Mahara Wayman [00:00:05]:
Welcome to the art of badassery where I explore what it takes to live life on your own terms. Break free from the status quo and unleash your inner badass. Whether you're a rebel at heart or simply seeking inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, this podcast is for you. I'm your host, Mahara Wayman. And each week, I dive into the stories, insights, and strategies of those who've mastered the art of badassery and are living life to the fullest. They smile when no 1 is lucky. Collaboration, communication, and connection. Hey, fierce women.
Mahara Wayman [00:00:54]:
Ready to break free from fears and embrace the confidence you've always wanted? Join me, your badass coach, and fellow coach, Jody Graham, for a transformative week at our Empower You Retreat in the breathtaking Mexican Riviera from January 16th to 23, 2025. Our 7 day program is designed to help women overcome self doubt and cultivate unshakable confidence, rejuvenate with sunrise meditation, empowering workshops, and soulful conversations. Your spouse or BFF can enjoy the nearby PGA golf course while you focus on growth. Click the link in the show notes to learn more. We'll see you there. And now back to the show. Welcome to the art of badassery podcast, where we celebrate extraordinary women who lead with courage, creativity, and resilience. I'm your host, Mahara Wayman.
Mahara Wayman [00:01:48]:
And today, I'm so excited to introduce you to Angela Fields, a true trailblazer in the beauty industry. Angela hails from sunny Florida and is a proud graduate of the University of South Florida, where she earned her bachelor of science in marketing with an impressive 26 year career in the utility industry for Fortune 500 and Fortune 1, 000 companies and a project management professional accreditation from the Project Management Institute. Angela's journey is so inspiring. In January of 2015, she channeled her passion and expertise into founding Curly Coily Tresses, a natural hair brand dedicated to the unique needs of black women aged 50 and older. Angela's commitment to curating her own formulas has set her brand apart, making a significant impact in the beauty world. So let's dive into her incredible story and learn more about her path to badassery. Angela, welcome to the show. So happy to have you here.
Angela Fields [00:02:51]:
Thank you so very much, and I am thrilled to be here.
Mahara Wayman [00:02:54]:
We're gonna have a good chitchat, ladies and gentlemen, just so you know. Alright. So as I mentioned to you before I hit the record button, I am a black woman over 50, so I certainly appreciate the challenge that we face in finding products for that are really gonna do our hair justice and and our our type of hair and all of the challenges that we face. But before we jump into that journey, when did you first think to yourself, I'm a badass?
Angela Fields [00:03:22]:
Wow. Well, as a teenager, I lost my hair twice to chemical relaxers, once to a kitchen beautician and once to a licensed cosmetologist. And after that second episode, I decided I was gonna have to learn how to take care of my hair. So I went out and did the research, and we didn't have the Internet then. So it was about magazines, journals, books, those types of things. I wanted to learn how to take care of my own hair so I didn't need to worry about a cosmetologist doing the right things or maybe not so right. So if they weren't already doing it, then I was gonna tell them what they needed to be doing, what my hair needed to have. And it wasn't easy for some of the cosmetologists along the way to take the the information, but I felt that I at that point, I knew what was best for my hair, and I wanted them to be doing it.
Angela Fields [00:04:14]:
And so started out that way as being a badass. And I've had some tell me, well, I've not had for customer try and tell me how to take care of their hair. And I said, but listen. This is what I'm telling you, and you have said, yeah. Yeah. That's something you're supposed to be doing. Yeah. You have above average knowledge about hair care.
Angela Fields [00:04:32]:
So it shouldn't even be an issue. I just didn't wanna surrender the health of my hair to somebody else. So it started at that time in my teen years, and just the accumulated research, brought me up to where I am today.
Mahara Wayman [00:04:47]:
Okay. I'm confident. Because without a doubt, standing up for yourself and speaking your truth is a sign of badassery. I'm curious, though. What what your family think about this? What was your mom thinking, first of all, when you lost your hair? Because, you know, I can just hear my mom saying, what are you doing? Like, all the crazy things that I've done to myself as I was growing up and, you know, her efforts to have me embrace my my looks rather than trying to change them. Because full disclosure, you know, I grew up in a white world, and I wanted to be like my white friends. So what was the reaction of your friends and family when you when you were yeah.
Angela Fields [00:05:25]:
That Oh, yeah. That's just that's just Angela. You know? That's how she is. She wants to learn everything and have this great amount of knowledge.
