guidance that makes scaling possible. She brings brains, foresight, and a calm energy that makes even the scariest financial talks feel doable.
Celine Fung – Matriarch Digital
Meta and Google ads are enough to make anyone scream into a pillow. Thankfully, Celine Fung at Matriarch Digital makes sense of the madness. She’s the brain behind our digital marketing — tweaking, testing, and scaling campaigns so we can reach the right people at the right time. With Celine, data feels less like numbers and more like magic.
Chelly Bell – Acutane
Inventory management nearly broke us once, but Chelly Bell from Acutane gave us systems and sanity. She streamlined our processes, helped us stop drowning in spreadsheets, and gave us time back to focus on what we do best, making products that help people relax, laugh, and feel human again.
Lacie Carroll – Malicious Women Candle Co.
When we think about women who embody grit, creativity, and unapologetic voice, Lacie Carroll is at the top of the list. She started Malicious Women Candle Co. in her kitchen with a crockpot and a mission born out of grief, and turned it into a million-dollar business that empowers women through laughter, light, and activism. She proves that swearing, sass, and self-expression can coexist with purpose, giving back to causes like suicide prevention and women’s rights. Lacie is proof that when women refuse to soften their edges, they can light up the whole damn world. We see you Malicious Women and admire you big time!
Amelia Reigstad – The Women’s Collective
Amelia Reigstad built The Women’s Collective, a retail and community space that uplifts women-owned brands and creates a home for empowerment. She left behind a career as a PhD professor in communications to build something deeply human: a place where women connect, shop, and learn together. Amelia doesn’t just sell our products — she curates experiences that inspire confidence and courage. She’s also the author of Hello Ms. Perfect, where she calls bullshit on perfectionism and helps women reclaim their identity. She’s a reminder that brilliance doesn’t always look like corporate boardrooms sometimes, it looks like a community gathering in a shop full of candles, books, and hope.
Our Circle of Inspiration
Explicit Essentials isn’t just a brand. It’s a movement built on community, resilience, and women who refuse to quit.
The truth is, women like us are proof that women thrive when we stand shoulder to shoulder. No brand, no founder, no dream exists in a vacuum. It takes a collective of women who believe in each other, fight for each other, and celebrate each other.
That’s the energy we carry at Explicit Essentials. Badass, unapologetic, relentless and never alone.
Samantha Daly