How Karen Mitchell turned a side into an eight -digit hair emperium

From Rihanna to Demi Moore, Lizzo and even Beyoncé, the biggest stars in Hollywood are used to True Hair Company For luxury hair extensions and wigs. But behind the Glamor is Karen Mitchell, a Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-Foked entrepreneur who turned a side into an eight-digitage company that again defines the black hair industry.

The company not only supplies hairpieces for celebrities of A-list, but also offers professional women, business women and the daily fantastic woman with premium hair units and pieces, giving them the confidence that they need to walk into every room while building their business and career.

Mitchell, a well -known expert in hair extension, launched True Indian Hair, the product brand under the umbrella of True Hair Company, after he has noticed a lack of diversity within the billion dollar black hair care industry. In combination with her passion for her and beauty, she started a mission that started a mission more than two decades ago to offer career women with high -quality extensions and wigs.

“In 2004 I started True Hair Co/True Indian Hair as a side while working on my 9-to-5,” she said Black undertaking. Initially it was “just something to earn extra money for my social activities,” she said. However, she realized that selling imported Indian her to friends and family was a lucrative company that ultimately reflected the annual salary of $ 60,000 that she earned as a production coordinator in the fashion industry.

“So when I was fired in 2006 from my 9-to-5 and was unable to find another job, I decided to gamble on myself and open a store,” she said.

With only $ 15,000 in savings, she cashed her 401 (K) Pensioenfonds and used loans from family and friends to open the first official True Hair Company store in Brooklyn, New York, in 2007.

“It was the scariest decision of my adult life because I had no business knowledge outside the lessons of the university economy. But I felt that I had no other option.”

Mitchell’s lack of financing and experience as a full -time entrepreneur presented a new series of challenges, forcing them to survive on canned soup for months. She realized that storing a hair store with bundles, closures, frontals and wigs, together with purchasing goods for online orders, required hundreds of thousands of dollars for prior costs. “I didn’t have the financing for that,” she said.

“The first two years, my store stock was pretty weak,” she admits. At the time: “There was no other Haarwinkel in Brooklyn who sold raw Indian hair, and everyone wanted something really Indian hair. So there was a huge demand for my product and customers were willing to wait,” she explained. The big question forced her to learn what she calls ‘the flipping game’ quickly.

“I would sell and use the profit to buy the amount of the last order twice, and then three times the amount, etc.. In the end, the positive cash flow flowed sufficiently from turning bundles to the complete storage of my store.”

Nowadays True Hair Company has become an eight -digit company and offers customers a luxurious hair that comes directly from donors in India. In addition to the original physical in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Mitchell also has a flagship store of 3,000 m², multi-level in the heart of Manhattan and a successful e-commerce website.

“Real Indian her was one of that side bustle that further developed that continued in a real company. It was not planned, but when I saw the process. I knew I had something special to offer,” she said.

In addition to business success, Mitchell has set up the non -profit organization True strengthThis monthly hair and beauty afiters offers women who have experienced hair loss because of cancer-related treatments.

Mitchell and her team are planning to expand to other markets within the coming years, including Atlanta and New Jersey. Her long -term goals include franchising, launching a new product line of hair care and opening locations in Houston, Miami, Washington, Washington, DC and London.

In an interview, De Hair Mogul shared insights about her journey, building her famous clientele and strategies for those who want to launch or expand a company.

BE: Where does your entrepreneurial spirit come from?

I have always had an entrepreneurial mentality since I was in high school and the university. From selling Avon to selling bracelets from catalogs, I just had one thing For business. My long -term goal was to open a hair salon.

I think my entrepreneurial mentality comes from my mother, who has sold raw materials in Jamaica for a living. My first job was also outside the university for a fashion company led by a woman. I stayed with that company for 10 years and look back, I now see how my boss has influenced me as a woman in business.

BE: What makes a real hair company different from other hair expansion and wig companies?

We distinguish our company by focusing mainly on ethically produced raw Indian hair for our hair bundles and wigs. We work together with our factory in India and have our own team at hand in the factory to select only the best premium raw hair for our production. The quality control continues to our NYC -Hub where every piece of hair is washed again to ensure that there are no tangles or visible hair problems before it is sold to customers. That is why we have a return or complaints of less than 3%. I think be a woman who actually wears my products, has been a great asset. I look at every hair piece as if it is going in my head. I am not just the owner; I am also a customer.

BE: How did you build and maintain relationships with customers of celebrities?

We are blessed with a great list of famous stylist and brands that trust our products for their customers. Normally they will reach us with their specific needs. Yusef, die Rihanna Styles Styles, to Tokyo Stylez, who styt Cardi B, to Hairassasin, who stytes to pull Wallace that Mary J. Blige and Taraji P. Henson Styles Styles Styles Kim Kardashian, and and [celebrity hair stylist] Q Hardy, who trusted our products from the first day. This includes working with fashion brands such as Laquan Smith for NYFW. They love and trust our quality, and we feed those relationships.

BE: What tips would you share with entrepreneurs who have difficulty generating income and building their business?

• Access to information for financing is now easier than when I started my journey almost 20 years ago. Loans for small companies (SML) are available for companies to borrow for start -up or reinvestment. There are also subsidies available for startups. I think sometimes we don’t do enough research in our communities. Information does not come to you. You have to look for it. Start with Google. Visit your Local Chamber of Commerce. They are there to serve you.

• Find a mentor to guide you and be a sounding board, but only do this after you have done your own research and can communicate your wishes or needs. Nobody wants to help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves.

• Before a company starts, an entrepreneur must know who his target group is to know who they should put on the market. Nowadays digital marketing is huge and the best free digital marketing is social media. Use it to your advantage. You have to know your audience and involve your audience in content that not only appeals to them, but also drives them to buy.

• Build relationships with your customers to create trust and repeat buyers.

• Strategically hire. Your team must add value to your company.

• Finally, they lower unnecessary costs that do not contribute to the growth of your company.