Mahara Wayman [00:05:37]:
Alright, guys. So guys listening, knowledge is power, and putting your foot forward and saying I am worthy of knowledge, totally badass. So if any of you thinking that's not the case, here's a perfect example that that, standing in your truth and asking for for knowledge is is totally badass. Alright. So you're a teenager. You've had 2 bad experiences. You've started to do all of the research the hard way before the Internet. And you you've begun to share with other cosmeticians, I excuse me, on best practices.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:10]:
Did you have any positive feedback, or was it all kind of
Angela Fields [00:06:14]:
static? Definitely positive feedback, because some said along the way, well, I've never heard about that. But let's just try it and see. And then it was like, wow. You were right. I think I'm gonna do this for my other clients too. So it was interesting. So it was a mixed bag. There was most assuredly, I'm the cosmetologist.
Angela Fields [00:06:31]:
You're the client. And then there were some that used it, did it, and was like, wow. This was great information. So this was something that I learned.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:41]:
Yeah. Okay. Did you find it a challenge to sort of navigate the business side of your vision, or did that not come into play until later down the road?
Angela Fields [00:06:52]:
It came into play much later down the road because as we go through the the 26 years, I was in, in in the corporate world. Most of that time I was using chemicals to relax my hair. And then when I decided to make that transition, at that same time, I was experiencing a lot of allergies, and allergies to fragrance and allergies to other things. So it took me well, I guess it took me really a couple of several years, I'll say, from the time that I decided to make that transition to the time that I actually launched the brand, and I really wasn't thinking about launching the brand. It hadn't been a vision nor a dream to have a hair care brand. I really just wanted to have healthy hair. Really just wanted to have healthy hair. And now I've got these allergies happening over here, and I've got the the you know, I'm starting that transition to my natural hair.
Angela Fields [00:07:49]:
So I had partly relaxed hair and then some part of the new growth, I'll call it, if you will. And I'm trying to find that right mix, shopping all over the country, shopping in other countries, buying those products. And by that time, I knew what my hair needed. I just couldn't find it in a formula that I wasn't allergic to. So I just started buying the raw ingredients.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:13]:
Alright. I'm trying to picture this. Because, you know, when I try to buy the raw ingredients to make my favorite dessert, it's a it's a production.
Angela Fields [00:08:24]:
Mhmm.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:25]:
House is is shows it. Right? So explain to us how you went from I get the researching bit Mhmm. Go and buy the raw ingredients, and then what? Did you set this up in your kitchen? Did you studio space like, how did you go to go from thinking about it to actually creating a product for yourself?
Angela Fields [00:08:47]:
I identified the first round of ingredients that I wanted to work with. So I dug in in-depth into those ingredients and how they would mix well with others and then the types of ingredients I wanted to use. Purchase them, brought them in, started creating formulas right there in my kitchen, cooking them up, because, in general, most formulas do need to be cooked to to some extent. You know, you have that water phase, and then you have your old phase where all those oils go in and then the, the things that keeps all and water mixed are in that phase. And so you're in the kitchen cooking just like you're making a meal in essence. It just happens to be ingredients that you're going to use on your hair. And then we go from there, and then I try it, document some assessments, my thoughts on it. Did it work? Did it not work? How did I feel about it? How did my hair feel? And then I would try something else.
Angela Fields [00:09:42]:
I would mix a different version. I may need to go buy more raw ingredients to try something else. And so it took many, many iterations. And then going back through the documentation before I found the recipes that worked and worked very well for my hair. Okay.
Mahara Wayman [00:09:59]:
So when you first were discovering the recipes, was it did you come up with just 1 product? Was it just a shampoo and a cream rinse, for example, or was it just like, what was it? Was it just a mousse? Was it
Angela Fields [00:10:12]:
It was a moisturizer. So it's a lotion like texture, texture, about that same level of consistency. So that's what I was thriving for first. I wanted something to apply to my hair after I had shampooed that would moisturize it and help keep the moisture in, which was just so crucial as you know.
Mahara Wayman [00:10:30]:
Yeah. I do know. Okay. So stepping away from the hair products, what talk to us about what was going through your mind as you were navigating this? Because I'm determined to find the badassery in all of the things that you had to navigate because I can't imagine that this was easy. I mean, just listening to you talk about it. So what were some of the challenges that you faced as as a woman sort of going in this direction?
Angela Fields [00:10:56]:
Wow. It was getting the raw ingredients. It was incredibly frustrating because you can change 1 thing in your recipe, and it winds up being a a catastrophe. It's like, what happened? It never really gelled together. So, absolutely, there were episodes where the preservatives system that I was using was not really preserving, and so you literally could see some mold and mildew in the product, you know, 3, 4, 5 weeks later after I had made the different containers in my apartment. So I was like, okay. I've gotta figure something out. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? So go back and take another look at, the types of preservative systems that I was using.
