Meet the Founder Who's Redefining Travel-Friendly Beauty
Where the idea came from
I never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. I loved having a corporate job where I could clock out at 5 p.m. and have great dental. But every time I used my vacation days, I encountered the same problem—I spent a good amount of that time trying to manage my personal-care regimen on the road. Most products in the travel aisle weren’t for me, and I was at my wit’s end with refilling tiny bottles and getting my favorite items confiscated by TSA. After doing a little digging, I found that I wasn’t the only one. In 2019, Black travelers spent $109.6 billion on leisure travel alone, and Black women spend nine times any other ethnicity on beauty and personal care. So I decided to launch BlackTravelBox.
The goal
To build the number one on-the-go beauty-and-personal-care brand that continues to see Black women, meet their needs, and exceed their expectations. I want a brand that our customers can find in airports, hotels, and retailers around the globe. I believe it will extend beyond beauty and can be a travel lifestyle brand.
First steps
I tend to Benjamin Button my way through life. I registered BlackTravelBox as a business long before there was a product or even a logo. From there, I created a vision of what I wanted the brand to be, what I wanted it to look like, and an outline of who I was serving. I started doing research on what brands were already out there, how travelers were working around the challenge, and what Black travelers would want out of travel products. I started by searching online, then I did consumer interviews, and finally ended up doing larger-scale surveys. What I learned informed the first iteration of brand design and products.
The hardest moment
The biggest challenge has been getting out of my own way. Becoming an entrepreneur is more than just starting a business; it’s a mindset. In my case, it has been a mind reset. Recently, I had to step away from the day-to-day business to be in the hospital with my dad. It was one of those moments in my personal and professional life that felt like when it rained, it poured. I entered the Botox Cosmetic and IFundWomen grant program, and I was with him when I found out I was a finalist. I felt immense relief immediately, like a major weight came off my shoulders. I knew the grant would enable me to keep operations going in my absence and ensure that we could continue to build toward our hospitality launch. When I told my dad what they had provided, he smiled for the first time in quite a few days. That was priceless.
The moment you thought this just might work
In 2018, I was invited to the Inc. 5000 conference as a plus one, which included attending the dinner for event speakers. I was seated next to Jim Ledbetter, the then editor in chief of Inc. magazine, who asked me to tell him about BlackTravelBox. I had come up with my elevator pitch only a week or two before, but he was delighted. He introduced me to someone from his team who told me they heard the brand was in beta and intended to connect with me after it officially launched. Forbes and Travel Noire were calling me soon after, and I knew this was what I was meant to do.
The results
We just made it to six years as a business. I’m proud that BlackTravelBox is still here, recognized for a global award, and on the way to being maybe the only Black-owned supplier of in-room amenities with a major hotel chain.
The next steps
We’re partnering with a hospitality startup, and we’ll be the primary in-room amenity provider for five of their hotels, offering our bestselling BlackTravelBox products—like our Hair Balm—as upgrades. We’ve also landed a spot in the renowned Miraval Resort and Spa in Tucson, Arizona, and are working toward placements in properties around the country.
You Might Also Like
