“We went where she was,” explains Mahisha Dellinger of the marketing strategy that built CURLS, an organic hair product line she founded 20 years ago.  This was the strategy Mahisha used to launch her brand and grow it through a DTC model before it was one of the first four brands to launch the ethnic hair category in Target.  Word of mouth spread and a customer base was built that doubled as a data source. Today, ambassadors across the country are still dispatched to concerts and comedy shows to hand out samples. Even with social media, nothing beats a boots on the ground approach.

In addition to CURLS, which is available in over 400,000 stores, Mahisha runs the Black Woman Making Millions Academy, which is set to help 25,000 Black female-owned businesses with over 450 million dollars of free resources. She knows good mentorship is priceless, and Mahisha is determined to return the favor to other Black women who encounter obstacles in the business world. If you plant good seeds, she says, you will always yield good crops.

There is nothing quite as strong as the force of word of mouth marketing. Join the conversation to hear how Mashisha built her business from the ground up, what’s next for both of her ventures, and the two words she had for her former boss who once subjected her to racism prior to CURLS became a phenomenon.

Quotes

• “I knew that once you tried it, you would love it. So, a substantial marketing budget toward samples is important when you’re product based.”(8:41-8:51 | Mahisha)

• “Whatever you put out there is what you get back and you get it ten-fold. I believe in planting good seeds and harvesting.” (30:54-31:04 | Mahisha)

• “Don’t wallow in what you don’t have, or your disadvantage, or whatever obstacles you have. Use that to propel you to drive forward. That’s what I did.” (35:29-35:41 | Mahisha)

• “Please hear me when I say, failing to plan is planning to fail. You have to make sure you create a robust business plan. You have to have that road map. If you don’t have a road map to success, how are you going to get there?” (37:32-37:50 | Mahisha)

Connect with Mahisha Dellinger:

Instagram Mahisha | https://www.instagram.com/mahisha_dellinger/

Instagram Curls | https://www.instagram.com/curls/

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Dear FoundHer on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You can now work with Lindsay 1:1 to build the community for your personal brand or company through the same method she used to grow and scale her business. Fill out the form here and set up a FREE 30-minute consult.

You can also:

• Take Lindsay's FREE 7-Day Social Media Challenge

• 5 Tips and Tools to Set Up Your Business

• Follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk

Use code FoundHer for 50% off your first month with both HiveCast and Fireside

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.