She Did That (2019) - full transcript

[upbeat music playing]

[Renae] Black women.

Let me say that again.

Black women.

Black women
are the most amazing beings

gifted to this Earth.

I say this not just
because I am a Black woman,

but because it is fact.

From the range of our skin tones

to the textures
of the glorious crowns

that adorn our beautiful heads,



we are the most disenfranchised,
underrepresented,

least protected, and still
we rise like the poetry of Maya.

We make everything we do
look effortless,

like a breeze off the Island
of Lamu in East Africa.

Black women are the creators
of all that is hip and cool.

Everyone takes from us.
And I say "take"

because we are oftentimes
not credited or compensated

for what we excel at innately:

our fashion,
how we style our hair,

our delicious cuisines,

to the natural curves
in our thighs and hips

that so many pay
top dollars to emulate.

We are the queens of creativity.

We are the bridge
to every culture



because we are the culture.

As Mr. 3,000 sang so eloquently,

"We are the prototype."

African-American women control

about 1.3 million businesses
and they are

the country's fastest-growing
group of entrepreneurs.

[reporter] The number
of businesses

owned by African-American women

has grown by 322%.

African-American women
are three to five times

more likely to start businesses
than White women.

[Renae] I want people
to see the truth

behind entrepreneurship.

[Melissa] I want you to look
at me and be inspired to say,

"I can do that, too."

[Luvvie] I'm a product of people

who were committed
to seeing me thrive.

Can I do this
every single month?

Can I be profitable
every single month?

[Lisa] Could I
have lost everything?

Yes, but it would have been
much worse to live with,

"What if?"

[Renae] Since the beginning
of time,

we have been creating businesses

and doing it for ourselves.

We know the greats.

Madame CJ Walker,

Cathy Hughes and Oprah,

but there are so many more
who came before them,

like Maggie Lena Walker,

who was the first
African-American woman

in the US to charter a bank.

Sarah E. Goode,

the first African-American woman

to win a US patent
for her invention

of the foldaway bed.

And Clara Brown,
who was born into slavery,

later becoming the owner of
several successful laundromats,

and is the first Black woman
to be a part of the Gold Rush.

Despite the barriers
we've had to overcome,

the tides are gradually turning.

The stories that are shared here

will let
the next generation know

that with hard work
and commitment,

they, too, can be
the captains of their own ships.

In 2009,
I launched In Her Shoes.

This blog is
all about celebrating

Black women
and entrepreneurship.

We are, in this moment,
making history,

starting businesses at six times
the national average.

We talk to entrepreneurs
at Essence all the time.

And the constant thread
that we're hearing

is that there was some need
that was not fulfilled

and they literally

just picked it up
and did it themselves.

[Melissa] The Lip Bar is
more than just makeup.

I want little brown girls

to grow up
having representation,

knowing that they
don't have to conform

to society's standards
of beauty.

I want you to be so comfortable
in your own skin

that you own it.

When I built My Fab Finance

my goal was to get a 750-credit score
by the time I turned 30.

And I just started posting,

like, what I was doing, what was working,

and then other people
started sharing the content.

I was like,
"Hey, there aren't people

who look like me
talking about this."

2007 to 2012 there was

a 70% surge
in Black women-owned businesses.

Because Black women
are historically underserved

in certain markets,

there's so much more potential
for growth

and there's
so much more potential

for innovativeness
and new creative ideas.

I always say that the first time

that Carol's Daughter
was a business

was the first time
someone gave me money

for my products,

not me giving it to them
as a gift.

So that is May 25th, 1993,

where I sold products
for the first time

at a church flea market.

I sold out of those products,

and I realized this was
something that I could do.

I started blogging in college

back when it was still called
weblogging,

but then when I graduated,
deleted the whole thing off the web.

'cause I wanted
to talk about just the world

and celebrities and pop culture.

I actively love writing,

and when I don't write I feel

like I'm doing something wrong.

I am from
a very quaint little town

right outside of Indianapolis,
Indiana,

called Kokomo, Indiana.

I grew up in a family
of entrepreneurs.

My grandfather was
a funeral director in Indiana,

during a time where it was
almost unheard of

for a Black man to be providing
for his own family

and not working
for someone else.

Seeing families celebrating
the lives of their loved ones

every single day
was a harsh reminder

that life is short,

and because of that,
I realized early

that you have to do
what you love.

Both my parents were
in the military,

so I lived everywhere.

I was born in the Philippines.

I lived in Texas,
Oklahoma, in Germany,

but my parents retired
in North Carolina,

so I consider that to be home.

I have a strong sense of family.

My sister and I, you know,
early on

we were each other's rocks,

we were each other's
support system,

because so often it was only us.

I am Nigerian.

I was born there, raised there.

When I was nine, we moved
from Nigeria to Chicago.

I didn't realize we were moving.

I thought we were going
on vacation.

There was definitely a class
adjustment coming to the US

'cause we lived
in a big house in Nigeria

and then we came here
and lived in an apartment.

When you have maids and you
have drivers and multiple cars,

and you come here and start
taking the bus, that was new.

That was new for me.

Growing up,

we did not realize

that there were things

that we didn't have

that other people had.

We were happy.

We had full lives.

There was always
food on the table.

Mom and Dad were always there.

Now that I'm an adult,

I know we didn't have
any money at all.

[laughs]

But as a child,

I did not feel or see that.

[Melissa] Coming from Detroit

means that you come
from a place of grit.

When I moved to New York,
or went to college,

or started a business,

I had such a strong foundation
because of that.

My dad was in jail basically
my entire childhood, adulthood.

I watched my mom do everything,

be that fist,
but also be that nurturer,

and be that provider,
and be that really independent woman.

Growing up in a family
of entrepreneurs

and having this family business
kind of made us an anomaly,

so to speak, in Indiana.

My dad used to remind me
all the time

that having
a family business is rare.

There weren't
that many Black families

that had their own businesses,
and thriving businesses,

and for that reason, you know,
he was always, you know, gently

or not so gently pushing me

to take over
the family business.

Having a family business
kind of made it a norm for her.

And so Renae kind of got it by osmosis,

so to speak.

And when I went off and acquired
other funeral homes,

then is when I really was
wishing that Renae would say,

"Hey, Dad, you know,
um, I like this thing,

but I think I'm gonna try
the family business."

But it never happened.

Renae found a passion.

I'm grateful for these examples

of strong Black men
as entrepreneurs

in my life at an early age,

very grateful for the life
that my family

was able to provide
because of the business.

But it just was not my thing.

In Detroit I went to one
of the best high schools,

Cass Tech.

It's a school for scholars,

and they have maybe, like,
a 95% college acceptance rate.

So, they push college,
like, through and through.

I knew I wanted
to go to a Black college.

I knew I wanted that experience.

The thought was, like,
what college am I going to?

Howard or FAMU? Howard or FAMU?

But I ended up going to FAMU

because they had
the best business program.

