Phew ,
It makes me sad to see so many big box retailers and tech companies pulling out of their DEI commitments.
It's like 4 years of investment was enough combat 400 years of oppression.
I feel bamboozled.
They abandoned us as soon as someone made it acceptable.
Some people will say brands didn't perform, but the expectation that a small Black-Owned brand can compete with the the L'Oréal's, Procter + Gamble's, and Unilever's of the world while getting less than 1% of venture capital is also a reach.
A truly backwards expectation.
Store access and shelf space was never going to be enough.
We needed more.
That's why I am grateful for our true partnership with Ulta.
- They offered 'end-cap' shelf space for two years that we didn't have to pay for (value $100K+).
- They paid us in advance for our first shipment which was hundreds of thousands of dollars (value $500k+).
- They put me in the "Black Joy" campaign for Black History Month and posted it on their main Instagram account with millions of followers.
- They included us in holiday mailers.
- They put us in emails to their massive email list.
- They even had us in radio ads on Pandora.
- We even graced the home page of their website.
- I also had a 30 min one-on-one meeting with their CEO.
Their investment in us was tremendous.
And it's not just us.
They have an accelerator program that supports women owned companies and founders of color, that helps to usher them into the stores.
They show them the ropes, and provide funding.
For a moment I was afraid to share all the things they had done for us to avoid looking like a "pick-me" but I am more grateful than ever for their continued support and investment.
There will always be light in the darkness.
If you want to show Ulta you appreciate the work they're doing, and not backing down on DEI click the button below.
Kim
Founder, CurlMix
