How did Beautiful Brown Girls come to life?

 Self-care plays a major role in my life. Growing up from humble beginnings in a low-income environment, I know first-hand how it feels to find your voice and your support system in a world that feels against you at every turn. Sisterhood is self-care. So my journey to becoming a small business owner was centered around me wanting others to find that support system. Having a tribe of sisters has helped me to identify qualities in myself that I would not have noticed if I didn’t have that encouraging friend or that safe space where I could show up as myself 100%. Beautiful Brown Girls has become an extension of my struggles as a woman of color and has helped me create an environment for other women of color to know they are loved, valued, accepted, and have a sisterhood of supportive women behind them rooting for them to win.

What is your mission?

Beautiful Brown Girls aims to fight depression and loneliness among women of color.  African American women are excelling in so many avenues and industries but oftentimes find ourselves to be the only person of color in the room and are often searching for spaces to be our authentic selves. Communities like [Beautiful Brown Girls] enable emotional support, access to the resources and networks of other community members, exchange of knowledge, and friendships that add joy to life.

Where do you hope to take the brand over the next 10 years? 

Our goal is to bring Beautiful Brown Girls to the fingertips of every woman of color. We're looking to expand our member's community into a branded mobile app that allows members to connect with other like-minded ladies locally or globally. Our expansion into a social networking app will help increase our brand awareness and create an easier user experience for our members. This will also allow us to increase our curated content and events as we grow as a brand.

How do you find time to take care of yourself while running a business? 

 Sometimes it is hard to find the time to slow down enough to remember yourself. I often find myself on go-mode as an entrepreneur. One thing that has helped me to remember to put myself first is to schedule my self-care time in advance. This allows me to be more present because it's an intentional time I've set up just for myself and I'd like to honor it just as I honor all my other meetings and appointments. Reminding myself that in order for my business to grow, I need to be first, helps me to slow down.

What advice would you give someone hoping to start their own business?

 My advice would be to take time to get clear on your "why". Entrepreneurship has its valleys and peaks and being clear on your why will keep you grounded and motivated.