I don't think I really learned
about Black American history

until I got to college,

and I definitely didn't learn
how diverse Black people were.

Going there was the best
decision I've ever made.

My mother, I think she saw
the challenge with me being

the only Black child
in my class most of the time.

And my mother sat me down,
and she said,

"It's just time for me to have
this conversation with you.

You're a girl, you're going
to be a woman, but you're Black.

And because of that,

you're gonna have to work two times harder
than anybody else.

But don't ever let anyone
make you feel

like you don't deserve
to be where you are,

and just know that you are
equally as good as anybody."

In hindsight, I always tell my mom,
thank you so much

for preparing me for what it is
to be a Black woman.

Had my parents not developed
that confidence,

I don't know if I'd be
where I am right now.

I was a very good student.

I was actually
in high school at age 12

instead of starting at 14,

so when I graduated
from high school,

it was one month
after my sixteenth birthday.

My parents, my grandparents,
they believed

that if you worked hard,

there wasn't anything
that you could not do.

They knew that there were
limitations out there

because of the color
of our skin,

but rather than teach us
that those were true limitations,

they taught us
that if we worked hard,

we could overcome them.

When I was in high school,

my cousin owned
a throwback jersey store.

And so, at 16 years old,

I'm, like, basically managing
a store at the mall.

He's, like, having me count
the registers at night,

I'm coming up
with different promotions.

So, he really inspired me
to be an entrepreneur.

When I was about 11 or 12,

I wanted to be Diana Ross
when I grew up.

I just thought
that she was amazing.

So, there was a point in my life
when I decided to go back

to that desire to be a singer,

and I was part
of a girl's group,

don't laugh,
called Tuxedo Gold.

For a very long time,
I looked at that part of my life

as, like, the thing that you do not
want someone to bring up.

So grateful that there is
no social media...

[laughing] ...back then

for somebody to say,
"Look at this."

But that process that I went through

to try to be a singer plays into
helping you to be

fearless about things.

Starting The Lip Bar was
almost like a hobby at first.

It was for my own personal use.

So, at that time,
I was deciding to make

a more natural approach

and take
a more holistic approach

to my own lifestyle.

So, I started actually reading
the ingredients

on all the food
that I was eating,

the makeup that I was using,

the skincare that I was buying.

And when it came to lipstick,

it was, like, all these
sixteen-letter words.

I had no idea what it was.

And in addition to that,

why can't I find nude lips
that match my complexion?

So, I started
making lipstick on my own.

Before I took the leap
into entrepreneurship,

I was working at one
of the top PR agencies

here in New York City.

But I wasn't there.

I realized that I wasn't gonna
be completely happy

with the work that I was doing

until I had
a little more control

over the types of brands
that I was doing PR for,

the types of projects
that I was managing.

And the only way to do that
was to really start

my own consultancy
and become my own boss.

And so, I started moonlighting
and freelancing on the side.

I would work from nine to five,

or, let's be real,
nine to seven or eight,

and I would come home

and start working
on my own client roster.

So, I built up
a couple of clients,

had a few things baking,

and realized after a year
and a half of moonlighting

that, you know what?

Girl, you can do this.

Like, this is the time
to take the leap.

Anyone who knows me,
you come to my house,

candles and flowers are
something that I always have.

And when I launched,
I actually was unemployed,

and I wanted to, like,
go to the store and buy candles,

but when you're unemployed,
you gotta be very

particular with what you decide
to spend your money on.

And I was like,
"Why don't I just make candles?"

And it was a lot
of trial and error,

but I got the hang of things,

and I decided
to launch the company.

Whenever you're putting
anything out,

it's always a fear
if people are gonna like it.

I think just because we love something
doesn't mean

everyone's reaction to it
is gonna be the same.

And I remember spending
my savings, and I was like,

this has to work,
because you can't go broke.

[laughs]

And that's the best time
for something to work,

when your back is
against the wall and...

I don't know, I just felt like...

all in or nothing.

This was going to be my business.

I feel so empowered, I feel like,

"Ooh, Melissa, you did that.

Like, you can really create
lipstick in your kitchen."

I decided that in order
for my business

to give me 100%,

I had to give it 100%.

A lot of times women
start their own businesses

while they already have
a full-time job.

And so, tempering
or sort of striking the balance

between your job,
and then throwing in

maybe raising a family,
and, you know,

doing your side hustle,
which, you know, you wanna grow

into a big business,
the side hustle often suffers.

So, finding a way to sort
of even keel that energy out

a little bit more, and dedicate
a little bit more time

to taking a bit more of a risk,

putting a little bit
more energy into it...

And I know we're already doing,
like, a million things, right?

But that's the one thing I think
that holds a business back.

After doing PR for about a year,

I had this idea, like, I wanna
create a destination online

for Black women
to tell their stories.

Black women who are building brands
and building legacies.

I want a place for us
to come and inspire each other,

get advice from, get guidance from.

There's a lot of loneliness

behind the scenes of entrepreneurship.

And each and every time a woman
is honest about her experience,

the highs, the lows,
the challenges, the successes,

and all of the murkiness
in between,

she is fueling
another woman to keep going

and encouraging another woman
to push beyond

whatever challenges she's facing.

So, when I got laid off
in April 2010,

I was feeling restless
at my job.

But I was not gonna quit,

because I like knowing
where my money's coming from,

I like benefits,
insurance, you know?

And again, shoe habits.

You know, these shoes
not gonna buy themselves.

I was basically pushed
to take that leap of faith.

So, I kept on writing.

But I never took
writing seriously.

I didn't take it
as this is your gift,

this is what you're supposed to be doing,
this is your purpose.

I didn't know writers
who were kind of tangible.

Like, I knew the Toni Morrisons
and the Terry McMillans,

but they felt like aspirational,
but not reachable.

They were novelists.

For me, I was like, okay,
writing is not something

that I think I can make a career of,
'cause I don't know anybody

who's doing it who's not,
like, super fancy.

And it was definitely one of those

"if you don't know it,
you can't see it for yourself."

For me, it was really important
to let people know what is available.

You know, whether that means
it's within my world

or other people's world
and making those connections,

but almost giving them
permission

to be able
to enter those worlds.

Because I think that's part
of the problem as well,

is that we're not aware.

So, what I try to do within
my own industry is bring,

you know, younger women
of color to participate

in some of the activities
that I'm doing.

For them to see
that something exists

where they can participate,

and maybe that'll, you know,
have a spark.

Any time I tell my girls
someone is gonna come

to the school
or we're gonna take a visit,

they get so excited.

And part of it is because...

they don't often see that.

We've had our girls go
into Essence,

and they are like,

"I've never seen
so many Black women

who are just amazing,

who are nice,
who have office jobs."

And the majority of them
have never been

in an office to begin with.

So, to see something

from us, by us, for us

that includes them, my girls,

they get to see what
they can do for their future.

And I can't tell you how
heartwarming that is, you know,

because for many of them,
you ask them,

"What do you wanna do
with your life?"