Angela Fields [00:11:37]:
And so then maybe I wanted to use bamboo extract, and the purest bamboo extract is green. And I knew the value of bamboo for hair, so I incorporated it into the formula. Now I have a green formula. And it's like, I'm looking at this and wondering, is this bad? But it's not bad because I know it's not because I just made it. But I used the purest form of bamboo extract in it, which was basically some distilled water and then the rest bamboo. But people are not gonna wanna use a a puke green formula on their hair. They're gonna look at this and say, what is this? But I used it because I wanted to know how it would feel. But I'm telling you, every time I picked up that bottle, it's green.
Angela Fields [00:12:20]:
It's green. How did this happen? Yeah. So there was some complete and total catastrophes along the way, and then there were some episodes of where what I used left my hair feeling so sticky. It was like I had poured honey or syrup in my hair. And it's like, oh my gosh. Okay. This is this version of the formula is a fail, but I was documenting what percentages of the ingredients I was using in each formula. And then at the end of that manufacturing day, I would take notes about, okay.
Angela Fields [00:12:50]:
It looks this way. It feels this way. It's still sent neutral. That's good. So you're documenting every step of the fails and then the successes, and then you can keep going from there. Because, trust me, it was a lengthy process. It wasn't just, like, whipped it up. Oh, la la.
Angela Fields [00:13:08]:
You know, life is good. It took trials and tribulations, and it was like, why am I doing this again? Oh, yeah. I can't find what I need. That's why I have to do this because I can't find what I need. And that what is what was keeping me going.
Mahara Wayman [00:13:22]:
Alright. So major determination is what I'm hearing. Can I I just wanna be clear? Are you still in the corporate world? So you're working 9 to 5, or were you
Angela Fields [00:13:32]:
I am no. I'm not. I'm purely, working on the brand. Okay.
Mahara Wayman [00:13:36]:
Alright. So where did you find the wherewithal to just keep going? Like, really because, you know, I'm I'm a coach, and a lot of times, I'll have these conversations with my clients that I remind them of their why. Right? I know it's tough today, but don't forget your why. But I'm curious, you know, as you were going through this, where did you find the wherewithal to just and did you just take a deep breath and go tomorrow's another day? Where did that come from, though? Because that is the true essence. I that's 1 of the true essences of being a badass is the ability to navigate the disappointments. Right? And it sounds like you
Angela Fields [00:14:13]:
Absolutely. And that that it came from inside, but it was okay. What was my why again? Why am I doing this? Not because I'm bored. Not because I have nothing to do in the evenings or on the weekends because I started the formulation process while I was still in corporate America because I was trying to solve something for my hair. And so the weekends, the nights, those types of things, it was like, okay. I'm done with this. I'm just gonna tuck this away. But when I would remember my why, because I had nothing to use for my hair.
Angela Fields [00:14:44]:
I wanted my hair to look and feel good. I wanted healthy hair, and I hadn't found anything in the marketplace that would meet that need, that would solve that problem for me. And so as I would get frustrated and reflect back, oh, yeah. I still don't have anything else I can use on my hair, and I want my hair to be healthy, and I want my hair to grow. I want my hair to be strong. Alright. Alright. Let's pull those last formulas back out and look again at what worked and what didn't work.
Angela Fields [00:15:13]:
Okay. So what is the next plan that I have as far as ingredients and how to mix them and where to go from there? And then I would go further and then I would go further. And, and after several setbacks and how having going back and having to try more raw ingredients, I finally hit upon a formula that worked and worked well. And I'm standing there in the mirror looking at my hair, and I'm saying, I did this. I did this. I created something with my own hands, and I did this and look at my hair. My hair has not looked this amazing, and I don't know when. After everything, every disaster, every trial and tribulation that I had been through.
Angela Fields [00:15:57]:
And I'm standing there, and it's like it brought tears to my eyes. I did this in my kitchen. In my kitchen, no less. I did this.
Mahara Wayman [00:16:05]:
Oh my gosh. You know, I can't even imagine, but but I can see it in your face and in your voice, the excitement and and the acknowledgment of what a win that was for you. I'm curious, though. Were you thinking, okay. I'm now gonna have great hair. Or were you thinking, okay. What's next? Because it's not enough. If if I need great hair, there's other women like me that need great hair.
Mahara Wayman [00:16:28]:
I'm wondering when did you get that that imp the that little spark that said, good girl. Now take it where it's meant to go.
Angela Fields [00:16:36]:
You know, I was fine just doing my hair, and I did my own hair for about a year. But then I was laid off from my job. And it was like, okay. So what am I gonna do next? And I really didn't know. It was like, okay. I need to spend I don't wanna jump into anything right away. I wanna take some time and figure out what's next for me and which which direction I may wanna go. And I was driving across the Howard Franklin Bridge 1 day on my way to a doctor's appointment.
