Bolden is a Black-owned skincare brand on a mission to embolden women around the world by celebrating their natural beauty.
Founders, Chinelo and Ndidi originally met as high school classmates in Nigeria but lost touch after Ndidi switched schools. Little did they know how their paths would cross again and culminate in becoming not only business partners but sisters-in-law.
Using the best ingredients to create the most effective formulations, their goal is to create a sense of empowerment, confidence, and pride among all women. Believing that true beauty comes from feeling good in your own skin, they named their brand Bolden from the word embolden.
We caught up with them to find out more about their business.
What inspired you to start your business?
The aha moment for Chinelo and Ndidi happened after a bad sunscreen experience while on vacation in Key West, Florida. The resulting frustration presented a problem solving opportunity for lifelong beauty enthusiasts.
Both with MBA’s, Ndidi’s from MIT and Chinelo’s is from the University of Maryland, they created a brand that would represent women that looked like them in terms of product selection, images, and messaging about our beautiful skin.
What makes your products unique?
Our customers feel seen. They know every product we make started with them in mind. We are providing clinical formulations that tackle the primary skin concerns of Black women at affordable price points.
How did you raise funding for your business?
So far, we have not taken any outside funding. We’ve self-funded and reinvested to grow the business.
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
Continuing to serve Black women with our products and our message. We want to be the brand of choice for Black women around the world.
What is one lesson you’ve learned as a business owner that you’d like to pass on to other entrepreneurs?
You can always start where you are. There’s never a perfect time, you’ll never have complete information, and you won’t have all the money you need. Start where you are and continue to improve.
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