1
00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,840
Speaker 1: Will Lucas here, Black Tech, Green Money Pleasure, Joining you

2
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:07,480
Speaker 1: guys again where my goal in this podcast is to

3
00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:12,480
Speaker 1: present the stories of successful black entrepreneurs, technologists, as well

4
00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,720
Speaker 1: as actionable advice and wealth building strategies for black from

5
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,560
Speaker 1: a black perspective. Today I have the pleasure talking to

6
00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:24,600
Speaker 1: Kendus Mitchell, founder at Mayavana, a pioneering beauty tech company

7
00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,720
Speaker 1: or since twenty twelve, they have been aiming at revolutionizing

8
00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,480
Speaker 1: personal and professional texture to hair care through data driven

9
00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,960
Speaker 1: science and technology. And a little bit about her. She

10
00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:39,240
Speaker 1: found success in developing sophisticated technology in the beauty industry

11
00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,400
Speaker 1: that analyzes hair variables like type, texture, condition. Lord knows

12
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,240
Speaker 1: we need that to develop personalized hair care plans that

13
00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:52,320
Speaker 1: support healthy hair and growth. Graduate of Georgia Institute of

14
00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,480
Speaker 1: Technology bring a ton of experience in cosmetology and computer

15
00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,440
Speaker 1: science to my Evana. So the company has perfected and

16
00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:04,959
Speaker 1: introduced a suite of innovative texture hair science and technology

17
00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,760
Speaker 1: products resulting in unique data insights or truly personalized textured

18
00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,479
Speaker 1: hair care solutions. So welcome Candice to the show.

19
00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,000
Speaker 2: Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be on today.

20
00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,280
Speaker 1: It's a pleasure the pleasure is all mine, and so

21
00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,080
Speaker 1: I am interested because somebody who has your background and education,

22
00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,120
Speaker 1: how you settle on this is the idea I'm going

23
00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,720
Speaker 1: to pursue. Like you've been doing technology for a long time,

24
00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,120
Speaker 1: went to school for it, obviously had interest in it

25
00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,080
Speaker 1: growing up. How did you decide that I'm going to

26
00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:35,840
Speaker 1: solve his hair problem for us?

27
00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:37,040
Speaker 2: Yeah?

28
00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,319
Speaker 3: Well, actually I went natural when I was in college

29
00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,160
Speaker 3: at Ordia Tech, and I was using all these products,

30
00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,200
Speaker 3: like from my roommates, my line sisters, and it was

31
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,840
Speaker 3: like drying my hair out and breaking off. So I

32
00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,120
Speaker 3: was like, Okay, there has to be a science to

33
00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:59,120
Speaker 3: how different products react on your hair. And it just

34
00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,880
Speaker 3: inspired me to study like the science of hair because

35
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,400
Speaker 3: I originally wanted to be a hair stylist when I was,

36
00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:08,480
Speaker 3: you know, in high school thinking about my career path.

37
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,600
Speaker 3: But I was also very in love with technology and

38
00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,920
Speaker 3: software development, so I decided to go that route. But

39
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,520
Speaker 3: I always wanted to go to cosmetology school at some point,

40
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,720
Speaker 3: and so I was thinking, Okay, this could be my

41
00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,200
Speaker 3: chance to you know, put my cosmetology brain on. And

42
00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,120
Speaker 3: when I researched the science of hair, discovered that your

43
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,679
Speaker 3: hair is as unique as your fingerprint. So that's why

44
00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,959
Speaker 3: the curl pudding for my hair wouldn't be the same

45
00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,800
Speaker 3: as yours as any other person, and that just really

46
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,880
Speaker 3: truly inspired me to create an algorithm that could match

47
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,839
Speaker 3: your type of hair with the products that would work

48
00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,919
Speaker 3: best for you. And so that's how it all started.

49
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,360
Speaker 3: And this was actually right before the natural hair movement started.

