CURLS CEO Mahisha Dellinger shares her personal keys to business success and discusses why entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.

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Do you dream of starting your own business one day?

If the answer is yes, then this podcast is for you. We chatted with CURLS CEO Mahisha Dellinger on how she grew her small haircare line into a multimillion dollar business, with products being sold at big retail stores such as Target, CVS, Duane Reade and Walmarts nationwide. She shares her entrepreneurial journey (which involves almost getting terminated from her “dream job” and then realizing she wanted more autonomy over her future to switching to a career that allowed her to focus on building her business. Mahisha shares her personal insights and wisdoms that allowed her to grow both her company and abilities as a leader.

Hope you enjoy!

MAHISHA’S  KEYS TO SUCCESS:

1. Make sure that you have a mentor on your side that is in your industry that can help you avoid pitfalls, connect you with important resources, and save you money, and in connected. Always have someone smarter  and more experienced than you in your corner.

2. Do your due diligence before you spend money on marketing or the business. Make sure that you are building sustainable business.

3. Know your competition. It’s okay if you’re the third one to market. You can do your research on those companies, launch, and do better than they did. Do what they didn’t do well and you can take over that market.

4. Learn the power of NO and embrace it. Embracing the power of no will give you the skill-set to sell tough situations and develop the thick skin that will help you navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.

IN THIS PODCAST YOU’LL LEARN:
1. Why reflecting about who were as a child can reveal a lot about your adult self and future potential
2. How being put on a corrective-action plan at her then “dream job” pushed Mahisha Dellinger to pursue entrepreneurship
3. Why she eventually left her “dream job” to pursue another career that allowed her the flexibility to start building the CURLS brand
4. Why getting investors in the beginning may not always be best for your brand
5. The reason you SHOULD NEVER quit your day job when first launching your company.
6. How Mahisha found CURLS first customers by being authentic and knowing her customers’ pain points
7. How being prepared and knowing your market can help you win big partnership deals (like having your product in Targets nationwide.)
8. The right way to ramp & scale up
9. Why entrepreneurship IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!
QUESTIONS WE ASK:

-What were you like as a child?
-Why did you decide to leave Intel to start working on your business
-Why is doing your due diligence so important?
-Is entrepreneurship for everyone?
-Why shouldn’t lack of support stop you from pursuing your dreams?
-At what age did you become a millionaire?
– What keeps you going?
-What do you predict the future of natural haircare to be?

NOTES & TAKEAWAYS:

1. If you can’t believe and invest in yourself, who will?

2. Always do your due diligence to see if your business is one that can be PROFITABLE and sustainable.

3. Start small. You can fine-tune and tweak before your audience and customer base before it gets too large.

4. As an entrepreneur, your life varies day-by-day. You have to be ready for the ride. It’s not for everyone.

5. Make sure you have a seasoned mentor in your industry that can help you grow your brand.

6. Make sure that you are not getting taken. Have someone in your corner.

7. If you’re looking for support to get started and feel like your family/friend group isn’t supportive. You’re going to have to toughen up. You’ll get so many no’s and lack of support from people that you’re trying to do business with.

8. If others don’t support your dream, know that you do. If it’s your passion, you go past someone else’s disbelief and live in your belief. You can’t let someone else’s disbelief hold you back.

9. People see the success of those who make it, but don’t see the struggle that it took to make it there.

10. Remain true to your brand. People like authenticity.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
SCORE – score.org

SUBSCRIBE, DOWNLOAD, RATE & REVIEW:
Listen & Subscribe on Soundcloud
Listen & Subscribe on iTunes
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CONNECT WITH MAHISHA DELLINGER & CURLS ONLINE:
Instagram: @frizzfreecurls
Facebook: /frizzfreecurls
Twitter: @frizzfreecurls
Curls.biz

DID YOU ENJOY THIS EPISODE?

During the podcast, Mahisha mentioned that entrepreneurship is not for everyone. Being an entrepreneur requires that you have thick skin. Do you agree? Let us know in the COMMENTS section below!