In May of 2024, hundreds of small business owners submitted their advice and success stories in hopes of winning the Lenovo Small Business Grant. Now, the treasure trove of advice and success stories are getting the spotlight through this weekly inspirational series.
This week, tune in below as Shaunarey Harris-Amos, Co-founder of EveRooted Beauti shares how she and her business partner Ellide Smith overcame a life challenge when they created their small business: creating the business that provided what they always needed :
My business partner and I overcame the challenges of distance and lack of resources to start a business that solves common problems plagued by BIPOC hair and beauty consumers. My cousin Ellide and I started EveRooted Beauti out of personal need and genuine appreciation for the uniqueness of our hair and beauty. As African American women and professionals in varying career fields lived, we experienced the same challenges of not having direct access to quality, organic hair products whenever we relocated due to our careers. Even with the rise of Black-owned skin and hair companies, it was incredibly difficult to get what we needed without the inconvenience of excessive shipping costs or driving to another city/town. We shared our grievances with our peers and quickly learned our issue was a collective issue for black hair care consumers at large. This challenge, coupled with the growing need for quality, organic, health-conscious products, led us to create EveRooted Beauti Supply Store as the solution.
In addition to creating a marketplace for affordable and accessible high-quality, organic hair and beauty brands, Ellide and I incorporate product education and discussion facilitation on hair and beauty topics familiar to the black community. Topics such as braid maintenance, natural hair textures, and protective styling to name a few. Through grassroots research, we also learned that men of color were equally challenged in accessing beard care and facial products.
After months of research and self-funding, we launched EveRooted Beauti with the hope of narrowing the gap in access to health-conscious hair and beauty products tailored for men and women of color, with over 90% of the brands in our inventory created by men and women of color. Although we live in different states, we choose to start with an online platform that created a seamless 24/7 shopping experience with nationwide delivery.
In a post-pandemic market, supply chain issues have posed challenges for smaller beauty supply stores; however, we personally work with vendors to ensure products are readily available to meet increased consumer demand as our reputation and branding increases across our target audience.
Thank you for sharing your journey to small business ownership Shaunarey Harris-Amos. You are an inspiration to us all 🫶
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