Angela Fields [00:17:00]:
It was about 3 weeks after I was laid off. And I'm like, yeah. I just haven't quite figured out what it is. And then it was like, wait a minute. Your friends and your family have been telling you all along you needed to sell these hair products that you've been making in your kitchen, and I have been saying, I've got a job. I've got a full time job. I don't have time to run another business. And it was like, I'm going to launch my hair care brand.
Angela Fields [00:17:26]:
I'm going to start selling the products that I've made in my kitchen. That's when it came to me. That's when it came to me. 3 weeks after losing my job and drive taking a long drive over to Howard Franklin Bridge, going from Tampa into St. Pete, and it was like, this is what I'm going to do. Had all this excitement and and started going from there. So it was creating, more of the product and putting them in sample bottles and identifying friends and relatives, reaching out. Will you try this? Will you try this? Will you try this? Oh, yeah.
Angela Fields [00:17:58]:
Yeah. Yeah. Just send it to me. And so I started sending out samples and having them try and then replying on surveys as to how did it leave your hair feeling? How did your hair look? Did the the not did the lack of a scent, the completely scent neutral of it, did that bother you, or do you prefer it because now you can put your own fragrances in the container? So all of those types of questions I was asking from this from this group of individuals made up of family friends, and then in some cases, complete strangers because 1 of my friends or family would have said, hey. Why don't you and then there were some ladies that I met in different settings and said, you know what? I'm doing this. Would you mind trying the products? So I wanted, a varied group of people to be able to try the products and then give feedback, and that was all that I asked. If you try them, give me feedback on what you thought, and I want the feedback to be honest. Don't feel like you need to.
Angela Fields [00:18:54]:
Make me feel good. I want your honest feedback on these products.
Mahara Wayman [00:18:59]:
Wow. Such a grassroots effort. And I'm I'm guessing that that's fairly unusual in this day and age because, you know, there's Dragon's Den and there's Shark Tank and there's, you know, big names like L'Oreal and whatever, all the names in the cosmetic industry. What were you saying to yourself, Angela, day by day to take that next step? Because, honestly, sitting here, all I can think is, holy hell, girl. Where did you get the where did you get the vagina to do that? Like, that's some kind of that's some kind of ballsy. And I'm switching genders there, obviously, on purpose. But, seriously, where did it where did that come from? Even just the knowledge on how to do this because, really, what I'm hearing is, you know, just it seemed like you did it in a very in a sequential manner that made sense and and was sort of a natural, but where did that come from?
Angela Fields [00:19:54]:
It came from I knew that I knew what I was doing. I knew that my research was sound. I knew that the problem I was experiencing was being experienced by so many women just like me. I mean, when you think about the population, 25% of the American population are women older than 50 years old. So that's 25% of the population. That's a lot of women. And I know that there are many women that love what they're using in their tried and true, and this is where they're staying. But there were women who, like me, was try this, try that, try this, try that.
Angela Fields [00:20:32]:
And hadn't found something that really worked. It was just like, it you know, it's ho Okay. Yeah. I'll I'll just keep using this until I find something else that I can try and then see how I like that. So it was that belief in I knew that my research was sound. I knew that the the premise was sound. I knew that this was a problem, and I knew that what was in the marketplace, and there were so many things there, but 96 to 98% of it is fragrance. And so if you have someone who's allergic to fragrances or sensitive to fragrances or someone who is living in close proximity, like, you know, a married couple or kids, and if any of those are are sensitive or or allergic to fragrances, you have to live the same way they live.
Angela Fields [00:21:15]:
So I couldn't even date someone wearing cologne or anything else because, yeah, that create a problem for me. So I knew that a significant portion of the population needed something that was fragrant free, scent free, and dye free, you know, for their best health to be able to take care of them. And as I thought about those numbers, thought about the facts of it, and then also even the emotions of it, do I have what it takes to stay the course? Because this is not going to be easy. To some extent, I thought if I build it, they will come. I'll just put it out there and do some stuff, and then they're just gonna come start buying the product. So I was very naive from that perspective, but it was with great wisdom that I knew that my research was sound, that I knew I was detailed. I had the facts. I had the statistics and the measurements, and then I had the emotions of how it worked on my hair and then sharing it with others and getting the feedback from a variety of women in a variety of age ranges wearing their hair in a variety of styles from dreadlocks to twists to braids to, wash and goes or or something in between.
Angela Fields [00:22:23]:
So I felt that I could do this. Okay. Some part of this is the unknown. I have no idea what I'm doing in some cases, but I felt that the the research, the facts, the product itself, the experience the products would create would come together and be a successful brand in the marketplace. And when you and then as you mentioned, when you think of the L'Oreal's, the Revlon's, all those different brands that are out there, they have all significantly more money, but social media has given a new standard as to how you can go about launching a brand even if you don't have the financial backing of a company of that size, that you could still do it. You could connect on social media.
