What does it really take to turn a deeply personal idea into a category-defining brand?

In this episode of Your Next Move, award-winning actor, producer, and entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross sits down to unpack the 11-year journey behind building Pattern Beauty—a company rooted in both lived experience and a clear market gap. What may look like an overnight success was, in reality, shaped by years of rejection, iteration, and conviction in an underserved customer base.

Ross shares how she navigated early skepticism around the size and value of the textured hair market, why she chose to build custom formulations instead of licensing existing ones, and how a pivotal partnership with Ulta Beauty helped bring her vision to life. She also gets candid about scaling challenges—from selling out too quickly at launch to building the operational infrastructure needed to sustain rapid growth.

Along the way, Ross breaks down what she looks for in business partners, how she balances creative instinct with operational rigor, and why understanding your customer at a granular level is the foundation of any lasting brand. She also reflects on the transition from artist to CEO—and how storytelling, trust, and team-building remain central to both.

Plus, Ross explains why celebrity alone isn’t enough to build a business, how Pattern expanded beyond her personal brand, and what it means to “professionalize” a company without losing its mission.