And, you know,
they'll be limited and say,

"Well, I don't know yet,"

or "I think
I wanna go to college."

And then when they step
into these places

or they meet different people,

then they're saying,

"Well, I wanna be a blogger."

"I wanna be a writer."

"I can see myself
being an engineer."

Just for the mere fact
that someone made themselves

present in this space.

The times when I would doubt
whether I should be writing,

I would always get some type
of a note that would tell me,

"Nah, you're supposed
to be writing."

Like, I remember
one of the first notes

I got from a reader,

she was in the waiting room
with her mother

as her mother
was getting chemotherapy,

and reading my blog
was the only reason why she wasn't crying.

And I was like,
"Oh, my God, okay.

So, this is making a difference."

And I got another note
from somebody who was like,

"You know, I've been
in a depressive episode

for the last six months,
and your blog is literally

the only thing
that's made me smile."

My finances were in great shape,

and then I got to Miami.

And that's when I just
fell off the financial wagon.

Miami is an exciting city,
I got sucked into it, you know?

To be in Miami,
you kind of wanna look

like you're supposed
to be in Miami.

So, I started focusing on that.

I had a lot of credit card debt
from clothing,

I had Remy Weave
when I lived in Miami.

And then I got
into a bad relationship,

and that was the thing

that flipped my finances
totally upside down.

I was 21 years old,
living in Miami, living my life,

and I met this guy,
and it turned out to become

physically, emotionally,
and financially abusive.

I remember one time my abuser,

he pulled a gun out on me,
and it was loaded.

And he was like,
"I will kill you right now."

And just...

I saw the life leave him.

I hadn't spoken to my mother
in months at that time,

but I called her.

I was like,
"Mom, I'm ready to come home."

And so, I called my mom...

I'm getting emotional.

[sobbing] I called my mom,
I was like, "I'm ready to go."

And she's like, "Okay."

[sighs] Sorry.

[sighs]

I don't ever cry
when I tell this story.

It took me years to untangle
the financial mess.

I was still in college
and I wasn't really fully employed, and...

But I had still been taking on debt
to support us.

I was the sole provider
in the household.

And it did come out
he was stealing money from me.

Like, he would take my card
when I was asleep.

As a result,
I had two broken leases,

he had committed fraud
with my PayPal account,

all my credit cards
were maxed out.

My finances were in shambles.

Like, picture shambles,
that was my finances.

My Fab Finance started in 2013.

It was my accountability partner
when I decided

I was gonna untangle the mess
from the abusive relationship.

Things are better,
and it led to probably

one of my greatest creations,
which is My Fab Finance.

[Lauren] What we know about
Black women is that we're doers.

So, over the span of ten years,
from 2002 to 2012,

Black female entrepreneurs
grew their revenue 104%.

A hundred and four percent,
over ten years.

It is unprecedented, it's unheard of.

And that just speaks to the work
that we're doing in our communities.

I was very fortunate
that it could grow organically,

because I didn't have
another option.

I couldn't get a loan.

So, everything that I did
with the business

needed to be successful

so that I would have money

to reinvest in the next thing.

So, you do one flea market,

you get the sales from that,

now you can go buy supplies
for the next craft fair,

and you get the sales from that.

And then you can go...

And you just keep reinvesting

and doing that
over and over again.

That growth was constantly
being reinvested,

and there was no other way
for me to exist.

From day one, The Lip Bar
was fully funded by me,

and I worked
for a year and a half

while The Lip Bar
was still operating.

It really made me feel empowered
to know that, you know,

I didn't necessarily have
to seek out funding to do this,

and I was able to really work
with what I had

to get my dream
and my vision started.

[Gwen] We're not getting
the funding

that a White counterpart will get.

The banks are not as excited

to give us money, you know?

So, it's our money,
our own money,

we're not, you know,

we're not building our restaurant
off other people's money,

whereas a lot of our
White counterparts can do that.

And so, it's harder for us, and,

and it seems like
that most Black businesses

are doing it on their own.

They are pooling their money together

or, you know,
digging into their savings,

and, you know, we want a piece
of that pie too,

so that's what we're trying
to figure out.

You know, how do we get
some of that money?

The first time I ever heard
of Shark Tank,

we were doing a pop-up
with Harlem Fashion's Row.

Everyone is coming to our room, because,
you know, when you see someone

with blue lips coming out,
it's like, wait.

And then when you see
multiple people with blue lips,

it's like, what's in that room?

So, a producer from Shark Tank

walked into that room and said,

"Here's my business card.

You should apply
for Shark Tank."

I had never heard of the show.

So, my creative director
for The Lip Bar, Rosco Spears,

decided that we would apply.

And three months later,

here we are on Shark Tank.

I was so taken aback

by the fact that they weren't
even really willing

to talk to us about business.

From the second that we said
we were a cosmetic company,

none of them were interested.

Instead of actually talking
to us like the business owners

we were and we are,
they complimented our dresses.

They said we would never get
market share from the big guys.

They told us that these blue
and purple lip colors, you know,

number one, were unattractive,

and that if the bigger companies
wanted to do those colors,

they would do that and then crush us
like the colorful cockroaches that we are.

[rewind sound]

...crush us like the colorful cockroaches
that we are.

[Renae] One of the many reasons
we're not getting

the financing we need
is quite simple.

We're being overlooked
because in most cases,

people lend money
to people who look like them.

[Gwen] Part of it
might be some...

We gotta get
in front of the right people,

but I also do feel like it is
a racial thing, you know,

about resources
being available to us.

It's really tough being a woman
in business having to

talk to men about this beauty brand

that they don't
really understand,

they can't relate,
they've never used these products.

But at the end of the day,

these are the men
who are, like, pulling the triggers

and pressing the buttons,

and making the green light
happen for you.

A lot of times people will ask,

"Oh, was there a moment
where you wanted to give up?

That you just said,
'Oh, I can't do this?'"

And after being in business
for over 20 years,

there are so many
of those moments,

because it's hard.

And it's scary,

and it's very precarious,

and there's so much
that you discover

as you're doing it
that you don't know.

So, I definitely have had
many moments over the years

where I just felt like,
"Okay, this is crazy, I can't...

I can't do this anymore."

A year into doing all of this,

still couldn't find
a full-time job,

but I was
on Linkedln every week,

like, let me find a job.

Finally, I got a job doing
social media for a major brand.

Pretty good pay.

I go in the office day one,

I sit there,
I'm doing PowerPoint.

By 1 p.m., I felt like
the walls were closing in on me.

[laughs]
I was like...

I wanted to slide off the chair

onto the ground
and just lay there.

I was like this is...

I don't think I'm cut out
for this anymore. I think...

I need to make this whole working
for myself thing work.

I'm building My Fab Finance
and everything is going great,

and then I get connected
with Russell Simmons.

And I went in
and I interviewed him,

and it was a great interview.

But after that interview
I had to go back to work.

So, I walk into my job,
and they're preparing

for a staff meeting,
a team meeting,

and my boss says,

"Oh, hey, Tonya, welcome back.

