September 17, 2020
Meet The Founders Behind The New Startup Incubator For Black-Owned Beauty & Wellness Brands
The beauty and wellness space has a lot of room for growth in the area of diversity and inclusion. While many entrepreneurs have been able to successfully enter the field, many still struggle with their operations due to the lack of resources for Black-owned businesses. Now, two founders are creating a new kind of space to have these businesses thrive.
Jae Joseph and Brianna Wise are the founders of the Black Apothecary Office (BAO), a new concept model incubator servicing Black creatives and startup businesses in the beauty and wellness space. The idea is to help create a space for brands to shape and develop their identity to build a viable business that they can pitch to investors.” We are currently experiencing a revolution where the prominence of Black art, Black power, and Black culture is allowing Black creatives to control their own narratives and celebrated stories,” said Joseph in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“[BAO was] established to provide significant access to Black and Latinx-owned brands in the fields of beauty, wellness, and telehealth. I am on a mission to reverse structural barriers to racial equity in these specific markets. We want to influence the consumer to not only “Buy Black” but “Build Black,” he added.
“Our products will have the same shelf marketability to be placed next to any L’oreal, Coty, or Proctor & Gamble products. Minority entrepreneurship matters. It matters most when it is both profitable and community-transforming. During this presidential election year, candidates need to be challenged to talk about minority business participation.”
Participants in the three-month program, consisting of insight panels to weekly sessions, will be able to develop their brand from conception to launch; each learning about the different areas of business from financial literacy to digital marketing. “During the 3-month program, we will be developing a specific plan within the sectors of Branding & Legal Services, Operations, Financial Literacy, Sales & Marketing, Digital Marketing, & Networking. At the completion of the program we will provide funding allowing the business to take next steps toward their launch,” said Wise to BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“We will also be providing a marketplace to host the brands, allowing them to gain maximum exposure. Our goal is to build a foundation and a family with the brands that we bring on. We want them to feel a strong community so that they will never feel alone on their journey to building their own legacy. Because Jae and I value family so much we want to share the same love and energy to each and every person that is placed in our lives.”