Mahara Wayman [00:23:09]:
Okay. So before we jump into how you actually navigated that, just wanna call out some some things that I heard that really, you know, pertain to you being a badass. Number 1 was really trusting yourself that that you'd done the work, and the work was solid. The research was solid. Number 2 was was a level of belief in yourself. Like, you you you just know that you're meant to do this. You just know that this is a product that the world needs. So trusting in your in your research, trusting in your vision.
Mahara Wayman [00:23:41]:
And I'm wondering, was there also a level of trust in the process? I may not know exactly how to do every step along the way, but I trust that I'm on the right path. Therefore, I let it unfold the way that it's meant to. Was that did that play into your into your world at all?
Angela Fields [00:23:57]:
Absolutely. Because I didn't I couldn't even see the full path. So there were a lot of blind spots or missing steps in that path, but I did trust the process that I could do these things, and then I could bring an amazing brand to the market.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:12]:
So, guys, are you listening? It's not about knowing how everything's gonna work out. Right? Because most of us don't know how to get there. There's a level of trust and belief in that we rely on and that we not only rely on, but I think, embrace. And that's part of being a badass is when you have a vision, when you have belief in yourself, embrace the possibilities Mhmm. And learn from everything, every step that happens. And is it all gonna be roses? Absolutely not. And, by the way, I was chuckling when you said you were a bit naive thinking you billed that they would come. Same thing happened to me.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:49]:
Oh my gosh. I'm in year 3 of being an entrepreneur, and I distinctly recall when I created my first, coaching program, it never occurred to me that people wouldn't buy it. Like, it just never I I it just never occurred to me. I'm like, well, of course. Like, why wouldn't they? It's a great price. It's a great product. I'm gonna do, you know, social media posts every other day. I mean, I just had no clue.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:12]:
No clue. So I'm just saying hats off to you because sometimes the disappointment of the reality that comes when you're starting a business can knock us sideways and knock us off track, but it sounds like that didn't happen to you. So what came next? Did you have to get financial backing? Did you have to find? Okay. Wait wait a sec. What do they always ask on on Shark Tank? Is it patented? Did you go through the patent in process? Like, what to do next?
Angela Fields [00:25:40]:
Yeah. And I'll say 1 thing on your previous thought. If you waited until you knew every single step, you'd never launch. You'd never do anything. You never get out of bed in the morning if you wanted to see every single step. So, yes, faith in the process. Now I launched with my own resources. Yes.
Angela Fields [00:25:59]:
Launched with my own resources. I did not didn't even think that I would need to go out and secure financial backing because I'm gonna bring this product and it's gonna sell them. I'm gonna take that money, and then I'm gonna make more product. You know? So in some cases, very naive. But, yes, I started with my own resources, and moving very, moving forward from there, taking that time to kinda learn and focus on the steps and and then getting a better understanding at how your financial resources get spent. Meaning, what percent is on research and development and and packaging and labels and your raw your raw ingredients versus the amount of money you may spend having different types of content placed onto social media for yourself, whether you're doing it, whether you're hiring someone to do it. So it was getting, significantly learning that. But I was thankful that I had, that financial nest egg, if you will, that I was able to spend to work towards getting this product launched and brought to market.
Angela Fields [00:27:05]:
So very thrilled about that. But, yeah, very interesting.
Mahara Wayman [00:27:11]:
Okay. So I know that I'm curious. So I'm guessing that my my audience is curious too is what was the timeline from when you over going over that bridge? You said, you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna go this direction to actually having product for sale. What are we looking at?
Angela Fields [00:27:28]:
Wow. It was really only about 4 weeks because I already had the raw ingredients. I already had the containers. I just needed more containers and more raw ingredients. So I just started manufacturing slowly and then acquiring more raw ingredients and containers and labels and list, all those different types of things. And so acquiring them in in fairly small batches. And so it could be to get the best pricing. It could be buying a 100 containers of the each of the 2 different types of containers that I was using, and then mixing and then filling.
Angela Fields [00:28:03]:
So, yes, it started out very small, and so the sales were slow in the beginning. And then manufacturing started evolving and changing as I was getting further down the path. So, yes, you know, many brands can launch with just 20 products or 40 products When you're when you're counting on or or relying on social media and building that presence up, it can be a a starter at that point significant at that point, unlike the thousands of containers you would that a L'Oreal the 100 of 1000 that of L'Oreal or Revlon, something like that of a of a different type of nature would launch at a time. But you can do definitely amazing launches with smaller numbers of products.
Mahara Wayman [00:28:45]:
Alright. So where are you at today? Let's give us an idea of what your business is looking like today. First of all, your hair looks amazing.