Can you print out
these agendas for this meeting?"

And I'm not the person

who thinks
I'm bigger than things,

but in that moment
all of it just hit.

I was like,
"I have a master's degree.

We have an intern.

I just sat down
with Russell Simmons,

and you're asking me
to print out agendas?

I'm done."

Here at Essence,
we're always trying to find

the pulse of Black women
working in Corporate America.

And we teamed up with Catalyst,

which is a research firm,
to commission

the "Black Women in the Workplace" study,

which pretty much takes
the temperature of all women

at all levels
working in Corporate America.

And what we found from this study

is that 54%
of Black men and women

report feeling
like they have to be on guard.

People are super vigilant about
the way they're being perceived

and the way that people
are sort of taking them in.

So, what the study also found
is that that vigilance,

every day
when you come to the office

and you feel like you have to change
who you really are

and constantly be on guard,

has effects on your health,
mentally and physically.

I think
for Black women entrepreneurs,

where it requires
so much of ourselves

and so much of our time,

having mental wellness
and having a hold

of our mental health
is really important.

Because here's the thing, right?

Regardless if you are
a millionaire or not,

we all have...

Some of us have trauma,

some of us have to deal
with depression,

anxiety, PTSD,
mental health issues,

and we have
to take care of that.

That doesn't mean it's
like a quick fix, but it means, like,

all right, like,
"I really wanna succeed

and I really wanna be great in this,
and I'm really passionate,

but I've got some work
I need to do on myself too.

And how am I really going
to help other people

if I'm not actually
taking care of myself?"

I actually recently
did this thing with my family

where I asked them all
for feedback

'cause I'm trying to, like,
work on my self-development

and making sure
I'm spending more time,

like, thinking about
Chioma the person,

not just Chioma
the entrepreneur,

or, like, Chioma the sister,
Chioma the friend.

Um, so, trying to be more
holistic in how I view myself.

And my feedback, overwhelmingly,

from every person
in my life was like,

"You need to take
better care of yourself.

We see that you're
always working,

or you're, like, always stressed

and you're always, like,
you're always going,

and you need to pause
and have some of that time to be like...

Like, have some Chioma time,

like, meditate,
like, do some yoga,

like, you know, go to the salon,
like, relax a little bit."

That's probably,
like, an American thing,

maybe a New York thing too,
where you're just, like,

you feel like you need to be
doing something all the time.

So, I think that's one
of the things...

And it gets magnified
with entrepreneurship

because your success or failure
depends upon your input.

So, I think, like, one of the biggest
costs is that you always...

You kind of feel guilty
if you're not working.

Therapy is, to date,
the greatest investment

I have ever made in myself.

And when I tell you the kind
of peace and contentment

that I have in my life
because of the therapy.

I understand my feelings,
and, oh, business, you know?

And I'm not intimidated anymore,

and I have learned
to sort of accept praise.

You know, people tell...
we're always like,

"Oh, no. Oh, no."

You know, learning how
to say thank you

and be proud of myself.
I struggled with that.

Like, not being proud
of the work that I was doing,

almost like,
"Well, this is what I'm supposed to do.

I'm Super Woman."

And so, I love, love, love psychotherapy,

and, um, I don't...

I said maybe I'm naive
and I don't know

about what's supposed
to be taboo, but it's good.

[Gwen] In terms
of female entrepreneurs

and Black women entrepreneurs,

I feel like we are
in this female moment right now.

People are starting to realize,

"Wow, they... they got something."
You know?

"These women,
they're doing their thing,

and they're making it happen."

Like, they're, you know,
they're quitting their jobs.

I feel like, too,
there's this thing

about women
in Corporate America, too.

You kind of...

you know, you're getting passed over
for a promotion,

you're getting overlooked,
and it's like, "You know what?

I can do this on my own."

And so, it's very...

Like, just, female empowerment
thing happening right now.

And I think it's just
only gonna get bigger.

One of the most common mistakes

is that we try to do it all,
and that leads to burnout.

We have all of these blind spots

and we find ourselves
being frustrated.

So, we're very hands on,

that's how we started
the business in the first place,

but then we kind of shoot
ourselves in the foot

because we're not so good

at sort of divvying out responsibility

and knowing when it's time

to sort of bring on more people
on your team.

And as their businesses grow,
it sort of outpaces

the threshold
that they can sustain.

The Super Woman complex is real.

I see it amongst
so many of my clients,

so many of my colleagues,
so many of my friends.

And I think the idea
that we have to do everything,

we have to be the best parents,

be the best children
to our parents,

be the best friends,

and have this amazing,
thriving business.

I mean, I think we want
all of this, right?

But part of it is that we think
we can do it all.

We don't need any help.
We got this.

Yeah, I agree, the idea
of this invisible cape is...

it's generational,
it's cultural, it's diaspora.

You know, it's...

We don't really know
how to be another way,

and it is only through the lens
of other women who understand

what that struggle looks like,
and pass the baton, and go,

"You can relax here"
or "You gotta amp it up here."

We need help
and we need support.

We need to be able to reach out
to others for that.

The biggest issue

is that we have trouble
saying no.

It's like, "Oh, you need that?
Sure. You need..."

You know, like,
"You need to do that other thing,

you need to have that call
till midnight? Yeah, fine." You know?

Balance, like...

It's necessary to just
take time for yourself,

put the cape down for a moment.

We also need to be able
to set boundaries.

And sometimes it's like,
if you can't say no to other people,

can you at least say yes
to yourself?

You know,
there's this sort of like,

"Eff it, I'll do it" thing

that we always feel
like we have to do it, you know?

And I don't know if and when
we ever give ourselves

a moment to, like,

who takes care of the caretaker?

So, for me, I have always had

that syndrome
of doing everything.

From being a single parent
and going through a divorce,

having to really fill
all the roles,

it's been difficult.

And I used to take it on

kind of like
with a badge of honor,

like, "Yes, I can do it. I can do it.
I can make it all happen.

I can get to my son's games.
I can get to work.

I can do everything
for my house.

I can still build my business."

But then there comes
a certain point

when you have
to let something go.

I can't do everything
all at once.

So, for me, I compartmentalize.

It's like, what is
most important right now?

Anything else
that is not important

right this second
can go on the list.

And sometimes the list changes,

sometimes your top five
are this,

and sometimes those things

move down
in order of importance.

But for me, personally,

I exercise the power of no.

Sometimes it's a "No, thank you."

Sometimes it's a "No."

Sometimes it's, um,
"No, I can't do that."

And sometimes it's just like,
"Mm-mm, no."

Because if you don't,

you'll find
that you overextend yourself,

and then what ends up happening,
you suffer.

So now, I do make time
for other people,

I do make time for my business,

but I also make time for me.

Self-care is just this, like,
magical term

that people
don't really know what it is.

And wondering is it yoga?

Is it meditation? Is it eating?

Is it drinking wine?
Like, what is it?

