Start Right Here! Podcast

As we prepare the next round of interviews for Season 2 we are going to rebroadcast some of our favorite episodes. These are our Episode Remixes.

First up: Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist, and product development expert who also has experience in contract manufacturer. This interview originally ran as episode 15, but we updated the format to match this season.

Since we spoke in 2020, Ni'Kita has a gotten new role: Vice President of Product Development at OUAI. The celebrity haircare line from Jen Atkins (recently purchased by P&G). But her advice is timeless.

Learn how she went from wanting to be a doctor to ending up with a first job in forensic sciences for the state.

Discover how she stumbled onto the beauty industry and what the roles she has taken on thus far have taught her.

It's important to note that Ni'Kita didn't know that there was such a thing as cosmetic chemistry or product development and she managed to build a career in beauty after discovering it.

Don't let a lack of an internship stop you from trying. Ni'Kita proves that it can be done!!

Follow Ni'Kita on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

In this bonus episode, I share some of the fantastic tips shared by my guests that can help the beauty career curious, those who want to make a pivot into the industry or within it, and some critical insights for those pursuing entrepreneurship.

Keren Davey, a Senior Brand Manager, Luxe and Clinical Skincare at Sephora, shares tips on breaking into the business, even if you haven't had an internship.

Jolorie Williams, the General Manager at Revlon, oversees Creme of Nature provides tips on navigating the corporate beauty environment.

Trae Bodge, a savvy shopping expert with rots in beauty, shares advice on making a career pivot (she has done several).

Ginger King of Grace Kingdom Beauty enlightens us on roles in beauty STEM--cosmetic chemistry, product development, and contract manufacturing.

For entrepreneurs, Kim van Dang, a former beauty director, and current serial entrepreneur, most recently launched Van Dang Fragrances, explains why you should follow your passion.

Chrissy Cabrera, the founder of Naturally London, advised us to go deep in a category instead of wide.

Ginger King of Grace Kingdom Beauty shares the timeline you should keep in mind for creating a product line.

Kimberly Smith, the founder of Marjani Beauty and The Brown Beauty Experience, shares a word on pricing and the intangible skills needed to succeed.

And Meghan Young Gamble of Get Level Consulting advises us with critical tips to get your product on retail shelves.

These tips are helpful no matter where you are in your career or business development.

This week, we feature Rochelle Graham-Campbell, the C.E.O. of Alikay Naturals. Rochelle is an entrepreneurial dynamo who puts her heart into everything she does. And she gives us lessons on building a business strategically.

As a young newlywed, Rochelle was paying her way through school and working three jobs: a C.N.A., a waitress at Olive Garden, and delivering daily newspapers with her husband, Demond. Then, she started doing YouTube videos as a form of creative expression, escaping all the pressure she put on herself to graduate early. The channel she created, Black Onyx, was where she could talk about her natural hair. In 2010, she was one of the original six natural bloggers and the only one that continues today. Through that channel, her haircare brand Alikay Naturals was born.

Although Rochelle isn't a chemist, she learned a lot watching her Grandmother, aka Yaya, in her native Jamaica, who was an expert in plant medicine. As a result, she was the first one people called when they had an ailment. Years later, Rochelle looked to natural ingredients to solve her hair problems and those who were part of her community. Rochelle formulated the brand's first 70 products in the first three years. That's no small feat. The line now has close to 90 SKUs.

Rochelle shares how attending a pitch competition with her last dollars became a catalyst for Alikay to get on retail shelves. She didn't win but left with a connection that led to her presenting to Target. They were sold and wanted the brand in 300 doors. However, Rochelle and Demond decided to ask for 1/3 fewer stores to prove themselves. Preparing to go on retail shelves was costly, but the two also agreed to manufacture their products themselves and started Black Onyx World. And in 2022, Alikay Naturals launched in 1800 Walgreens stores. She's also founded HER by Alikay Naturals, a feminine care line because she saw a dearth in the marketplace.

But Rochelle is an entrepreneur who likes sharing her secrets to success, so she's creating opportunities for others to learn. Through her courses and her book "90 Days to C.E.O.".

As a serial entrepreneur, wife, and mother, Rochelle shares why the Alikay Cares Foundation and philanthropy are essential business elements.

Finally, Rochelle shares some tips on launching a business in an already overcrowded category. Hear about this and so much more in this episode!

This episode features photojournalist and author St. Clair Detrick-Jules. She joins the podcast to discuss making her book "My Beautiful Black Hair" and why it was vital for her to chronicle the hair and heritage of those with textured hair.

