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Start Right Here! Podcast


Feb 11, 2021

Jessica Pritchett, founder of Ooli Beauty knew that she wanted to be an entrepreneur. As a child, she watched her father, a pharmacist, make that decision after the only position he was offered was a janitor. Instead, he spent 16 hour days running his own pharmacy doing every job that was needed. Jessica started working in music and later cable television knowing that the loops that she had to jump through daily as a Black woman weren't for her long-term. She had several ideas for businesses, some she launched, others she didn't, but each experience helped her use failure as fuel to move forward. It took fifteen years for Jessica to discover that the best idea was right on top of her head. 

For nearly twenty years, Jessica had worn locs and had experienced frustration with the product offerings that resulted in a graveyard of things that didn't work. She took some of the lessons from her failed experiences and decided to hire a product developer to help her tackle what she didn't know. The result, a six SKU plant-based line, designed especially for loc wearers. She explains the challenges that she has faced during the pandemic from manufacturing issues to delivery snafus caused by changes in the post office. Jessica expresses her thoughts on how the beauty industry has responded to the social justice movement and some of the ways that it has benefited her brand, such as the inclusion of her  Magic 17 Hair & Scalp Oil and Loc'd and Love Hair Fragrance on Macys.com. And she explains why it is important for every entrepreneur to have outside interests beyond their business. And she advocates for entrepreneurs to explore therapy as an option. 

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