the hustle stories
From Nurse to Soapmaker
Tiana Mc Millan's Story at Beauty Forr Ashes
Named from Isaiah 61:3 — beauty and healing can come out of hardship.
Meet Tiana Mc Millan...
a licensed practical nurse who became a self-taught soapmaker out of necessity — and turned it into a business. When her son was diagnosed with eczema, Tiana didn't want prolonged steroid cream to be his only option. She went looking for something natural instead, and what she found became the foundation of Beauty Forr Ashes.
From Personal Search to Purpose
The idea came to Tiana in 2024, the same year she officially formed the LLC. By 2025, she'd launched sales. Every bar is handcrafted with sea moss, aloe vera, turmeric, and senna leaf — ingredients she chose specifically for their effect on inflammation and itching. Since using it, her son has seen minimal flare-ups, and customers have reported the same relief, including one mother who used it on her newborn's eczema-prone skin.
"This is something that I felt like God placed in my heart to make, and He gave me the tools to make it," — Tiana
Tiana has built Beauty Forr Ashes entirely on her own — no outside investment, no paid advertising, just word of mouth and results. She's earned nine five-star Google reviews and recently completed a cost-plus pricing analysis that led her to correct her pricing from $10 and $8 to $17 and $11 per bar, a shift that reflects the true value of what she's making. She handles every part of the business herself, from production to marketing to business development.
"I started from the literal bottom. I had to learn everything. No one's there to really help you — you have to look for yourself. This is your business. This is your baby." — Tiana
Along the way, she's also had to face fears she didn't know she had. Becoming the face of her own product meant overcoming a fear of public speaking — something she calls one of her biggest accomplishments to date.
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About Beauty Forr Ashes
Beauty Forr Ashes is a handcrafted skincare line built around natural ingredients and real results. Named from Isaiah 61:3, the brand reflects Tiana's belief that beauty and healing can come out of hardship — starting with her own family's search for relief.
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Products Offered
Skincare: Handcrafted Soap Bars (Sea Moss, Aloe Vera, Turmeric, Senna Leaf)
Coming Soon: New Scent Coming Soon
Grant Project: Scaling Production & Reaching New Customers
Tiana is putting the Hustle Grant funds toward two priorities: bulk production materials to lower her per-unit costs, and her first paid social advertising test on Instagram and TikTok. Both moves are aimed at helping her reach more families who could benefit from what she's built — while she continues developing her next product, a new scent.
"With God all things are possible. If you submit, He transforms you in a way that the things you think you couldn't do, you can do. If I can do it, you can do it." — Tiana