Browse Tag

hair care

4 mins read

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

By 2026, consumers in North America are expected to contribute approximately $2 billion to the global hair wigs and extension market.

According to a March 2021 report, “Consumers of African descent constitute one of the largest end-user of wigs. Consumers are trying to limit the use of harsh chemical products such as peroxide serums. Moreover, an increasing number of women are preferring natural afro-textured hair. Although most consumers are not ready to embrace natural hair, they are increasingly buying hair wigs of human hair as they feel natural.”

Although this information may not come as a surprise, what may surprise you is the number of Black owned wig and hair extension businesses that have been established over the last few years to satisfy this demand.

We’ve listed a few for you.

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

 Coils to Locs

Coils to Locs is a wig resource for women of color searching for coily, curly wig styles at cancer center hospitals and medical hair loss salons.

A-List Hair

A-List Lace Hair is one of the UK’s prominent suppliers for Full Lace Wigs and Lace Front Wigs, as well as frontals, closures, and virgin hair extensions.

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

Wig Dealer

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

DACS Boutique

DACS Boutique provides an extensive range of human Remy synthetic and lace front wigs designed to ensure that special look at any moment.

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

Natural Babe Hair

Natural Babe Hair focuses on empowering women to love themselves more and to love themselves through loving their hair.

Finger Comber

Finger Comber is a natural hair community that was made by naturals, for naturals. They carry a collection of artisinal wigs and hairpieces that are designed to support the natural hair journey.

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

Nahara’s Curls

Nahara’s Curls was designed to be a creative and fun way to explore the endless possibilities of our natural hair.

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

Boho Locs

Boho Locs offers hand-designed premium crochet loc extensions.

Mayvenn

Mayvenn sells 100% virgin hair extensions in a wide variety of textures and colors.

Miyi

Miyi provides 100% virgin hair to mimic natural 3B/3C, 3C/4A & 4B/4C kinky textured hair.

Conscious Curls Hair

Conscious Curls Hair is 100% Virgin Indian hair that has been carefully crafted to offer the most luxurious and long lasting extension.

Big Chop Hair

Big Chop Hair is a natural hair extension company that offers 5 different hair textures in wefts, lace closures, bulk (for braiding), u-part wigs, clip-ins and full wigs.

Black Hair

Black hair is a father-son-owned line of wigs and extensions for those who are looking to buy hair products at reasonable and affordable prices.

Heat Free Hair

Heat Free Hair offers a way for women to transition using protective styles that don’t require heat or chemical processing.

Hair For The Girls

Hair For The Girls is a premium hair brand that was created to empower girls at all stages of their hair journey.

Latched and Hooked

Latched & Hooked’s patented curls are non-toxic, stress-free, affordable and designed with the highest quality of synthetic fiber for women who wear protective hairstyles.

Kurly Klips

Kurly Klips is a curly textured clip-in hair extensions brand that offers a very quick process for adding length to your mane.

Melanj Hair

Melanj Hair offers six custom textures of hair extensions meant to blend seamlessly with your natural hair.

Radswan

Radswan provides premium synthetic wigs that meet the hair care and protective styling needs of Black women with natural hair.

Black Owned Wig and Hair Extension Businesses

-Tony O. Lawson

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2 mins read

Black Owned Plant-Based Hair Extension Brand Raises $1.4 Million

Many Black women and men wear their hair in protective styles such as twists and braids that use hair extensions that are often made from plastic.

According to a 2020 report by Refinery29, synthetic hair is made up of “ultra-fine strands of plastic” and non-biodegradable materials like polyester, acrylic, and PVC that contribute to landfills. Synthetic hair can also cause severe scalp irritation and itchiness on contact.

black Owned Plant-Based
Image credit: Rebundle

This scalp irritation is what inspired Rebundle, a Black owned plant-based hair extension brand, to offer a biodegradable alternative to synthetic braiding hair.  They are the first beauty brand to address both the health and environmental disparities in the hair extensions industry.

Black Owned Plant-Based
Image credit: Rebundle

The St. Louis-based startup is led by co-founder and CEO Imani May and co-founder and chief marketing officer Danielle Washington.

May got the idea for Rebundle after experiencing discomfort from her braids while wearing braids back to back as she grew her hair out.