Around the time St. Clair was concluding her studies at Brown University, she learned that her four-year-old sister, Khloe, was being bullied about her textured hair. Khloe, who lives in France, didn't have a lot of examples of beautiful Black women with textured hair in her environment, so St. Clair initially conceived it as a love letter for her little sister. But, as she began the project, it morphed into something much bigger.

St. Clair saw this as an opportunity to continue the social justice documentary filmmaking at Brown through new medium photography because texture hair itself is a social justice issue.

'For nearly three years, St. Clair photographed and interviewed 101 women about their natural hair. She started in her hometown, Washington, DC, and moved to other East Coast cities and made it to the West Coast.

She started photographing friends and acquaintances and then recruited others through her network. As a result, most of the women photographed are not professional models but exude beauty and confidence in their skin and hair.

The book contains sections that include names such as "The Big Chop" but also "Liberation," "White Spaces" and "Mothers and Daughters." All of the women featured pen notes of encouragement to Khloe too.

One of the reasons that the project was important to St. Clair is that as a biracial woman, she realized that her textured hair is her connection to her heritage and history. She came to the realization in high school and more fully in college but wanted to give her young sister that foundation earlier.

Tune in to the episode to learn more about St. Clair's journey to creating this love letter for her sister, getting it published, and most of all Khloe's reaction. Plus, learn what she's thinking about doing next.

Check out the My Beautiful Black Hair site to find out where you can get the book.

Follow St. Clair at @stclairdetrickjules and @mybeautifulblackhair on IG, @MBBHbook on Twitter.

For this show, I had the privilege of chatting with my friend and legendary makeup artist Sam Fine about his career journey. He's worked with Iman, Vanessa L. Williams, Patti LaBelle, Queen Latifah, and Cynthia Erivo, to name a few. So, folks, get out your pad and pencils or note app, Sam is about to take you to school.

We chatted about his early aspirations to become an illustrator initially brought him to New York City from his native Chicago and later sent him back home. But while working part-time as a floater for Naomi Sims Cosmetics allowed him to move back to the Big Apple.

Among the many things that Sam shares are what working behind the counter for Sims in Herald Square taught him and the importance of finding good mentors. He found two amazing people that nurtured his career. One of them was Fran Cooper, whom he assisted on many shoots until he was ready to go out on his own. Sam shares how he led a double life--working behind the counter and working with celebrities and shoots until something had to give.

Sam also shares how he became the first Black makeup artist with a spokesperson deal with Revlon working with Veronica Webb. Later he worked on CoverGirl campaigns with Niki Taylor (who is not Black), and later with Tyra Banks and Queen Latifah.

He also talks about the importance of asking for what you want. Whether in his case, it was a book deal, a preferred payment arrangement, or to work with a specific brand such as Fashion Fair. And the importance of the many covers he did for Essence.

Sam explains why he decided to move to Los Angeles, Oakland, and eventually back to New York City. Why being in the union is essential, and what's it like to come back to Fashion Fair as its Global Ambassador under its new ownership.

He shares what it is like to come to prominence in a time before Instagram and why it is harder for a makeup artist to replicate what he's done in the age of social media. And he shares his thoughts on the inequity that Black creatives face in recognition and opportunities.

After his bestselling book and DVD, Sam shares what he'd like to do next. Then, tune in to hear the whole story.

This week, the Start Right Here podcast welcomes a groundbreaking beauty entrepreneur, Miko Branch, CEO of the haircare brand Miss Jessie's, salon owner, and author of Miss Jessie's Creating a Successful Business From Scratch—Naturally.

Miko, alongside her late sister, Titi Branch, built a multi-million dollar brand that is sold in outlets like Target and Wal-Mart, has more than 40 SKUs, and was at the forefront of creating products that accentuated the beauty of curly and coily hair.

Miko shares the path she and her sister took to get there. How their father taught them to be fearless and what their first entrepreneurial venture, a cleaning service, taught them about running a business.

But the two took a circuitous route into beauty. Miko first studied fashion at FIT before declaring her desire to become a hairstylist. Titi worked as a field producer at ABC before joining her sister in the industry as her agent. You'll hear how that led from doing hair in their home to a two-chair salon on Bond Street in Brooklyn. And the lesson they learned about expanding too soon. Finally, Miko explains the steps she and her sister took to recover from a bad business decision and the circumstances that led to her embracing her natural curls—which became their unique focus.

Miko tells us what they learned from their paternal grandmother, Miss Jessie., and how they factored into creating their first product. Then, she'll explain how the demand for Curly Pudding necessitated getting their products on the retail shelf.

You'll learn how they made and shipped their products from home to a manufacturer and owning a warehouse. And why it is crucial to hire the right people.

Miko shares how love has fueled the brand's success. And although her sister is no longer on this earthly plane, Titi's impact is still felt in every aspect of Miss Jessie's. Miko's story is as much about love and legacy as it is about success.

