Rooted in wellness: Alum builds natural brand

After an extensive and diverse career of public service with the government of Nova Scotia, Cheryl Bishop opted not to retire, but instead to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship by going back to school.

“To go back to school as a mature student for Business Administration at Ivany Campus was to learn the basics and what I would need to have a business. The skills I gained through NSCC were what I needed,” explains Cheryl (’20), whose earlier education was in Human Resources, and a Bachelor of Arts & Social Sciences from Dalhousie University.

Entrepreneurial by nature, Cheryl previously owned a restaurant and is a casual artisan, specializing in mandala and African art pieces. Her plans to expand the art business after graduating in 2021 were derailed by a serious fall, which caused related mobility issues later that year.

“I took the fall, and then I lost my hair during COVID-19 a few months later. That’s when I knew I had to do something for myself,” she shares. Drawing inspiration from her African Nova Scotian and Indigenous grandmothers, who made natural root remedies to battle minor ailments, Cheryl launched C-Lee’s Divine Natural Products in 2023.

Start-up support

Cheryl credits NSCC’s Start-up Accelerator Program as essential to growing her business. She was one of nineteen alumni participating in the part-time, online, 30-week program created to help NSCC graduates start and manage their unique businesses.

“The Start-up Accelerator Program gave me the push I needed. It covered everything from A to Z, including how to prepare for pitch competitions,” says Cheryl. This education led her to have the courage to compete in the annual BWIE Pitch Competition in October 2024.

Tuition funding of $1,050 from NSCC Alumni Relations for the Start-up Accelerator Program made it possible for Cheryl to enroll, fully covering her tuition as a Canadian student.

“As an African Nova Scotian woman, this program was like a Godsend to me. I'm a pensioner with no extra income, so this opportunity was huge for me. These kinds of chances do not come often,” she explains, adding that the assignments, hands-on learning, and visual approach made the program especially impactful.

Cheryl also expanded her entrepreneurial education through NSCC’s pilot program Entrepreneur-in-the-Making Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort, partnered with Blk Women in Excellence.

“Without the programs that I've taken, I don't think I’d be represented on a business platform at all because of systemic racism,” she says. “It’s tough that the same old stereotypes still exist.”

Natural business growth

Within two years of launching C-Lee’s Divine Natural Products, Cheryl more than doubled her products from the initial shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil. Her product line now includes a wider range of haircare, skincare, pain relief balms, African Net Sponges, bamboo brushes, combs, and toothbrushes.

“Everything that I make is 100% natural and ethically sourced, including my preservatives,” she explains. “I handcraft every product myself, with no chemicals.”

At the heart of Cheryl’s business is a deep passion for personalized care. From spending days handcrafting products to choosing brand colours that honour cancer patients and those living with Alopecia Areata and other autoimmune conditions, every detail is intentional. She also offers a 10% discount to chemotherapy patients and survivors.

Operating primarily through word-of-mouth and social media, Cheryl provides each client with a consultation at a reasonable price to understand their needs and recommend the right products for their specific hair type.

“I keep being told to raise my prices—some people charge $75 for a 6 oz bottle of hair oil, while I charge $25-$35, keeping in mind that I hand-craft and infuse my oils, based on client needs and allergy alerts,” she says. “My mission is simple: affordability and accessibility, because your hair’s health is our divine mission.”

Cheryl considers the confidence and transformation she sees in her clients to be some of her most meaningful business milestones. One being, regaining a young woman’s confidence by growing back her entire head of hair, which she lost due to a chemical hair treatment a year prior to using C-Lee’s Divine Natural Products.

She is currently developing a website and planning to launch new products, including fragrance oils, men’s beard conditioner and shampoo, and natural deodorant sticks. Her long-term vision is to grow the business into a source of generational wealth and one day pass it down to her niece.