50
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,480
Speaker 1: To wow, wow, Before I get off on the next question,

51
00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,079
Speaker 1: can you get more centered in the camera or turn

52
00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:07,480
Speaker 1: the camera or you over to your left a little bit,

53
00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,959
Speaker 1: a little bit more to your left. There, you are all right,

54
00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:13,760
Speaker 1: And if you need to stop any point, we can

55
00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,440
Speaker 1: stop any point. And so we are having a huge

56
00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,200
Speaker 1: conversation in our social discourse about AI and how AI

57
00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,320
Speaker 1: is changing everything. And I wonder how you've thought about

58
00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,560
Speaker 1: and implemented AI into your technology solutions, Like what are

59
00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,040
Speaker 1: you doing when you're thinking about this is something that

60
00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:33,200
Speaker 1: can be helpful for our people.

61
00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,000
Speaker 3: Yes, well, we are the inventors of hair AI, which

62
00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:42,640
Speaker 3: can identify your unique hair type, texture, and condition. And

63
00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,560
Speaker 3: so think about like all the unique variables of your hair,

64
00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,840
Speaker 3: being able to instantly capture that and map it to

65
00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,000
Speaker 3: the right products based on your hair goals, hair challenges,

66
00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,440
Speaker 3: and product preferences. That's what our technology does and we

67
00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,240
Speaker 3: were actually on the path of creating this before ai

68
00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,720
Speaker 3: started to take over the world, especially, so we ended

69
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,000
Speaker 3: up being, you know, the market leaders in terms of

70
00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,640
Speaker 3: bringing hair ai to market. And actually our first major

71
00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,880
Speaker 3: client was Unilever and we licensed it on shaemoisture dot

72
00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:23,760
Speaker 3: com and so integrating it with the textured hair care

73
00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:28,000
Speaker 3: brands at the time was very pivotal because again we

74
00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,320
Speaker 3: were all in this phase of figuring out our hair

75
00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:38,719
Speaker 3: and understanding like again what shampoo, conditioner, gel, cream, butter,

76
00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:42,520
Speaker 3: you know which which one works for me? Because the

77
00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,360
Speaker 3: product the product junkies were essentially starting to retire. Right

78
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,120
Speaker 3: Like in the beginning, it was fun to figure it

79
00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:54,320
Speaker 3: out from experimental standpoint, but now, uh, with the timing

80
00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,320
Speaker 3: in the market, we want to eliminate the trial and error,

81
00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,440
Speaker 3: and so that's exactly what hair ai does by Mayavana,

82
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:06,360
Speaker 3: and it also starts your personalized journey, meaning the next

83
00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,200
Speaker 3: time you change your hair you can get new recommendations

84
00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,200
Speaker 3: as well. So we're excited to be the market leaders

85
00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,000
Speaker 3: of that, especially because it's so important from a development

86
00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,240
Speaker 3: standpoint for us to own the development side of this.

87
00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,360
Speaker 2: We are a team of black and brown engineers.

88
00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,679
Speaker 3: It's our culture, it's our pride, and we know that

89
00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:33,600
Speaker 3: we can train the computers to essentially understand the cultural

90
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:38,159
Speaker 3: differences of our hair because for a long time, of course,

91
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:44,000
Speaker 3: our hair category, uh textured hair rather was always an afterthought.

92
00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:49,200
Speaker 3: So this was specifically designed to identify the uniqueness of

93
00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,479
Speaker 3: our hair because women of color have the greatest hair

94
00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,520
Speaker 3: texture variety out of any ethnicity in the world. So

95
00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,680
Speaker 3: we really wanted to own that and make sure that

96
00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,920
Speaker 3: it was done well and done right, with all textures,

97
00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:04,440
Speaker 3: all types represented.

98
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm interested in the foresight, the forethought like you had,

99
00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:13,040
Speaker 1: like you you're doing this before you know, chat ept

100
00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,240
Speaker 1: changed everything for everybody. Yeah, and this is like you know,

101
00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,599
Speaker 1: two three years ago now, and so you saw something

102
00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:23,640
Speaker 1: coming and you started working on it pre all that,

103
00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,280
Speaker 1: And so I want so I wonder like what was

104
00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,440
Speaker 1: the trigger, like this is where we should be spending resources.

105
00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:30,520
Speaker 1: What was that?

106
00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:34,440
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, that's a really good question.