When the brand officially launched its first product, Braid Better hair, in Jan. 2021, the pre-order inventory sold out within a month, with over 14% of sales coming directly from Instagram. The page also grew from 1,000 followers to now over 14,000.

Black Owned Plant-Based
Image credit: Rebundle

The product is made from naturally extracted banana fiber, which is sourced internationally. The hair can be cut, dyed, and manipulated the same as any other hair. It is also resistant to heat and can be flat ironed.

Yesterday, the Rebundle announced that it has raised $1.4 million in a pre-seed round.

Several investors participated in Rebundle’s financing, including St. Louis startup funder Arch Grants, a nonprofit. Other investors included RareBreed Ventures, M25, Closed Loop Partners’ Ventures Group, Sku’d Ventures, Chicago Early, Big Delta Capital, Precursor Ventures, Evergreen Climate Innovations and Innocreative Capital.

The new investment will be used to plans to add additional team members and establish a new local manufacturing facility.

Tony O. Lawson


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1 min read

This Black Entrepreneur Went From Foster Care to Homelessness To Owning a $2M Hair Care Line

Cosmetologist Jerricha Hoskins has always wanted to be like Madam CJ Walker. “I’ve been using all the hair care products on the market but none worked out for me.

So, I started formulating things and introducing them to the public. In a little over two years, I built a $2 million dollar business,” she said.

hair care

Her line, Arcani Coil Care, carries everything from vegan-based temporary hair colors to men’s beard care kits and kids mousse.

Once homeless, the mom of six says her new reality is sometimes hard to believe. Jerricha was placed in foster care at 15-years-old after her mother dropped her off at Daybreak Dayton, a youth services organization, and never returned. Three years later she found herself homeless and pregnant, left to care for her son alone.

Her staff includes mostly single mothers and foster kids who are aging out of the system.

“I’m very passionate about working with at-risk youth because I was an at-risk youth at one time. I know that if I was able to see something like this at an earlier stage it would’ve gave me that extra push,” she said.

Her products are being shipped from her Dayton office around the world to Zambia, Canada and the Caribbean with Houston, Atlanta and Chicago being her top American suppliers.

5 mins read

BlackTravelBox Offers Beauty Products for The Traveler on the Go

According to Orion Brown, Black travelers have few, if any places they can go to find personal care products that work specifically for their hair and skincare needs.
That is why she created Black Travel Box. Her goal is to give women of color a brand they can trust for all their travel personal care needs.
“I started Black Travel Box because there aren’t any brands serving the 5 million strong (and growing) population of Black millennial travelers”, she said.
Orion is creating a brand dedicated to serving this consumer (and its extensions) with products that take the guess work and stress out of traveling with products best suited for an ethnically diverse community.
We caught up with her to find out more about her inspiration and how her entrepreneurial journey is going so far.
the black travel box
Orion Brown

What inspired you to create Black Travel Box?

After traveling to my 15th country, I found myself with less product than I needed and nowhere to purchase something suited to my hair and skin care needs – I thought to myself that I really can’t be the only one struggling when I travel. And after talking to other travelers like me, I discovered I wasn’t.

the black travel box

How did you decide what specific items to offer and ingredients to make them with?

I started with the basics – products that are in every hotel, travel aisle, and gym that still manage to consistently not consider the needs of travelers and folks on the go outside of what’s considered ‘normal’ hair and skin.
Often products like shampoo and conditioner, while not popular with most travelers, are especially problematic for richly textured hair.
While watery lotions made with waxes and fillers leave darker skin tones dry with an ashy residue. So our product line started with that – and of course lip balm because we’re not trying to have crusty lips out here. It’s a staple we can all get behind.
the black travel box

If you could wake up tomorrow as an expert in any business skill, what would it be? Why?

I’d be an expert in content creation – its so important for us to tell our story and engage with our communities in ways that enrich their travel and on the go beauty experience.
The creativity that I see in the marketplace today is astounding, and I am in total awe of brands that create multifaceted conversations with their communities with such clarity of voice and perspective.

What has been the most rewarding and the most challenging part of your entrepreneurial journey thus far?

The most rewarding part has been receiving notes via email, text, and LinkedIn with words of encouragement from within the Black travel community and beyond.
Our customers are passionate brand advocates and as we learn and grow brand awareness, the response has truly been humbling.
The most challenging part has been keeping focused on the strategy and tactics that we’ve laid out from the outset and not get distracted with shiny objects and short term opportunities.