Angela Fields [00:28:52]:
Thank you.
Mahara Wayman [00:28:53]:
Obviously, you're a great spokesperson for your beautiful brand. But where are you at today with your business?
Angela Fields [00:28:59]:
Wow. Today, I am at I have a warehousing and fulfillment team. So they stock my products in the warehouse in the air conditioned oil warehouse. And, as orders come in, they are electronically sent to them. My system is linked to their system. And so they pull the products. They pull the inserts. They pull those types of things off the shelf, put them into a box package, and then send them to the customer.
Angela Fields [00:29:25]:
I also have a manufacturing team. And so it is their charge to as we're gearing up for another manufacturing run, it kinda looks like planning on the size of it, the ordering the lids, the labels, does any artwork on the labels need to change, and getting those raw ingredients. And then you need to pay that manufacturing person, generally, 50% upfront, but some could say, I want a 100% upfront. And so and then they, at that particular point in time, they add the product to their manufacturing schedule as to when they would start, when they finish, when the product is ready to ship to the warehouse. And so, initially, I was doing everything. I was doing everything. And then as I grew and evolved, I brought in the manufacturing team and brought in the fulfillment and the delivery team added in. And then there's the piece that I maintain.
Angela Fields [00:30:21]:
And so that is the the social presence, the website, the communications, be it text, be it emails. So those types of things, I do.
Mahara Wayman [00:30:31]:
Wow. Okay. So tell us a bit about where your market lies mostly. Is it in the States? Are you international? Is everything online, or do you have any sort of a presence in in in stand alone stores?
Angela Fields [00:30:45]:
Okay. Yes. Mostly, my customers are in the United States. I do have some in Mexico and in Canada. I have received press request either from Italy, from France and Spain. Individuals are trying to acquire the products. So but primarily in the US. And I have huge pockets in the Atlanta area, the New York area, and then the California area.
Angela Fields [00:31:12]:
And then as well as a a saturation in Florida from central to south Florida. So those are the key marketplaces, although there are orders going out across the entire United States, including Alaska and Hawaii as well. And as far as this is the point that that I feel that has worked very well for the brand. I am direct to customer. There were more locations before the pandemic. Some of those locations did not come back after the pandemic, and some have found their customers have changed since the pandemic. So maybe they're not buying the products in in the volumes that they were before. So I have primarily ecommerce, my website.
Angela Fields [00:31:58]:
There are a few other websites that specialize in hair care for black women that are selling my products, and then there's still 1 salon. She doesn't buy in nearly the volume that she did before, but she has said that her customer base has changed from not so much as a curly type customer to 1 to 1 with straighter hair. And so it's interesting that the pandemic brought about some of those nuances. Others, it's not surprising that not everyone made it out of the pandemic, but the fact that her mix of customers coming in has. So there are 2 other websites and then 1 stay in 1, in person location, selling my products. Okay.
Mahara Wayman [00:32:38]:
So here here's a question. Because you you've mentioned this quite a bit throughout our conversation is the need for lack of fragrance and, you know, just because of allergies. Mhmm. So is there any opportunity for crossover to any woman that has allergies versus a black woman that has allergies only. So I understand that the product originated for black women with the type of hair that we have and allergies. But is it possible that the product would be just as good and as effective for any type of hair if Absolutely. Allergies? Okay.
Angela Fields [00:33:13]:
Absolutely. Because I do have about a 5%, 5% of my purchases are to men, who don't wanna deal with fragrances. They're they're reminded of how they could go to a, beauty supply store a lifetime ago and find something that worked, that didn't gunk up in their comb, that didn't have all these crazy fragrances, or didn't have the ingredients cheapened. So there's this struggle. And then as my product has been made available, this is great because I don't want to smell like anything other than myself. This doesn't gunk up in the comb. It is, not doing something, like almost shading the hair with residue, left on it from the product. So definitely for men there as well.
Angela Fields [00:33:56]:
And then as far as women are concerned, absolutely. Now if the customer has exceptionally fine hair, my products may be too heavy, or what you could do instead is use what is my leave in product just as a moisturizing product and then do a partial rinse where it's over your hair. You've, you know, massaged it in, and now you're just putting your head back under the shower to rinse some of that out. So you're leaving in just, just a little maybe from the mid strands to the ends and less at the roots because it could it could cause it to flatten out and not have as much fullness. And so definitely can make use of the products there. And then there's also a large number of parents who who may be white, who have adopted a black child, and they need help. They don't know what to do with the child's hair because it's this new experience or could be from children where their parents are, you know, mixed race as far as a child is concerned. You know, black parent, father, mother, you know, white, whichever 1.