And I think that self-care

is definitely more,
I believe, like, emotional.

It is boundary setting.

You know, self-care is, like,
not letting people bulldoze you,

and not letting people make your...
their emergencies yours.

Self-care is...

Most people are surprised
that I don't do non-business things

outside of business hours

that aren't, like,
ultra-pressing cash things.

I do not do interviews
after six o'clock,

I do not do meetings,

and I don't do them on weekends.

It's, like, you know what?

It can wait.

And that is just
a self-care thing for me

that, like,
I cannot allow business

to run my life into the ground.

At all times we are living
this Black girl experience,

and it... it...

There's a myriad of hats
that we have to wear.

It's the hat of knowing
what battle to pick,

and what battle to fight,
and when we're even fighting.

It's understanding
that we do need help.

Looking at mental health differently,

seeing a lot of our young
and older people

going through mental breakdowns,
and knowing,

yeah, it's not just that Johnny
or Tommy wasn't right.

It's... there's this stigma

that we're supposed
to carry the weight

of all of these other issues

that everybody else in the world
gets to pop a pill for.

I mean, it's been proven.

There's statistics,
pharmaceutical reviews,

that have been proven
to show that Black people

can have the same diagnosis

as someone that is not Black
or a person of color,

and they are given
a lower form of medication

because the idea is we can
tolerate higher forms of pain.

- It's heartbreaking.
- It's crazy.

That's a cape that we need
to be able to take off.

It's like, just 'cause we can
carry the weight of the world

- doesn't mean that you should let us.
- No.

When you're an entrepreneur
and you're onto something,

and you feel like things
are really great,

then you feel like,
"Okay, I can open up another one."

And then our pop-up was...

I mean, I'm grateful
that we did just the pop-up

and didn't, like, quite open up 100%,

because that was one of the hardest things
we ever did,

having to manage two locations.

I mean, it was really hard
and discouraging,

and there was times when Gwen
and I would do a whole shift

because the kitchen called out.

So, we would be there
from 9 to 11,

and then we'd be so beat,
we're at the counter,

just waiting
for the cleaner to come in.

[whispering] And then
the cleaner don't show up.

[chuckles]

- So...
- And then we had to scrub after...

I mean, that day, I was shot.
I was like...

[laughing] I was ready
to throw in the towel,

'cause I was like,
I am not doing this every day.

Like, this was going on
a lot, and I...

And then it'd be something
happening over here,

and I'm like, "What you want me
to do about it?

I'm on the grill."

- [Gwen laughs]
- So, it was a learning experience.

So that's how you win
in this business.

You just learn
from each mistake,

and you just keep growing

and be getting stronger
and stronger as you go.

[Renae] Let's be real.

When a Black woman
launches a business,

she's not
just empowering herself,

she's uplifting her family
and her entire community.

Research has shown
that Black entrepreneurship

is linked to a decline
in violence amongst our youth.

When you support
a Black woman-owned business,

you can be helping a mom
put food on the table,

pay a mortgage,
or cover her child's college tuition.

For these reasons,
we cannot afford

to exclude our men
from the conversation.

It's imperative
that they support us

and help move the dial
for women entrepreneurs

as partners,
investors and champions.

I'm very inspired by Black women

that are doing their thing.

It started with my mother,

my grandmother, like, my aunts,

all of them are strong women.

And I think one thing

that people fail to understand

about entrepreneurship
is entrepreneurship is a marathon.

It ain't a sprint, you know,
and in a marathon,

you need people on the sidelines

cheering you for all of them
26 point whatever miles it is.

And as Black men,
it is of the utmost importance

for us to stand side by side
with sisters,

whether it be
a platonic relationship,

romantic relationship.
It could be your little sister,

It could be your aunty.
It could be your mother.

It could be your friend.

It could be someone
that you don't even know.

But if we don't, as Black men,

support Black women,
then who will?

Gordon, thankfully,

has always been
very, very supportive of me

and of Carol's Daughter.

He actually very proudly wears
the name Mr. Carol's Daughter.

He likes that.

He likes that I have my thing,

and he has his thing,

but he's always been very,
very supportive of the business.

And honestly,
there wouldn't be one

if it hadn't been for him,

because he is much
more gregarious than I am.

When we would do flea markets
and craft fairs and things,

and sell,
he was the one

that got the customers
to come over and try it.

Once they came to the table
or into our booth

and engaged me in questions,
I would answer,

I would talk, you know,
I would have something to say.

But I couldn't walk up
to a total stranger and say,

"Smell this, try this,"
you know?

And he was the one who did that.
He was like,

"My wife makes this great stuff.
Come check it out."

So, yeah, very supportive.

In the late '90s,
things, you know, grew a lot

with the business, they changed
a lot with the business.

- And... it was hard.
- Every morning...

- It was hard, it was hard.
- ...we would have...

When you're waking up
and there's people ringing the doorbell,

and you're like,
"Is it really... [sighs]

Hi, no, no.
It's okay. Come on in.

Y'all want some coffee?"

Yeah, well, we should...

Register is not even on yet or...
whatever, you know. "Just come in."

And then, you know, folks are coming in,
"Morning." [knocks on table]

"Hi, Miss Florencia. Hi, Miss...

Hello, Sarah. Good morning, Abbey.
How you doing?"

Folks just come in and they put...

And then like it starts humming
and it's a thing.

And that's just your life.

That's what you do.

And yeah. So, when everything
finally moved out, I was happy.

[laughs]

He... [laughs]

did a dance
from the third floor

all the way down
to the first floor...

- Yes, I did.
- ...with no clothes on.

Yes, I did.

"It's my house,
and there's nobody here.

It's my house,
and there's nobody here."

I could walk into any room
and not be like,

"Oh, are there ladies?
Oh, no, there's no ladies in here."

I can just walk around.

[laughs]

Oh, look at that.
I don't have to worry about...

"Oh, is this is my... Oh, no, no.

No?

Is this my room, too?

Yeah."

[laughs]

I think it was a fairly reasonable thing.
I had put up with a lot.

[Khiry]
Well, before any of the candle things,

Denequa was just an inspiration to me

when I first met her.

I love to see you get up
in the morning,

just getting ready to work.

You're always
beating me to the punch.

She's always up before me.
No matter what.

Even if I get up at seven
o'clock, she'll be up by six.

To see her actually build something
from the ground up, it's amazing.

Anybody just comes up
with the idea of just making candles,

but the fact that you put
your energy, your love into it.

And these are in people homes,

and they able to smell
the hard work that you put in.

It's, um,
it's an amazing feeling.

I support her 1,000%.

[Denequa] To be a Black woman,
to have support from your partner

just because sometimes
they could be intimidated

by a woman who's successful.

So, to have someone
who I don't necessarily feel...

- He doesn't feel threatened...
- No.

...but more so is like a...

Not a cheerleader,
but like my biggest...

- Number one fan. Number one fan.
- Number one fan, yeah.

My family and friends

have absolutely
come through for me.

