Diary of a Founder: Business of the Beat August Roundup!

This National Black Business Month, the thread of “inspiration” tied everything together for me as we celebrated our 80th podcast for Business of the Beat! Inspiration from our founders manifested throughout their stories in so many different forms. Whether from their love for the older generations to finding gaps in the industry through challenges they faced as consumers, the movement behind these Black-founded, Black-owned brands was always focused on uplifting and giving back to the community.?

There are so many gaps across different industries—especially the beauty and wellness industry. This is why it is so important that August is National Black Business Month so we can highlight and uplift the game-changing diverse founders changing the industry.?

Take a moment to tune in for the family-centered, community-oriented stories that inspired us this August, including our 80th episode with Jasmine Lewis:?

Tomara Watkins @loza_tam

Generational Entrepreneurship

Tomara Watkins, Founder of Loza Tam, dives into her Chemistry background and its contribution to the performance of Loza Tam, the part hair plays in a woman’s identity, and the hardest thing to wrap her mind around. Resolved not to be an entrepreneur, Tomara found that having two generations of entrepreneurs backing her taught her to build a business that supports her life and maintains some balance.

“I’m a firm believer in: a business should support your life, you shouldn’t live your life around business. Create balance in life.”

Hannah Diop @hannahdiop @siennanaturals?

Nine year old Hannah would be proud!

Hannah Diop is the Founder and CEO of Sienna Naturals—the first dermatologist-tested, responsibly sourced suite of products specifically designed for textured hair. In this episode, she talks about the moment she realized catering to her hair wasn't a “her” problem but an industry problem, the number of iterations she worked through to nail consistent best sellers, and the significance of leaning into customers’ reviews as the best lifeline for designing products of the future.

“What we found is when we match our consumer and she starts with that wash day ritual first, and she does the full regimen, she has the best experience and she sees the best results. And it’s constantly evolving. I love feedback.”

Take Sienna Naturals’ Wash Day Ritual Quiz!

Ciara Imani May @_cizn @rebundle.co

Building the product of my dreams!

Ciara Imani May is the CEO and co-founder of Rebundle—the first proprietary braiding hair made from a non-toxic, biodegradable plant. On the podcast, she discussed the steps she took to extend the zero waste lifestyle she desired for herself into the hair product of her dreams. Leaning into her own scalp sensitives to truly get to the root of what causes irritations to the hair when using synthetic fibers, she dove in to solve a systemic problem that has been overlooked for decades. Ciara also shared more info on her historic $1.4M raise to grow her company and the future plans for Rebundle.

“I never claim to have invented plant-based braiding hair, but what we’ve been able to do is to reach a market—even if it’s a small-scale, the tip of the scale of what I know is possible—in a way that I haven’t seen others do [...] But I think what continues to be stand-out for us is the storytelling element, the two-pronged approach of our mission, the founding story of my connection to the product and to this community, the branding— power of the branding behind our product, and then the product itself.”

Jasmine Lewis @iamjasminelewis and @viebeautyx

Abundance Mindset

Jasmine Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Vie Beauty—an esthetician-led luxury beauty brand curated to simplify skin care. In this episode, she shared memories she’s kept of her late best friend—her grandmother, who is her inspiration for the brand. She dove into both the importance of family and freedom and how she built Vie Beauty by being consistent, showing up everyday, and merging the perfume experience with skincare.

“My journey just continues to flourish and just move in a direction that was fluid. And it felt good to me. And it just continued to build on, and I just thought, how can I be better in this space? How can I show up more for the people that love me, the people that need me, and the Black and Brown girls that are looking up to me and saying ‘hey, she did it, then I can do it too’?”