Founder Zhanyia McCullough, 13 of Roosevelt, New York
Zhanyia McCullough, 13 of Roosevelt, New York, is a solo competitor in this year’s i.Invest National Youth Business Competition. Her company, Islande’ Beauty, produces a hair growth serum made from a wide variety of natural oils and fragrances.
Tell us about your business. At Islande’ Beauty, we have created a hair growth oil using some of the most revolutionary and effective oils on the market. These oils have moisturizing properties from its fatty acids and is an excellent source of omega-6 which also boosts hair growth. In addition, our serum has many other uses. It can be used as a ‘pre-poo’ (a conditioning treatment used on your hair before shampooing), daily scalp oil, hot oil treatment, scalp treatment, blow-dry oil (mild heat protectant), finishing oil, and a scalp massage oil.
What inspired the creation of Islande’ Beauty? My inspiration to make the hair growth oil started because my hair wasn’t growing at a comfortable rate. During this time, I struggled with self-esteem, self-acceptance, and self-confidence, therefore, I wanted to create something to support my hair growth problems and also support other girls who may be suffering in silence. You see as a teenage girl, our appearance is everything and I wanted to come up with a solution and to educate our youth on the importance of what we put in and on our body.
How will Islande’ Beauty impact the world? The name Islande’ Beauty embodies the true essence of confidence. This company was created in order to help individuals build their confidence by creating a space for people to easily access information on hair products containing natural ingredients. Our passion is to empower girls through education and our objective is to present workshops on the importance of natural ingredients and their effects on the skin, including the scalp. We also seek to educate women and girls on the importance of establishing a healthy hair routine. As a brand, our most important task is to empower girls to feel confident in their abilities, to take care of their hair, and to be leaders in their communities. It’s all about finding inner beauty, building confidence, and creating healthy self-esteem.
What are the next steps for Islande’ Beauty? The goal is to promote our products on social media and with live demonstrations. The plan is to go to schools, libraries, and other programs to offer classes to educate students on healthy hair and the importance of establishing a hair routine. We will also have demo videos on the variety of ways the products can be used. We will have live Q & A so people have the opportunity to ask questions and get real-time feedback. We are creating a hair journal to help capture emails so we can do email marketing. I will be hitting the pavement (with my mom) and going to local hair salons and small businesses to introduce myself and my products. Our products will sell on our e-commerce site, which will launch on September 4, 2019!!! We have the goal of going into retail when the company has proven itself.
Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Islandebeauty and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/islandebeauty.
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