Sylvia NebSa Harmon often finds others telling her that she needs to write a book on her life story. In fact, Harmon says that during workshops, the first 45 minutes are typically devoted to explaining her story, as it is so fascinating.
When Harmon’s friends and customers tell her to write a book, she often quips back that she won’t do that yet, because she has so much more to do.
Harmon is a self-claimed “solopreneur” and the founder of Village to Vendor, a Dayton-based business that offers courses and coaches teams of vendors on how to revitalize their business and attract customers.
Born in Michigan, Harmon left the states to move to Africa in 1977 and lived there for 18 years. She also attended university in France, then moved back to Africa to start the Inspirit Arts cottage craft industry in 1982, which raised funds for children’s causes in Kenya and Eswatini through training volunteers of women’s organizations to be vendors and marked the beginning of Village to Vendor.
A couple of years later, Harmon started the rolled paper movement by going from village to village, in one African country after another, to teach villagers in drought-stricken areas how to up-cycle paper into jewelry. Through her efforts in the rolled paper movement and Inspirit Arts, Harmon learned the art of selling and vending, and used that foundation to later launch her business.
Harmon relocated to Dayton in 1995 due to her brother and mother living here and became a full-time vendor in Dayton and Yellow Springs, where she sold handmade fashion to sell in her pop-up vendor booth. Once in Dayton, she focused her energy on teaching her selling methods full-time and transformed Inspirit Arts into an “academy” with courses aimed at how to become an expert vendor of fashion accessories.
“Dayton is a phenomenal place for pop-up vending… the crowds really show up,” Harmon said. “There are areas here that have really good vending opportunities, and I want to help stimulate the economy, but also give people an opportunity to make some money and have fun in the process.”
She continued teaching and traveled the world in her booth before retiring to devote herself towards expanding Village to Vendor, and to build the Village to Vendor Academy and eStore.
The Village to Vendor eStore was founded in 2013 and helps crafters in remote villages worldwide by making their products accessible in wholesale packs for vendors to buy and sell. The most common product sold through the eStore pipeline is healing head wraps, which are hand woven head scarves for men and women that are suffering from hair loss, depression, health challenges, or just want to wear one.
The “Head Wrap Vendor Method,” developed by Harmon, teaching the techniques of developing a sustainable head wrap franchise and booth. She offers other programs that focus on how to sell fair-trade accessories, such as hand-crocheted tam berets, Rasta caps, and headbands. The academy also offers demonstrations on how to start head-wrapping ventures and includes tutorials on how to properly apply a head wrap.
Village to Vendor
Founder: Sylvia NebSa Harmon
Services: Product courses and sales training
Founded: 1982
Website: https://www.villagetovendor.com/home
Through the Village to Vendor Academy, vendors are offered a unique specialized selling method to help generate revenue with other businesses through promoting their own products and services at festivals, trade shows, marketplaces, and special events. Harmon leads the courses, and teaches “The Vendor Academy Sales Method,” which includes the top 10 selling mistakes vendors make, and a proven vendor selling system.
For a $399 monthly payment, vendors can sign up for the Academy and be taught by Harmon the basics of selling and gain inside knowledge from her professional expertise in vending, customer service, and community membership. Once vendors sign up for the Academy, they have access to online workshops, discussion forums, and weekly lessons to strengthen their understanding on the art of the sale.
In the new year, Harmon has no plans of slowing down. She wants to continue her mission of inspiring and teaching young entrepreneurs who are looking to build a business. Harmon will continue her passion of teaching and pop-up vending through course offerings at Village to Vendor, including continuing her efforts with the Sales and Service Squads.
The Sales and Service Squad incentive includes field trips, classroom activities and sales training courses online for educators, non-profits, businesses, and families with aspiring youth entrepreneurs in their teens and twenties. Joining the “squad” gives local youth the opportunity to learn how to sell and hone their craft through engaging discussions with peers and vendors in the community.
Harmon developed her mission as a teen in Africa and has used that vision to launch a business that has found success all over the world. She will continue to teach and support entrepreneurs, and maybe, when she has time, get around to writing that book.
