Beauty mogul gives back to Austin female entrepreneurs
Alikay Naturals CEO and cofounder Rochelle Graham-Campbell is marking Women’s History Month by offering business advice to women entrepreneurs in Austin.
AUSTIN, Texas — Alikay Naturals CEO and cofounder Rochelle Graham-Campbell is marking Women’s History Month on top of her game, as the owner of one of the 12.3 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. that continue to grow and change the way women traditionally do business.
Graham-Campbell’s journey to success has come with hurdles and hiccups. She will be on-hand at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin this weekend to share tips from her book: “90 Days to CEO, A Guide to Avoid Business Pitfalls and Unlock the Secrets of Entrepreneurship.”
“Women need to know we are definitely making a change, and it’s important that if we’re redefining what it looks like to be a female CEO, let’s make it what we want it to look like. Let’s create what we know we want and not still, you know, tiptoe around being able to speak up and advocate or vocalize our needs while operating in these roles,” said Graham-Campbell.
As the founder of a haircare empire and the second Black-owned, female-owned feminine care brand in the U.S., Rochelle is one of many women today who are driven by a “necessity entrepreneurship” and “opportunity entrepreneurship” combination, spearheading growth for four out of every 10 businesses owned by women.
Rochelle uses her brands (hair, skincare and feminine care) across multiple industries as platforms to inspire and motivate women to look beyond their circumstances to achieve their dreams.
“I want women to know: if you are operating in business now, if you are a female CEO or entrepreneur, you have the ability. You are a part of a movement and a change that is happening,” said Graham-Campbell.
Five-hundred new women-owned businesses start every day, and Graham-Campbell wants to help women obtain the resources to make them successful.
“When you are a woman in a boardroom full of men who may not have had the same experiences as you, you have to be prepared to challenge the system,” said Graham-Campbell.
Coined a “Black beauty pioneer” by Essence Magazine at age 26, the millennial beauty mogul is no stranger to breaking through glass ceilings to defy the stereotypes that have traditionally served as roadblocks for women of color.
With a $100 investment, Graham-Campbell turned her followers and frustration with lack of availability of affordable products for diverse textures into dollars while still in college. Her brand, Alikay Naturals, is now one of the most sought after textured hair care brands found in Target, Walgreens and CVS stores in Austin and across the U.S., with no sulfates, no mineral oils, no alcohol and no petroleum in the products.
Florida gunmaker sends resources to Ukraine to fight back against Putin
Four dead after US Marine plane crashes in Norway
Russian cosmonauts arrive at space station in yellow and blue