What types of brands and businesses are you interested in partnering with?

BTB is all about serving people on the go – retail, hospitality, beauty, travel, even fitness partners would be a great fit for our long term vision.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

We endeavor to be the Away meets Glossier for our community serving up relevant content, building community, and creating a best in class inclusive line of products made for an on the go lifestyle.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Trust your gut, pray, and take the leap. Whatever form that may come in. Whether you side hustle or full time, with dedication and focus you can create the business and legacy that you want.

– Tony O. Lawson
1 min read

Black Owned Bonnet Brands That Aren’t Charging $98

According to NiteCap Founder Sarah Marantz, she came up with the idea for a satin bonnet “after much consideration, conceptualization, brainstorming, and borderline obsessive research.”

black owned satin bonnet brands
NiteCap Founder Sarah Marantz

Fortunately, for Black women everywhere, someone else had the bright idea of creating appropriate sleepwear to keep their hairdos intact. Black Owned satin bonnet brands have existed for ages. Here are a few of our faves for Black girls who considered hair bonnets when sleeping on their hands wasn’t enough…

Black Owned Bonnet Brands

Regal Ivy

Black Owned Satin Bonnet

Beautiful Curly Me

Chiwrapz

 

Loccrush

Black Owned Satin Bonnet

Purrty Dimples

Black Owned Satin Bonnet

Peace Crown’d

Natural Hair Shop

Black Owned Satin Bonnet

Eboni Curls

Black Owned Satin Bonnet

Glow by Daye

FlorBella Boutique

Goodnight Hair Bonnets

Grace Eleyae

Black Owned Satin Bonnet

Loza Tam

Special thanks to Kami (@frobunni) for helping us compile this list! It takes a village!

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1 min read

Black Owned Haircare Brands You Should Know

The global haircare industry is fueled primarily by Black consumers. Let’s funnel more of that money into Black owned haircare brands.

Black Owned Haircare Brands

Beard Organics

black owned haircare

Neter Gold

Wolf’s Mane Beard Care

Safiya Green

103 Collection

Blumseed

curLUXE Naturals 

 

Cara B Naturally

Obia Naturals

Black Owned Haircare

Big Hair Beauty

Black Owned Haircare

Darcy’s Botanicals

Black Owned Haircare

Wonder Curl

Black Owned Haircare

Bask and Bloom Esssentials

Black Owned Haircare

Koils By Nature

Qhemet Biologics

Oyin Handmade


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5 mins read

Meet the Owner of the Largest Beauty Supply store in Stockbridge, GA

Cova Beauty is a black owned beauty supply store that specializes in cosmetics, organic care products, hair extensions and accessories.

They are also the largest beauty retailer in Stockbridge, GA. We caught up with the owner, Dianna Foster to find out more about her and her business.

black owned beauty supply
Cova Beauty owner, Dianna Foster

What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve always loved everything about beauty, hair & fashion. I was the girl known for always switching my hairstyles up and trying new things. This love blossomed into a passion. As I was in a season of inner exploration, looking to determine my next professional career move, I was inspired by the lack of options in the beauty supply industry.

black owned beauty supply

There were certain things I needed and couldn’t find from products to experience. I stepped out on faith to create a space that offered everything I would want and need. I’m so grateful that our customers are enjoying it.

What has been the most challenging and the most gratifying thing about owning a business?

In the beginning, one of my challenges was delegating. My business is my baby, I love every part of it and enjoy doing the work. However, I had to quickly become comfortable with delegating so I can focus on our growth. The cool thing about that is it encourages growth, empowers and gives confidence to my staff. It’s been amazing.

The most gratifying part of this journey will always be the customers and the relationships we’ve developed with them. The joy I feel when our regulars visit us is indescribable. The gratitude I’m overcome with is immeasurable when a woman tells me she drove over an hour to visit Cova.

Knowing we’re a part of their lives now is so humbling. It makes me so happy. Nothing else can compare to that feeling.

What skill have you developed over time that has had the biggest impact on your business?

Self-discipline. Discipline affects every aspect of this business. You must have the discipline and work ethic to complete tasks, be resourceful and execute day in and day out.