Angela Fields [00:34:55]:
And so and now is this unique texture that neither of the parents are prepared, and now they need to learn how to take care of the child's hair. So, yes, I absolutely when I've been in at trade shows and and I get a a significant portion of my emails may be this, You know, they're coming up. They're talking to me at the trade show, and I'm looking at their hair, and I'm wondering why they're asking me questions. And they'll say, well, I have curly hair, but I don't know what to do with it, so I flat iron it every day. Blow it dry straight and then flat iron it. So will this help? Oh, absolutely. And so now that I have learned this, so when someone comes up and starts asking questions, they could have an African American child at home, or they could be just straightening their hair, but they have naturally curly hair. And if it's a coarser texture, absolutely.
Angela Fields [00:35:41]:
You know, it's going to work for them. But yeah. So there is a crossover.
Mahara Wayman [00:35:46]:
Beautiful. Beautiful. So what have you learned about yourself as an entrepreneur, as a businesswoman? What's a businesswoman?
Angela Fields [00:36:00]:
I have found that I do have patience. I used to always joke and say that for my mother and myself that when the good lord is passing out blessings, my brothers and my father was over in the patient's line getting, like, their second helping. But me and my mother, we were over in the in patient's line getting our second helping. So so I have definitely learned and evolved about patients. I have definitely learned about you know, don't just look at the surface. There could be something much deeper behind. You know, just because they don't look like a traditional customer. You don't know who they have at home or what their hair looks like in a natural state, And so I've learned to be ask more questions, to be more probing, to, you know, get them comfortable that they share information because some, they may want may not want to tell you everything they're doing.
Angela Fields [00:36:54]:
And so they just want you to give them some insight. And so at that point, I've learned, Okay. I'm not gonna get more details from them, but I'll just put it into categories. Okay. If you generally wear your hair in this type of style, using the product this way works best. But if you're doing something different from that, then change up the order a bit and do this. That'll give you the best results. And, generally, that starts bringing more information out from them because they just may have some level of embarrassment or shyness or feel like they may get judged if they tell you everything.
Angela Fields [00:37:28]:
But then when they start hearing, oh, I need to use it differently depending on how I'm you how I'm styling my hair, then it's, oh, well, I do this, this, and this. So it becomes easier. And whereas before, if someone didn't wanna tell me something, it was just, okay. I just tell them 1 way to use the product, not realizing that it may just be some hesitation of being judged or feeling like I'm not doing it right, but I don't want her to know I'm not doing it right. And so, definitely and I have grown in that aspect as far as patience, as far as an inquisitive nature or giving more general responses until I have more specific information and can better help them. Samples. When you're at trade shows, you know, having those samples out and just letting people just kinda do their thing because they may not want you on them right away. And so, again, it's stepping back and just kinda letting them explore and touch the products and smooth them in and so those types of things.
Angela Fields [00:38:26]:
But, absolutely, I have learned, new skill sets, things that I didn't even consider, you know, would be an issue. Didn't think would even be a a challenge, but have definitely learned and evolved and grown as a person as well as a business owner since this process started.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:45]:
Really sounds like it. I'm curious. What's 1 of the biggest judgments that you have faced as a businesswoman and an entrepreneur and a scientist, I guess?
Angela Fields [00:38:57]:
That I'm not really the 1 leading the brand. There must be somebody else over there, doing it for you. And, it was like, wow.
Mahara Wayman [00:39:07]:
My hackles are rising for you. Like, seriously?
Angela Fields [00:39:10]:
Yes. Yes. It was. It was like, well, who's really running the company? Excuse me? You know? But I looked at your resume. I looked at what it was on LinkedIn, and you've been in the utility industry. Now you're over here making hair care products. You're not even a cosmetologist. So who's really running the brand? So absolutely.
Angela Fields [00:39:28]:
Yeah. It can come at you in a few different ways or I grew up with you. You know, how do you do this? What do you what made you think you could do this type thing? But, yeah, if you're true, yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:39:42]:
What would you say to young girls that are listening or young women that are listening? Because, you know, I'm just in awe of what you've accomplished. Right? I can barely make a cake.
Angela Fields [00:39:53]:
Me too.
Mahara Wayman [00:39:55]:
I've got skills in other areas, obviously. But, really, what's something that you'd like to to share with our audience on on being badass and following your dreams? What are a few things that you'd like to share?
Angela Fields [00:40:06]:
Not everyone is going to support you in your dream. Even when you launch, not everyone is going to support you. I had some people just go like, what? And now they buy my products all the time because they've used the products. Not everyone is going to support you in your dream, but that should not stop you from dreaming and dreaming big. You can do you can hit those dreams that you have. It's going to take hard work. It's going to take determination. It may it will take setbacks.