And especially
since I lost my husband.

So, that is...

That's so important to me,

and I couldn't do it
without them.

And so, this whole thing has
actually even made me appreciate

my friends and family
even more.

[Fifi] And as entrepreneurs
we make it work. We...

She's a single mom now,
you know?

And things have changed
both of our lives,

and, you know, with the loss
of her husband,

and it's been really hard.

But...

I, um...

[whispering] Sorry. Damn.

I don't want
her husband's passing

to be the reason why our...

You know,
that the fire is lit under us

and we're full speed ahead.

But what it has done
is just made us, like,

seriously just focus
'cause my girl has to be okay.

And I feel pressure,

but I also feel
an enormous amount of drive

to make sure
that she's gonna be okay.

And nothing's gonna stop me
until we get there, so...

[Renae] Our counterparts love
our money but not us so much,

which is evident with
the alarming rates of injustice

that we still face
in our country

and the lack of investments

poured back
into our communities.

If we spend $1.2 trillion

with those who appreciate us
the least,

why can't we make
a more conscious effort

to spend with our own?

I have a line of T-shirts
with my sayings on it

because, as a writer,
one of the things

that makes me stand out
is my use of different phrases

and how I bend language
and play with it.

So, one of the phrases
that I use is,

"Giver of no Dambs."

And I use B instead of N
in "Damns"

just because I feel
like it rolls better

and it looks better.

So, one of these shirts

ends up on the finale episode

of Insecure, season one.

Issa is wearing it.

And everybody freaks out.

It is the epitome
of, like, Black girl magic

and, like, the Voltron
of Black women,

how we are so dedicated
to supporting each other.

Like, they didn't have
to do that.

That was amazing.

And the shirt says,
"Awesomely Luvvie" on it.

I still get messages
from people who were like,

"I was watching Insecure.

Issa is wearing your shirt."

Issa is so committed
to bringing her people with her,

and I think
that's one of the things

I love the most about her.

[Renae] Is collaboration
the new competition?

Absolutely.

Pulling together our financial,
creative and social resources

sets us up for success
and allows us to gain access

in a way that may not
have been possible before.

We're excited to, like,
welcome Melissa and other, you know,

female entrepreneurs and just,
you know, share and help one another.

We've talked about two fun things we could
do in partnership together, so it's...

- I totally see that event happening.
- Yeah.

So, it's really...
it's really fun to have the support

and other like-minded women
in the city.

[Anika] Yeah,
we're kind of taking over a little bit.

There was, like, a recent article

about women entrepreneurs
in the state of Michigan.

One of our local magazines
was talking about the undercover,

- like, we're kind of the sneak attack...
- Right.

...women entrepreneurs
kind of coming through.

[Melissa] Forbes put that out.

- I think I just posted that.
- [Anika] Was it Forbes?

And actually, my caption was

- "Sneaking. We did it." Yes.
- Sneakin'!

You know, it is really, again,
our responsibility

to direct our dollars
to support one another,

to open businesses that, you know,
we can support.

So, we're, like,
just super excited to be able

to raise our hands and say,
"Us, too."

[Melissa] I'm part of it.

We met through a mutual friend

who hosted another event
in the space.

We hit it off
the second that we met.

I think that's why
the collaboration

felt so natural for us.

And when we pull together these
brands, it's really us, right?

Because a company is just

the people
who are behind that brand.

The candles that she makes are
amazing because she makes them.

And the same...
I feel like with the space.

People walk in and go,
"This is a beautiful space."

But energetically,
and when they meet me...

It feels right.

It feels right and things click.

Something also, too, that we...

The commonality, I guess,
amongst us is that

we wanna create something
that we wish existed.

- Uh-huh.
- And I think that that's...

When that's the foundation
of it, we kind of...

It just was like a no-brainer.

[Shell]
And that for me is the key

in everything, in my business,

in the core values
that we lay out.

It's about community.

That is what...

That's, for me, I hope the legacy is
of this, of what I do.

It's building that community.

And this idea of Black women
not being able to do things together,

it's like...

The reason
there's even civilization

is because Black women
came together and said,

"One can be on the left,
one can be on the right."

You know, literally,
we have pushed civilization forward.

So, we've always
been able to get along.

It's just not what mainstream media
wants to

- present and push out there.
- Project.

It's like,
if we do not pull it together,

come together as the collective,

who else is gonna do it for us?

Like, we have to, we must.
It's imperative.

Yeah.

The idea of collaboration
over competition.

There's something really special
going on, and it's not just us.

It is a collection, um,

a collective of Black women
within an eight-block radius,

and we're sending business
to each other.

We're getting business.

It's just so magical.

I'm a fan of nepotism
at this point,

especially when it comes
to Black women.

I think one of my hobbies
is defending Black girls

and, two, supporting Black women,
and just Black businesses in general,

'cause I think
we need to prioritize that.

If we are going to get
on better footing,

we actually have to be
very focused about that.

And I think that's what White people
have been able to do for centuries.

Like, they've been doing that,
where they've just been

insulating their support
to themselves.

Why don't we do the same?

And especially now,

when there's so many good people
who are doing good things.

Now is the time when we need
to really push them forward

and push them upward.

Opportunities that I've gotten

and people I've met

is because other people
have made it a point

to push me forward in that way.

And I think we need
to make that priority.

And here's the thing,

you're not just gonna put your name
behind somebody

just because they're your friend.

But if they're your friend
and they're doing good stuff

and you trust them,
and you trust their work,

why not put your name
behind them?

[Renae] It is our responsibility
to push us forward.

We still have some way to go,

but there is definitely
a shift happening.

There are some powerful men
and women in the industry

rewriting the narrative.

For example,

let's take Richelieu Dennis
of Sundial Corporation.

His $240 million portfolio
of personal care brands

was recently acquired
by consumer goods giant Unilever.

The sweetest part of the deal?

Sundial paid it forward with
the development of the New Voices Fund,

which is investing
$50 million

to empower us,
women of color entrepreneurs.

When Black businesses decide
to merge with other brands

or get acquired to help
elevate their brands,

a lot of times in our community,

we get in our emotions.

We take it personal.

In October of 2014,

Carol's Daughter
was acquired by L'Or?al USA.

The backlash
from the acquisition

was people not understanding
why you sell,

looking at it as I'm a sellout,

people do anything for a check.

There was press
prior to the acquisition

because we had filed bankruptcy

in order to close five stores
that weren't productive.

So, the spin was,
you know, that,

"Oh, Carol's Daughter
files bankruptcy."

So, people think
that you're out of business.

And then the sale was, like,

my last-ditch effort
to sort of, like, save myself.

You know, my company is
in the toilet so, you know,

I had to get
a check from someone

to keep my head above water,
which is not how business works.

L'Or?al is not going to acquire
something that's falling apart.

When brands decide to merge
with another larger brand

or if they're acquired,

there's some beauty behind it
that we have to appreciate.

One, this person
is setting themselves up

for success in the future.