When I’m not feeling my best, discipline kicks in. Without it, none of this would be possible. You cannot maintain any level of success without discipline.

How easy or difficult was it to source Black-owned brands to sell in your store?

Fortunately, we’ve had really positive experiences with Black-owned brands and haven’t had much difficulty supporting them here in our store. We have so many great relationships and I’m so grateful for that!

What advice do you have for others who want to start a beauty supply store?

Do your research. Develop self-discipline. Don’t move too fast. Don’t rush the process. Know your worth and make sure your work ethic matches it. Make sure you love it because it’s not a walk in the park.

There will be challenges, man have I had them, but my love for this keeps me going through it all. I really love what I do and I know its that love that had me here 7 days a week, 12-16 hours a day. It refocused me when I needed course correction.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

I definitely see us expanding and scaling Cova. We’re actually scouting locations for store #2! I’m also planning to roll out an e-commerce extension as well. We get so much support from people across the country that want to shop with us so it’s coming! Cova Beauty will be a household name!


Tony O. Lawson

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8 mins read

To Have Black Hair in America

Sixth grader Faith Fennidy was expelled on her first day of school for wearing braided extensions. This is not an isolated incident; black children all across the country are kicked out of school every year for their hairstyles. It’s a painful tradition of black hairstyles being seen as unfit in school. Worse, it’s rationalized to disrupt their learning.

Fennidy wore what is known as a protective hairstyle, which tucks the ends of hair away to prevent breakage while also promoting healthy growth. Protective hairstyles are most beneficial to kinky hair textures, which are more likely to tangle and break ends. Most braids, along with weaves and locs, are strongly rooted in Black culture because it’s been a proven way to protect our natural hair. However, many private schools and jobs ban these styles entirely.

“The majority of students going to private schools aren’t POC so their rules aren’t built for us. It’s a system built this way over time and is accepted,” Tomicka Wagstaff, the assistant vice president for Academic Access and Success,.

The History of Hair Discrimination

Controlling the presentation of black people’s hair goes back to slavery. The Tignon Laws was a ban set in place in 1786 in Louisiana by Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miró that prevented any black woman of African ancestry, free or enslaved, from showing their hair in public.

“The regulation was meant as a means to regulate the style of dress and appearance for people of color. Black women’s features often attracted male white, French and Spanish suitors and their beauty was a perceived threat to white women,” Farida Dawkins, a journalist for Face 2 Face Africa, wrote.

The Tignon Laws have long been overturned, but the social effects still have bearing on our culture today. In short, black women’s natural hair is still seen as “unfit” for public viewing. According to USA Today, it wasn’t until 2014 that all branches of the military changed their hair regulations to be more inclusive of black hairstyles. Yet, it is still at the discretion of private employers and schools whether traditional black hairstyles are acceptable.

Lawsuits against employers for hair discrimination have even reached the Supreme Court. In 2010, Chastity Jones was offered a job at Catastrophe Management Systems (CMS) with the precondition she must cut off her dreadlocks. Jones sued under the pretext of racial discrimination. Unfortunately the Supreme Court justices refused to even review the case. Due to their lack of action, discriminatory hair policies remain legal.

The Impact of Hair Discrimination

I have 4C hair. According to the hair texture chart, my hair type is the kinkiest texture there is. As far as America’s beauty standards are concerned, I do not have “good hair.” My mother decided to keep my hair healthy rather than conform to racialized notions of beauty.  So, for much of my childhood I wore my hair in cornrows and was bullied for having short, nappy hair. I was told I had a head full of tarantula legs. I felt so ugly all the time that I asked my parents not to buy my school photos.

Black people’s hair textures are as diverse as our skin. Wagstaff said that the term “good hair” refers to hair that is straight and flowy. The standard is replicated all over media from movies, to magazines and television shows. Wagstaff explained that she felt like an outsider among her grandmother, mother and aunts, all who fit the “good hair” model while she in turn had short, kinky hair.

“I wanted my hair permed at an early age,” Wagstaff said. “I wondered, ‘What can I do to make my hair do what theirs does?'”