Angela Fields [00:40:38]:
It will take step backs. You may need to pivot and come at it from a different angle. But don't let what other people are going through because remember, what's coming out of their mouth is a reflection of the life they've lived, is a reflection of what they have experienced. So don't let them stop you from stepping out on that on that ledge and and taking that jump into entrepreneurship, whether it's something entirely different from what I'm doing or where whether it's something in the beauty space. Don't let what somebody else is telling you, what their journey has been. Don't let their journey stop you from evolving on your own journey.
Mahara Wayman [00:41:19]:
Beautiful advice. So just to tie this up with a bow, what's next? For current?
Angela Fields [00:41:26]:
So what I have been working on that has been huge is an actual course. Ageless tresses, navigating hair navigating hair health through menopause and beyond. So it started out as just content and snippets that I was sharing. Then it it has evolved into a course where it's over Zoom, 1 on 1 Excuse me. 1 with a group of people that have signed up for that particular course and stepping them through. So I want them to know that 66% of women, you know, just like us, will go through some sort of hair loss. You know, there could be another 40% of women that will actually have some significant type of hair loss. So so we start out in the course of learning the facts, seeing the statistics, knowing that we are not alone, and then evolving into these are the things that menopause can do for your hair.
Angela Fields [00:42:22]:
We may hear more about the hot flashes, the inability to sleep, the forgetfulness, but we don't hear specifically about what menopause can do to your hair. So then we step through. These are the things. And just as not everybody has hot flashes and not everybody has the night sweats or can't sleep or forget things, they may be experiencing 1 or 2 of the common things with menopause. It's that same way with your hair. Not everyone is going to have the exact same experience. Not even sisters would have the exact same experience. So it's seeing this is what menopause can do to your hair.
Angela Fields [00:43:00]:
Now let's talk about what is your plan, what is your personalized plan to combat that. And so if your entire experience is simply drier hair than what you have before, then these are the series of things you need to focus on. So if it's more advanced than that, maybe you're actually having hair loss. You have spots that are missing of hair. Okay. We've got some advanced things that you should be doing for your hair, and then it goes from there. And so it is a course initially that I started offering, you know, on Zoom with the other ladies on Zoom with me, and now it has been evolving into more of a these are some downloads that you can take, evolving into more of a these are some downloads that you can take as you're as you're going through the course. You know, click through this.
Angela Fields [00:43:43]:
These are some videos you can watch. So if you're not quite sure about well, okay. You said to do use the organic pumpkin seed oil on your scalp in the thinning areas. What can I do next for that? And and starting through, this is what you should be doing 3 to 4 times a week, and then this is how you should progress beyond that. So it's the course coming to women where they are in the process and offering them the steps, the resources, the products, the recommendations for what's coming next. And it is evolving into a virtual course where, there is content that you can go through at your leisure, videos that you can watch at your leisure to learn more. So that's what's next. That's what's coming out next.
Angela Fields [00:44:29]:
And my next course is August 17th. Excuse me. July 17th will be the next course.
Mahara Wayman [00:44:37]:
Oh my goodness. So much going on. How many pieces are in your line? How many products, excuse me, do you have in your line?
Angela Fields [00:44:44]:
There are 3 hair care products in the line, and then there are 2 satin bundles that I have. Satin bundles as far as sleeping in. Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:44:53]:
Well, my goodness. Angela, I I'm just blown away by your story, and it's pretty clear to me that you were born badass. Just saying. But, you know, the the fortitude that it takes to follow your dream is to be commended. And my my hope is that our listeners will go, damn it. I that sounds cool. Right? Even just acknowledging that we have a dream, whether we actually you know, whether we go for it in this century or or or in another lifetime, it there's so much power in acknowledging that we have a dream because saying we have a dream is tantamount to saying I matter. Right? I matter enough to voice my dream.
Mahara Wayman [00:45:33]:
So I can't thank you enough for for sharing your story with us today. Folks, I'm gonna drop all of the info on on curly pointy tresses in the show notes. So please check out what Angela has to offer. And if you've got any questions about our content on the show today or with her directly, know that you can reach out to either of us with those questions and with your feedback. Angela, thank you again for taking time out of your day to to chat with me. This has been the art of badassery. My name is Mahara, and I will see you all next week.
Angela Fields [00:46:05]:
Thank you.
Mahara Wayman [00:46:07]:
My pleasure. Thanks for tuning in to another badass episode. Your support means the world to me. So if you enjoyed what you heard today, don't forget to like, share, and rate the episode on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback keeps the badassery flowing. And, hey, if you're ready to unleash your inner badass and conquer whatever life throws your way, why not book a complimentary badass breakthrough session? Just click the link in the show notes to schedule your session, and let's kick some serious butt together. Until next time, stay fearless, stay fabulous, and of course, stay badass. This is Mahara signing off.
