In this exciting episode of the Holistic Wealth podcast, our special guest is Mahisha Dellinger, CEO of Curls and star of the TV Show, “Mind Your Own Business” on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Mahisha is a self-made entrepreneur who has had to overcome a deck so stacked against her it included drive-by shootings of her Sacramento-area childhood home. Though raised in poverty by her single mom, Dellinger was able to dig deep, stay open and hang on to the life lessons bestowed by her father, an engineer who came from a solidly successful family and modeled what was in store for Dellinger if she buckled down and worked hard.  

While putting herself through college, Dellinger juggled her course load with an internship in the internal communications department at Intel Corporation. Dellinger was quickly offered a temporary position at the Fortune 500 software giant working three days a week and finishing her degree by cramming classes into the other two days. Not satisfied with her role at Intel, Mahisha, now a mother, side-hustled her idea for a high quality, organic and vegan hair care brand that nurtured textured curls that was gentle enough for her daughter to use. By day, she more than fulfilled her obligations at the notoriously rigorous, competitive Intel. But in every other available hour, she met with cosmetic chemists, web developers and R&D specialists who helped her define and refine her industry-first formulas. In the spring of 2002, she flipped the switch on Curls.biz, and an ecommerce business was born.

 For the next six years, Dellinger and her team added to the product lineup, and expanded into the salon channel of distribution. When Dellinger was approached by Target to help the massive retailer address the new natural direction in ethnic hair, her company’s growth skyrocketed. And today, In addition to its substantial salon business, Curls Beauty Brands – which now encompasses products for the entire family – is in every major retailer, from “big box” stores like Walmart to Bed, Bath & Beyond and CVS.

In this episode of the podcast, Mahisha authentically speaks to the experience of starting her own business and becoming successful. Check out this exciting episode of the Holistic Wealth podcast with Keisha Blair!