Contrary to protective hairstyles, many methods to straighten kinky hair lead to breakage and could result in permanent damage. Hot combs, perms and relaxers all will straighten kinky hair, but can also cause burns. The most potent are relaxers: creams that chemically straighten hair. The active agents are usually alkali or ammonium thioglycolate, which can result in serious acid burns, bald patches, scars and infections if improperly used. A famous scene in the Chris Rock documentary “Good Hair” shows an entire soda can being dissolved in a relaxer-based solution. JoVonna Victor, the assistant director for McNair scholars, said she had her first relaxer at five years old.

Black Hair is Black Pride 

Black hair is inherently political because the history of racial discrimination is woven into the history of hair discrimination. This also why the afro is the symbol of Black liberation because to fully accept our blackness, we must fully accept our hair. I didn’t wear an afro to school until I was 16 and never cut my hair beyond a trim until I was in my second year of college. The process of loving myself as a black woman correlates with loving my hair, no matter how it looks, because it is a part of me. However, we are still raised with the same negative messaging that kinky hair is ugly.

“I remember when I brought my daughter to Disneyland for the first time. [There were] two lines to see princesses, Tiana and Rapunzel. The line for Princess Tiana was shorter, but my daughter didn’t want to see her. She said, ‘She’s just black and has her hair up,’” Victor said. “My heart was shattered. How can you not see her as beautiful?”

Victor counters negative messaging by leading by example — with self love. One day her daughter came to her wearing one of her headwraps and said, “Mama, look how pretty I am!” That’s the confidence she wants to instill: you’re pretty no matter what.

I graduated high school as an honors student. A part of the privilege is visiting the elementary schools in our robes so the children can see what a high school graduate looks like. I decided to stomach my insecurities and wear my afro. I can’t describe the pride I felt when black girls saw me being honored while wearing an afro. The short glances I exchanged with each of them as I made my way down the halls was a thousand times more gratifying than receiving my diploma.

Victor often tells her daughter, “You don’t want your hair to be flat. Your curls are reaching towards God.”

 

Source: The Reporter

4 mins read

Shea Moisture Founder Launches $100 Million Fund for Women Entrepreneurs Of Color At Essence Festival

On Thursday, SheaMoisture haircare and skincare products founder Richelieu Dennis announced a $100 million fund for women entrepreneurs of color at the 2018 Essence Festival. The announcement surrounds the New Voices Fund that he’s been prepping for the past year.

“About six months ago, we announced that we were launching the new voices fund,” Dennis told the audience at the press conference during the Essence Festival. “I’m proud to say that we get to officially launch the $100 million New Voices Fund for women of color entrepreneurs here at Essence Festival this weekend. Over the past six months, we have already either invested in or committed to, over $30 million in black women entrepreneurs.”

As reported previously, Dennis sold SheaMoisture to Unilever in 2017. As part of the deal, he vowed to use the capital to create an investment fund for minority entrepreneurs, specifically women of color. Unilever and Sundial Brands, creators of SheaMoisture, agreed to contribute an initial investment of $50 million to the fund.

In addition to creating the fund to provide investment opportunities, Dennis wants to equip entrepreneurs with other resources to help contribute to the success of their companies.

“We are going to leverage the businesses that we’ve built—many of you know, Shea Moisture, Nubian Heritage, Madame CJ Walker,” he said.

There has been a push of late to find ways to invest and provide women of color the funding they need to launch businesses. Women founders received less than 3% of VC dollars in 2018. Investment in black female founders—who in recent years have been starting businesses at higher rates than any other group, so they’re not hard to find—was barely discernible, at .02%.

Recently, Arlan Hamilton, founder and managing partner of the venture fund Backstage Capital, announced that her new $36 million fund will invest exclusively in black women-led startups.

“When you talk to a group of white, affluent male investors and tell them you’re investing in women of color, the first thing that comes out is, `Oh, that’s really nice of you. That’s a great mission.’ They immediately correlate us to needing a helping hand,” Hamilton said in an interview with Fortune several months ago. “This is not that.”

Yet, women of color have been making progress in landing business funding. A recent study shows that more black women have gained access to venture capital since 2016. According to the new report, which was conducted in collaboration with digitalundividedJPMorgan Chase, the Case Foundation, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the number of black women who have raised upwards of $1 million from VC firms has more than tripled from 11 to 34. The number of startups founded by black women has also increased 2.5 times from 2016 to 2018, jumping from 84 to 227.