107
00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:37,760
Speaker 3: I believe it was at the time where you know,

108
00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:41,320
Speaker 3: e commerce has taken off a lot of retailers are

109
00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,600
Speaker 3: starting to expand their categories. But I know what set

110
00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:51,839
Speaker 3: out for me was personalization and being able to incorporate massive,

111
00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:57,920
Speaker 3: massive amounts of data to personalize the results. Meaning this

112
00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,320
Speaker 3: is a many too many analysis, meaning the many types

113
00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,080
Speaker 3: of variables in our hairstrands mapped to the many type

114
00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,880
Speaker 3: of variables in products. And I actually saw this being

115
00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:15,320
Speaker 3: done in other markets, in other industries well before this,

116
00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,160
Speaker 3: So I think it was just a matter of, you know,

117
00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:25,040
Speaker 3: having the foresight to know that eventually technology is transforming

118
00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:26,000
Speaker 3: every industry.

119
00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:26,360
Speaker 1: Right.

120
00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,720
Speaker 3: So we had already went through the ride sharing transformation

121
00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,720
Speaker 3: with Uber and Lyft now leading the transportation category.

122
00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:37,800
Speaker 2: Airbnb is now the leading.

123
00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:45,240
Speaker 3: Marketplace for travel accommodations, right, So, seeing how technology was

124
00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,720
Speaker 3: so disruptive, I knew that it was bound to hit

125
00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:53,400
Speaker 3: our market at some point in time, right And what

126
00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,400
Speaker 3: better way to do this by again catering to the

127
00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,600
Speaker 3: unique needs of the consumer, because we are the heartbeat

128
00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,640
Speaker 3: of this industry, meaning we spend all the money in it, right,

129
00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:10,160
Speaker 3: We're spending it is a part of our culture, right,

130
00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,320
Speaker 3: It's a part of how we express who we are,

131
00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:17,720
Speaker 3: and so it was just a matter of seeing the

132
00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:22,800
Speaker 3: solution but also being in sync with the market. Timing

133
00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:30,160
Speaker 3: was the most important part of this because again with technology,

134
00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,480
Speaker 3: you do have to be a few years ahead to

135
00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,000
Speaker 3: really make a stamp, you know. Like so even if

136
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,800
Speaker 3: you look at the history of social networks, right like

137
00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:46,280
Speaker 3: before these companies reached mass adoption, they had to start

138
00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:51,640
Speaker 3: in a particular niche that they were catering to. And

139
00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,480
Speaker 3: so with social network and even like for example, Facebook

140
00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,000
Speaker 3: starting on a college campus, Pinterest started with a group

141
00:08:58,040 --> 00:08:59,400
Speaker 3: of stay at home moms.

142
00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:01,640
Speaker 2: You know, there was always a.

143
00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:06,920
Speaker 3: Niche that became the drivers of adoption for that platform.

144
00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,160
Speaker 3: And given that, you know, black women spend nine times

145
00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,760
Speaker 3: more than the average consumer on hair products, we're the

146
00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,199
Speaker 3: ones searching, we're the ones buying, and so we.

147
00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,920
Speaker 2: Became the niche group to cater to.

148
00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,600
Speaker 3: But it ended up putting us, you know, in a

149
00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:27,560
Speaker 3: position to now lead the market for AI in hair care.

150
00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,440
Speaker 3: And actually the way we did it was we started

151
00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,199
Speaker 3: exhibiting at trade shows. So our first trade show was

152
00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,440
Speaker 3: the Brown and Brothers Hair Show and this was in

153
00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:42,480
Speaker 3: twenty twelve. But we came with our first demo of

154
00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,480
Speaker 3: our product. It was a hair journey platform, and so

155
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,560
Speaker 3: you know, the way we greeted everyone was, you know,

156
00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,839
Speaker 3: tell us your hair journey story, because everyone has one

157
00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:59,720
Speaker 3: right and so that actually became part of our secret

158
00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,560
Speaker 3: side because we realize that not only do I need

159
00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,160
Speaker 3: to understand your hair, I need to understand how it

160
00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:11,200
Speaker 3: changes over time and why, because that is what's driving

161
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:15,960
Speaker 3: this buying behavior. And so by us tapping into those

162
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,000
Speaker 3: things again, it's just like you have to. That's why

163
00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:23,800
Speaker 3: I truly believe founders have to follow their conviction, because,

164
00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,720
Speaker 3: like you know, by following that, we ended up becoming

165
00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,800
Speaker 3: in the forefront of this trend not only for hair

166
00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,960
Speaker 3: care but for all of beauty and now as we

167
00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,600
Speaker 3: see multiple industries too, So that's how it came together.

