Gwen Jimmere is the founder and CEO of Naturalicious, a haircare brand that creates time-saving products. She started the company when her son was just 2 years old and she had $32 in the bank. Talk about taking a leap of faith!
Gwen is a pioneer in the natural haircare industry. Jimmere patented the Hello Gorgeous system, cementing her place in history as the first African American to have a patent on a natural haircare product. This woman is making major moves in the industry and does not have any plans of stopping any time soon!
Please tell us about your road to entrepreneurship.
I started in my kitchen with $32 in the bank. I was a newly single mother to my then-2-year-old son, recently divorced from an emotionally and physically abusive marriage. At the time, I was having an extremely hard time finding haircare products that worked great for my coily hair,
were vegan, and didn’t force me to spend hours managing my hair. As a new mom with no help, I needed to look and feel great about myself and my beauty, but I couldn’t afford to spend a ton of time doing my hair. I couldn’t find a solution to my problem, so I created it. They say “the struggle is real” when it comes to managing textured hair, so I created the first patented system that makes it effortless, giving our customers better hair in half the time. Receiving the patent for my product made me the first Black woman in history to own a patent for a natural haircare product.Tell us about a time that you wanted to give up in business and what you did to convince yourself to keep going.
There’s never been a time when I wanted to give up. There have definitely times when I’ve been
frustrated and wanted to go cry in a corner, but that’s all temporary. I’ve never wanted to quit. I’m clear that what I do is a ministry, and it’s bigger than me. If I quit, the thousands of people I serve would no longer have what I’ve been put on this Earth to provide. Also, I have a little boy who I’m raising. I lead my example and want him to see me push through tough times, so that he’s equipped to do the same. Quitting is not an option.
How do you plan on finishing 2020 strong?
We have lots of plans!
We are opening up our always-sold-out Repair Your Hair Challenge on Nov. 26 (www.repairyourhairchallenge.com). It’s a 15-day hair care boot camp that has taken hundreds of women from struggling with their hair for decades to discovering the exact things to do to make it look and feel the way they’ve been longing for. We jokingly say, “We take you from wack to looking like a snack in no time.”
In addition, we will be releasing three new items in time for Black Friday.
Our virtual holiday party is Dec. 6. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit Futures Without Violence, a national organization that works to bring awareness to and eradicate domestic abuse
Also our insanely popular 12 days of Christmas runs Dec. 7-18. We’ll be releasing one new 24-hour deal each day for 12 days. We always sell out each day.
(Photo Cred: Gwen Jimmere)
What can people expect from you and your brand in 2021?
We exist to transform every woman’s confidence so remarkably that she realizes that she is the standard of beauty
We believe that every woman is perfectly gorgeous. There is nothing she needs to fix or change about herself. We create products to enhance
her glow and help her shine brighter. We believe she is entitled to joy and love simply because it is her birthright; and that no matter what societal standards say, the beauty she was born with is more than enough.To that extent, we’ll be expanding our content and offerings to fully align with our purpose and provide our customers with even more life changing experiences, products and offerings.
Tell us how to stay connected with you.
Tap in to our community by going to www.besthairgroup.com
Find our products at www.naturalicious.net
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Dr. Jessica Mosley is a serial entrepreneur who loves teaching fellow CEO women how to show up in their truth & power. As Steward Owner of MizCEO Entrepreneurial Media Brand, Sovereign Care Home Care, Sovereign Care Medical Training Center, and Deborah’s Place for Battered Women, Jessica is busy making moves that impact her community & those connected to her.