The New Voices Fund provides a way for women of color entrepreneurs to approach Dennis for capital infusion. Because of the parameters of the fund, he is likely looking at businesses that are looking to scale and not just an idea on a sheet of paper.

All of the information is located on the site. If you think you’re ready, log on and apply.

 

—Caroline Clarke, Selena Hill, and Samara Lynn of Black Enterprise

7 mins read

BGLH Marketplace CEO Talks Balancing Blogging, Babies & Business

You may know Leila Noelliste from her popular blog, Black Girl With Long Hair.

The blogger turned Businesswoman recently launched BGLH Marketplace, a storefront extension of her 3 year old whipped butter brand that offers handmade shea, mango and cocoa butter in more than 20 all-natural scents.

Let’s find out more about Leila and her business.

SB: What inspired the creation of BGLH Marketplace?

LN: It was really by accident. Over the course of my beauty blogging career I noticed two things:

  1. Raw shea, cocoa and mango butter are miracle ingredients with incredible properties for hair, face and skin and
  2. My readers lacked consistent access to these ingredients.

So, I located a quality raw shea butter supplier, and started selling it off my website, mainly to help my readers out. I was planning to also sell products from both major and indie natural hair care companies, but that didn’t work out.

After a few months the raw shea butter was the only listing on the shop site and looked so lonely sitting there that I decided to start whipping it to create more options.

This sent me down a rabbit hole. I did months worth of research on how to whip shea butter and made dozens of batches that were too greasy or too hard or not scented enough.

A few months in, I got a good process down and noticed customers saying that my whipped butters were the best they ever tried.

My sales shot up and that’s when I knew I was on to something. But honestly, even with that success I didn’t understand *why* people loved my stuff so much.

As I’ve educated myself more on the American skincare industry I realize that many skin care products are not as impactful as they could and should be, because they contain so much filler as means to cut costs.

My butters contain 4 main ingredients that are all food-grade — shea, cocoa and/or mango butter, coconut oil, almond oil, and essential oil for fragrance.

That’s it! Every ingredient plays a part and has a powerful impact on hair, face and skin. We have so many customers who say our butters have relieved their eczema or psoriasis, or that they can apply it once and the moisture lasts for a day and a half.

And the bonus is that it’s a full body product! We also have customers who use it to lock moisture into their hair after washes, and soften their hair before styling.

Shea, cocoa and mango butter are just really incredible! I’m like a butter evangelist, lol!

SB: Has your blogging career benefitted you as an entrepreneur?

LN: Definitely. For the years I was blogging before I opened up BGLH Marketplace I was inadvertently learning the ins and outs of the industry (beauty, hair and skincare) I would eventually enter.

SB: Describe juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship.

LN: It is a definitely a challenge, especially because my children are so young. I’ve been self-employed since 2009, when I was 24 years old, so professionally this is the only life I really know.

I don’t have a choice but to juggle. I delegate a lot, and try to keep my schedule flexible (I work short hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) When I am with my kids, I make sure we are having quality time that nourishes them.

SB: What has been the most challenging and the most gratifying thing about your entrepreneurial journey so far?

LN: The most challenging has been getting a handle on time and schedule. When I was in my 20’s, I was really into the ‘they sleep we grind’ mentality.

Now that I am a mother in my 30s, I’m realizing the importance of self-care and not having a crazy schedule. You can be ambitious and still get a full night of sleep.

The most gratifying thing is knowing that no one can take my job away from me and I can provide for myself. So far I’ve gone through two major life financial challenges — the recession and my divorce last year — and in both instances my businesses saw me through.

Owning a business is like making a daily investment. It definitely pays off in the long run.

SB: Where do you see BGLH Marketplace in 5 years?

LN: I would love for us to be on the road to being the next The Honest Company. I have a passion for simple, natural ingredients and I want to create a line of beauty and lifestyle products that are healthy and effective.

Hopefully the butters are just the start. I would also love for us to open a second location in New York.

SB: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

LN: Jump in. I come across so many people with great business ideas who are afraid to get started. You never know if and how something will work until you try. And even if it doesn’t work out, you have gained valuable insight. Failure is very educational. It teaches you a lot!

Visit BGL Marketplace here!

 

Tony Oluwatoyin Lawson (IG: @thebusyafrican)