They are creating
generational wealth,

which a lot of us
don't even think about.

And some entrepreneurs
are creating their exit strategy.

They have to think
about what their life is gonna look like

as an entrepreneur
10, 15, 20 years from now.

I understand where people's anger
and angst comes from

because we don't have
a lot of experience in this.

We don't have a lot of business owners
that go through this arc.

You know, if someone sells
their company to Facebook

for $42 million, people go,
"Woo, yay. That's great."

But if we sell something,
we're selling out.

I had to counteract
all of that negative press,

and I decided
to use it as a teaching moment.

People in other communities,

you know,
when they build businesses,

a lot of them are building them

for the purpose of flipping them
and starting something else.

Entrepreneurship
and owning a business

is not till death do us part.

So, in 2015,
Black women-owned businesses

generated $54 billion in revenue.

Not million. 54 billion.

There's an amazing woman,
Jessica Matthews,

who started an energy company.

She got seven million
and Series A funding

for everyday items that generate energy
in your home.

So, a soccer ball that can later
charge your iPhone.

When you think about representation,
people are often thinking

about how many women
are in the tech space.

You know, I believe
only 17% of startups

are actually founded by women.

Or people might look
at how many Black people

are in the tech space.

Of all the women-led startups,

only .04%
are run by Black women.

So that means
within that small group already

of startups
that were run by women,

only .04% are actually
run by women of color,

particularly Black women.

Basically,
it's one of these stats, right?

It's almost so low
that you can't even use a percentage.

I believe that there are
26 Black women

who have ever raised
more than $1 million

for their tech startup.

There's a real
missed opportunity,

in my opinion,

for women of color,

particularly Black women,
to take lead

and solve the problems
that we so intimately know.

Every time we get on our phones,

every time
we get on our computers,

people are making money
off of us

and it's not us being the producers,
but the consumers.

So, I make it my business
to tell my scholars,

"You don't even have
to look at just coding.

Look at design.

Look at starting
your own social media company,

'cause that's the way to go."

Like, there are things that are
being created every single day

that we have no idea about,

which goes back to why
we teach them entrepreneurship.

For an entire year
for seventh grade,

our scholars take a course
in which they learn

all the parts
about making a business,

creating a business plan,
having to develop a pitch.

And they actually have
to compete against each other.

And it's good
because they work in teams,

but they also get to learn

that you have to collaborate
with one another.

And if you're gonna compete,

it's not for the purpose of making
someone else feel less than who they are,

but how can your product be better,

if not something that other people
are gonna wanna invest in?

One of the obstacles that I face
as a woman in business

is thinking that you have to be
an expert at something

to be able to do it.

I think it's something
that a lot of us are raised with.

You know,
if you're not schooled properly,

if you didn't go to, you know, college.

And oftentimes
it's really just a matter of,

you know,
having the guts to do it, you know?

So, I think if you just
empower yourself and others

to just have a go at it, right?

Oftentimes, you'll find
what you're really,

not only good at,
but passionate about.

And that's usually
the driver for success,

more so than a formal education,
as an example.

The key thing here is to not see

the entrance into tech
as a Black woman

as something where you're waiting
for someone to open the door.

This is a time for us
to begin to build our own table.

For example,
I started my own tech company.

I did not build my tech company

downtown in New York
or in Silicon Valley.

I built it up in Harlem
because I wanted to make sure

we were surrounded by, one,
the world that represented

the market
we're trying to serve,

and also we were creating
a safe space

for people who look like me

and people
who didn't look like me

to come together
and create the future that we want.

You know, it's funny. People ask me,
"How did you get into science?"

You know, "How did you
start playing around in the lab?"

And I keep telling them,

it is significantly harder

to give myself,
like, a gel manicure

than it is to solder a PCB.

I think we need
to start to...

just change the way
we talk about science

and change the way
we think about ourselves

when it comes to actually
engaging in science

and engaging in technology.

If you actually look
at the definition of science,

it means the study of life,

which means if you're living,
you're halfway there.

And Lord knows,
we as Black women,

we are living out here.

We are making do
with very little.

And that's invention.

And so, I think once we realize
that we're already scientists,

that we're already inventors,

that we're already technologists
out in these streets,

it's just gonna be a question

of whether or not
we wanna capitalize on that.

[both] We are SASS-E Todds.

[Myla] SASS-E Todds stands for

Stephanie and Samantha Smith
Empower Toddlers.

I was looking
for a reason and a way

to spend more time
with my daughters.

So, the girls, they had gotten

a fashion kit from their aunt.

And so, they were in the room,

drawing away, sketching away,

and I took a look
at their pictures and I said,

"Wow, these
are some amazing designs."

And I said, "You know, I think

that we can, you know,
make this into something."

[both] I think
we're a good team.

[Samantha] I kind of know
how to draw like my sis.

[Stephanie]
She's still working on it,

but her drawing
is looking pretty better

since she was three.

We just go with the flow
on SASS-E Todds.

And so, there's no pressure
to design,

there's no pressure to draw.

The girls, when they feel

like they're
in the mood to create,

then they create.

This experience is meant to be
a teachable moment.

It's meant to be fun,

and it's meant to help them
to garner life skills

that will help them
in the long term,

seeing them have
that sense of confidence,

knowing they can do anything.

It is like we're doing teamwork,

like working together as a team.

What I would like to see
for SASS-E Todds in the future

is I would like to see
the brand grow with my girls.

But I would also like
to expand it

so that it's a platform
for other children to create.

I feel great
when other people are wearing

my designs of SASS-E Todds.

It makes me feel happy
and my feelings

are like smiley faces
and hearts shooting out.

[laughs]

[Myla] I want them to believe

that they can do anything
in this world

and there's nothing
that can stop them but them.

Lavender purple.

Wow, cute.

"I fear that too many of us
think of giving back

as an option instead
of an obligation.

And I judge some of us
for not being brave enough

to commit
to being truly beneficent.

I've never had to worry about
where my next meal is coming from

or if I'm gonna have a roof
over my head tonight

or if the clothes on my back
will suffice to keep me warm.

And for that,

I'm richer than 75% of the people
in the world.

This is why I feel
like we're failing in existence.

The fact that my having
the most basic things I need

makes me an exception
rather than the rule,

is how I know we're not
doing enough for mankind.

There's still children
who are starving or homeless,

and kale is an accepted vegetable
that people actually pay to eat.

We've gone wrong somewhere,
folks, and I'm judging us."

Basically, my journey has shown

how, when you put it
kind of in the universe,

it does conspire
to make it happen.

I mean, I had one of those years

that even I couldn't
have written up for myself.

You know,
I got to be on Oprah's list.

I got to interview
Shonda Rhimes.

Got to hit the New York Times
Bestseller List.

And I think, it just affirmed

what I've been doing
for such a long time.

It reminded me
of the times when I was like,

"Why am I doing this?"