Chrissy Cabrera, the founder of Naturally London, never dreamed about becoming a beauty entrepreneur. But a rough first pregnancy, where she suffered from swollen feet and an aversion to ingredients in many foot care products, prompted her to make her own. Still, she didn't think about selling the products until the friends she gifted started asking where they could purchase her products. Along the way, she evolved her hand-crafted line of products and became a certified aromatherapist.

Chrissy shares how she transitioned through several careers, from working in the military to the federal government and running a fashion consulting business and blog. And why she held down two jobs for most of her adult life. How her conversations with God prompted her to step out of faith as she built her business. And what having her brand featured on "Good Morning America" taught her.

Plus, why every entrepreneur should have a business best friend! Learn these things and so much more on this episode of the show!

Megan Young Gamble calls herself The Project ExecutionHER and the principal consultant at Get Level Consulting. She used transferrable skills in project management to move from working at a car rental company and claims to beauty. She has also created a successful career in the beauty industry while living in Georgia, proving opportunities outside New York and Los Angeles exist.

She landed a position at Astral Brands because they were looking for someone from outside the industry who could bring a fresh perspective to work. Megan leaned heavily on her project management skills as she mastered the steep beauty learning curve.

While working at Astral, she was exposed to different beauty brand distribution models through the four companies they oversaw: Aloette, butter London, Cosmedix, and Pur. Megan also learned the ins and outs of packaging.

With all of this knowledge, Megan set out on an entrepreneurial path with her own company, Get Level Consulting, where she assists her clients to take their ideas for beauty brands from concept to the retail shelf.

Find out the essential advice Megan has for indie and larger brands alike, what they might overlook when bringing their brands to retail shelves, and more.

In this episode, we talk with a woman who is making an impact internationally with her beauty brand, Shirley Billot, the CEO and Founder of the amazing skincare brand Kadalys. We have a far-ranging chat about the impact of her early life living in Martinique, the significance of bananas as a symbol of freedom for its Black inhabitants, the culture shock of moving to Paris, and how she came to start her brand.

Shirley shares how her images of beauty were formed when she didn't have a television. What growing up with a close connection to nature taught her and why it was important for her son to have that connection too. When she moved to Paris, Shirley had to suppress her friendly demeanor and found that even the food tasted different.

She shares how she came to use the waste from banana growers to create ingredients that were beneficial to the skin and what kind of working relationship she has with the growers on the island. At the root of Kadalys is a brand built on sustainability, upcycling and social impact.

But getting her products on the shelf in Paris was a challenge. One retailer told her that they weren't interested in attracting Black customers. So Shirley took her innovative products to Asia and her launch was well received in Japan and Korea so she also launched in Australia.

Shirley shares how the social justice movement in the US had a global impact, giving her a chance to get in more doors in France. And she brought her brand to the US recently and is on sites including thirteenlune, Marjani, and melaningrace.

Learn all of this and more on episode 51!

Keren Davy, Senior Manager, Clinical and Luxe Skincare at Sephora has beauty in her DNA, she was raised in her mother's hair salon. First had tea parties, later got to work, and eventually obtained her cosmetology license, yet it was a challenge for her to land her first corporate beauty role. So in this episode, Keren and I explore whether there is such a thing as the "right" school when it comes to getting a job at a big beauty brand. And if that is indeed true, what do you do when you don't fit the criteria?

Keren talks candidly about how a lack of knowledge about internships may have hindered her. But the reality is, although Keren was a scholarship student, she had to work, so she made money in two ways: as a bank teller, and putting her cosmetology license to work. She landed a marketing internship during her senior year and she explains how she turned that internship into a full-time job offer after graduation.

Even with marketing experience, however, beauty brands still weren't interested in her. So Keren returned to school for an MBA. There she got her first taste of skincare, leading a team working on a project for Kiehl's.

But her first position at Johnson & Johnson was working on the Band-Aid and Neosporin brands. But even when she wasn't I'm a beauty role, Keren made her beauty expertise known to her colleagues and was hand-picked for a role in brand management at Aveeno. She shares how she continued to uplevel her skills and the importance of stretch assignments. After being laid off from her role at Aveeno, Keren started a consulting firm with client recommendations from her former colleagues.

For her current role at Sephora, Keren made the decision to move to West Coast. Acclimating to her new role and a new home. Keren shares how important giving herself grace in times of change. She also shares the importance of faith in her career journey. It sustained her as she encountered rejection and disappointment and fueled her as she forged forward, blazing her career path.

In our Starting Five section, Keren shares some valuable tips on blazing a career in marketing, even if you are an outsider.