Back in 2013, while working as a registered nurse, Courtney Adeleye embarked on a quest to find a suitable product for tending to natural hair.
“At that time, there weren’t numerous brands that combined natural elements with a focus on promoting robust hair growth,” Adeleye recollects. “This led me to concoct my own blends of products using wholesome ingredients, vitamins, and nutrients.”
Adeleye chronicled her personal homemade hair care regimen on YouTube, and before long, she amassed a substantial following intrigued by her undisclosed methods – and interested in purchasing her offerings. Armed with a mere $500, Adeleye formulated a range of deep conditioning treatments and made them available for sale to her admirers.
Those initial product offerings eventually evolved into The Mane Choice, Courtney Adeleye’s answer to hair care for nourished and vibrant locks. The brand’s formulas are carefully crafted to exclude mineral oil, petrolatum, parabens, sulfates, and formaldehyde.
Adeleye recounts that within her initial three years of venturing into business, she managed to sell products amounting to $10 million, all conducted from her own home. In just two additional years, her enterprise formed partnerships with over 60,000 retailers throughout the United States, marking an impressive achievement of $100 million in sales and culminating in an IPO by 2019.
In the preceding year, Adeleye introduced Olbali, a health-focused company utilizing direct-selling methods. This new venture serves as the umbrella for her proprietary brands, encompassing The Mane Choice, Cool Coffee Clique, Foolproof Body, and more.
Adeleye affirms that her decision to become a nurse wasn’t solely driven by the desire to improve certain individuals’ well-being; instead, it stemmed from her aspiration to enhance the overall health of all individuals. This very principle extends to the motivation behind establishing a beauty and wellness enterprise.
Adeleye emphasizes that her company’s offerings are designed not exclusively for Black consumers, but rather for anyone who can reap their advantages.
Nevertheless, a recurring issue is the unjust pigeonholing of Black founders, and paradoxically, the “Black-owned” label can sometimes work to the detriment of their enterprises, as noted by Adeleye.
“I craft wholesome products intended to assist people in leading healthier lives,” she clarifies. “Despite implementing a broad and diverse marketing strategy, I’ve encountered inquiries regarding whether my products are exclusively meant for Black women.”
Research conducted by McKinsey & Company underscores the extent of this pervasive problem.
In the realm of beauty brands, just like any other business, it is essential to maintain a strong connection with their core audience while seeking avenues for growth. However, the industry is plagued by a persistent misconception that products from Black-owned brands can only appeal to Black consumers, as emphasized in the report.
According to Adeleye, she finds it imperative to be particularly deliberate in showcasing diversity across her brands, a necessity for her business to achieve comprehensive growth on a broader scale. She underscores that her longstanding objective has revolved around fostering diversity and inclusivity. Therefore, being intentional aligns seamlessly with her innate approach.
Adeleye underscores that adhering to 10 fundamental principles has been instrumental in her accomplishment of numerous milestones thus far. These guidelines encompass a spectrum of aspects, ranging from product innovation and marketing insights to social media tactics and beyond.
For entrepreneurs prepared to elevate their ventures, here is her advice:
1. Be authentic.
2. Don’t meet your customer expectations…exceed your customer expectations.
3. If you don’t think you have a great product, you need to try again before releasing it.
4. Informal content can be more powerful than formal content.
5. Be a walking billboard for your brand.
6. Engage with your customers on all platforms.
7. Show up consistently on social media.
8. Bring your brand to life (off social media) by doing grassroots events and activations.
9. Invest more in your customers and micro-influencers versus macro-influencers.
10. Fix the brand before you start to spend money on marketing. Great branding can exceed great marketing.
Throughout her entrepreneurial odyssey, Adeleye has acquired a wealth of wisdom. Yet, her most potent nugget of counsel might be: “You must harbor belief in yourself before anyone else can.”
Adeleye articulates, “Unless you possess the unwavering conviction that your business is on par, if not surpassing, others, it will never reach that pinnacle.” She dispels the notion of industries becoming overly saturated, asserting, “An industry cannot possibly be deemed oversaturated if I am not actively contributing to it.”
Source: entrepreneur.com