Because when I thought
no one was listening,

or when I thought I was
a class clown of blogosphere,

I get an e-mail that's like,

"Hey. So, Oprah Winfrey
is doing a SuperSoul 100 List,

which is,
she's picking 100 people

who she thinks
are elevating humanity.

And you are one of them."

And I freaked out!
I freaked out.

I was like,
"Wait. Oprah knows who I am?

She actually knows who I am
in, like, real life?"

I give credit
to the work that I've done,

but I also understand
that a lot of it is God's grace,

'cause there are talented people

who never get the platform
that I have.

And there are
some really gifted people

who are struggling
every day to pay their bills.

So, I can't give full credit to,

like, just my gift
or just my hard work.

I think I am being pushed forward
by something outside of myself,

something that is greater than me.

So, I give credit to that, too.

And I'm ultimately hoping
that my path being like this

and not straight,
and not as easy,

but me, whatever success
I have now,

I'm hoping to make
somebody else's life easier.

Like, somebody who comes
behind me shouldn't have

to work as hard as I do
to get the success I have.

That's the real goal.

Like, 'cause if what I'm doing
is strictly ending here,

that's a waste
of time and energy.

Like, it needs to be
for something greater.

So, I'm hoping there's a young Black girl,
young Nigerian girl,

or just somebody who one day
felt like she was too different.

And I'm hoping she looks at me
and is like,

"Luvvie is doing that?
I can do that. I got it."

Shark Tank never made me feel
like I was on the wrong path.

If anything, Shark Tank gave me
a lot of momentum to push through.

It put so much fire and rage in me
to keep going.

This is my life's work,
and there's purpose behind it.

And you may not understand it,

but you don't get
to diminish my thoughts,

my ideals, my hard work
and, you know,

my purpose that easily,
just because you don't understand it

and because you, frankly,
you're scared to get in this business.

So, I think it took
a lot of strength.

It took a lot of strength

and a lot of remembering
why I started

to keep going.

I think the fact that since Melissa
was willing to quit her job

and focus strictly on this brand,

that, like, she doesn't, honestly...

She knew nothing
about making lipstick at all.

Like, everything was self-taught.

So, the fact that she
was so inspired by this idea

of creating cosmetics
that were more health conscious

and creating something
for Black women, I was like,

"Of course, I'm down. Whatever.
We'll figure this out along the way."

It's a really big deal for us

that we're launching
in Target stores.

Like, the whole Target thing
came about from a blind e-mail.

And so, like, literally,
I e-mailed the buyer and was like,

"Your customers are shopping there
for their care products,

but not for their beauty
because you have nothing for them."

And so, she was like, "All right.
Well, you know, just send me samples..."

I sent her samples,
and she was like,

"Your packaging is amazing
and I really love the product.

I am using it."

And so, then I, like,
further pushed the story of, like,

why we stand for beauty

and why we stand
for women of color

and why representation matters
within the beauty industry.

And she was like,
"You know what?

I'm not supposed to do this,

but I'm gonna give you
a chance."

We're just really excited.

We're like the first indie brand
to launch in Target stores.

[women cheering]

If you go into Target,
you're gonna see The Lip Bar,

like, amongst the big guys,
like the Revlons,

the Maybellines,
the L'Or?als, the NYXs.

Like, these are
multi-million-dollar brands.

And so, like, for us
to have our three shelves

and them to take in, like,
almost 30 products is major.

It's amazing to work with her,
not only as a best friend,

but as business partners.

It's kind of crazy looking at her
as this business woman.

Like, I still can't understand

not only how
we're on Target shelves,

but how she's selling this lipstick
to women all across the world.

So, I think one
of the biggest misconceptions

about making money as a blogger

is that you have
to monetize your blog

or you have to get ad money.

That's how you're gonna make money
as a blogger.

When there are so many ways
to make money outside of that blog.

My blog became
kind of my business card.

It became, um...

It became a tool for me
to make money in other ways.

So, the first thing I did

was I created a printable
at that time.

And the printable
was downloadable,

and people
could purchase it online.

And it was
a financial organizer.

So that was the first time
I started making money.

And then I started doing
one-on-one coaching

because other people were like,
"Well, how did you do this?

How did you improve
your financial situation?"

And then speaking engagements.

Once I started doing speaking
engagements, my eyes were like,

"Oh, my God.

There is so much money
on this side of the fence."

And after I started to realize
the power of My Fab Finance,

then I made it my intention.

I started doing everything
with intention.

Like, "I want to reach people
in this manner,

and I want to be compensated

for reaching people
in this manner."

So, it was just really,
like, my vision

was just falling into place.

And so by the time
I left my nine to five

to do My Fab Finance full-time,

I had developed
four profitable revenue streams.

[woman] Ladies, join me in welcoming
Tonya Rapley.

[applause]

Having multiple ways
to make money is...

I think it's essential for everyone
who owns a business,

because at any given time,
the market can change,

the demand for your product
can change,

the way that you're marketing
your product can change.

If I didn't appeal
to millennials anymore,

like, how would I continue
to make money?

I would say those
are one of the things

that keeps me up at night.

It's like, "What happens if?"

And so,
by creating multiple streams of revenue,

I feel like it kind
of insulates you from that,

because, you know, like, "You know what?
this happened, I can go do this.

If that happened, I can go do this."

And that adds an additional
layer of security to you,

to your family, to your business

and knowing
that you could continue

to sustain yourself
in the unforeseen.

So I'm releasing my first book,

The Money Manual, this year.

And I feel so supported
by my team.

Everything, we're putting
all of our energy into it

to ensure
that it's a bestseller,

but also to ensure that it's helping
as many people as possible.

And I'm just excited
about all the opportunities.

It continues to blow my mind

where My Fab Finance
has taken me.

The acquisition by L'Or?al USA

for me was, and still is,

one of my biggest accomplishments,

professionally and personally.

[all] Congrats!

[Lisa] Because personally,

I knew what it took
to get me to that place

and to put me in that position

to be able to help that
to unfold and experience it

and live through it.

[cheering]

And then professionally,

to say that you went
from your kitchen

and $100

to being a part of
the largest beauty company in the world.

[Renae] With all of the strides
we're making,

there's still
so much more work to be done.

One of the things
I've committed to

through In Her Shoes

and its annual
holiday gift guide

is to simply
build awareness

of Black women-owned brands.

During the holidays
there's a significant increase

in the desire to buy Black,

but I want this to be something
we're committed to

and deliberate about
all year round.

The work I'm doing
with In Her Shoes

and She Did That

is so important to me
because it's providing

positive representation
for women of all ages

and allowing young girls
to see their reflections

in the women we're celebrating.

[Renae reading onscreen text]

[Renae continues]
"You are sisters, daughters, mothers..."

[continues to read onscreen text]

[both] She did that!

I did that!

- [both] We did that!
- She did that!

She did that!
Did I tell you she did that?

- She did that.
- I did that!

She did that!

She did that.

She did that!

I did that!

I did that.
Yes!

She. Did. That.

Bro, did you see?

Did you see?

She did that!

[uplifting music playing]