168
00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:42,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, I love that because I think like what you're

169
00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:47,199
Speaker 1: displaying is both the need to have that foresight, you know,

170
00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,760
Speaker 1: that almost you know, prophetic view of the future, and

171
00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,520
Speaker 1: be able to move fast because I think about just

172
00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:57,400
Speaker 1: a few years ago and for a while we were

173
00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,000
Speaker 1: talking about we just need products that serve our texture

174
00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,600
Speaker 1: at all, and what you've gone to is like, Okay,

175
00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:05,840
Speaker 1: it's not just about us as a people, it's about

176
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,480
Speaker 1: you as an individual. And so we've like you know,

177
00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:14,640
Speaker 1: super fast, went through black hair care products, African American

178
00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:17,320
Speaker 1: African hair care products that you know, our type of hair,

179
00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,000
Speaker 1: our type of skin, our type of whatever, to you,

180
00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,320
Speaker 1: the individual. We're getting down to the you. And so

181
00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:28,920
Speaker 1: my question is then for people who are building for us,

182
00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:36,120
Speaker 1: how fast and convicted, to use your words, do we

183
00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:41,400
Speaker 1: need to be in order to be competitive in the future,

184
00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,680
Speaker 1: because it's to the individual now exactly.

185
00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:49,679
Speaker 3: Yeah, you have to move on it immediately. And what

186
00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,720
Speaker 3: I mean by that is, you know, the moments of

187
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:57,360
Speaker 3: conviction is all leading up to something, and so on

188
00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,240
Speaker 3: the consumer side, you know, we can observe mini trends,

189
00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,120
Speaker 3: you know, even when it comes to TikTok, right, like,

190
00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:10,160
Speaker 3: there are many aspects of how certain features on other platforms.

191
00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:15,440
Speaker 3: You know, there may have been a a certain part

192
00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,520
Speaker 3: of the feature available on other platforms. But by focusing

193
00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:24,679
Speaker 3: on this one thing, which is to me, the consumer's

194
00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:32,560
Speaker 3: engagement on small consumable content, I believe that again, as

195
00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,080
Speaker 3: a builder, you see something and once you start building

196
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,080
Speaker 3: towards it and create a platform that caters to that

197
00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:43,160
Speaker 3: one thing that drives a person. This is all like

198
00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:49,080
Speaker 3: human psychology. My focus was human and computer interaction because

199
00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:53,360
Speaker 3: it's that one thing typically that is setting your platform apart,

200
00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:57,000
Speaker 3: even in a saturated market, right, like, if we look

201
00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:00,280
Speaker 3: at social media, there was a reason why. You know,

202
00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,679
Speaker 3: originally with Twitter it was basically like the Facebook status.

203
00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,359
Speaker 3: You know that all gravitated us to Twitter, the one little, small, consuble,

204
00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,760
Speaker 3: consumable chunk of information. So what is the one thing

205
00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,080
Speaker 3: that is driving your customer? Is what I feel like

206
00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:21,240
Speaker 3: every founder needs to know and follow that thing.

207
00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:27,160
Speaker 2: And so for us, the one thing is the hair journey. Right.

208
00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,239
Speaker 3: One of my quotes, my favorite quotes is every hairstyle

209
00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,959
Speaker 3: has a story. Right, So if you go back, you

210
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,640
Speaker 3: look at your your photos, your moments over time, you

211
00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,160
Speaker 3: know the story behind that style, Like what was going

212
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,120
Speaker 3: through your mind? You know what error were you in?

213
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,720
Speaker 3: Use it exactly? Yes, And so that is the driving

214
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:58,600
Speaker 3: force because our whole experience is personalized, meaning it's it's

215
00:13:58,679 --> 00:13:59,400
Speaker 3: catered to you.

216
00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:00,800
Speaker 2: It's the hair system.

217
00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:06,000
Speaker 3: Those are the steps we take you through, consult, analyze, recommend, educate,

218
00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,880
Speaker 3: and when we have our consultations, we know that it's

219
00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:15,199
Speaker 3: it's more than just hair, right, It's about you. It's

220
00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,600
Speaker 3: about who you are at this point in time. It's

221
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:23,280
Speaker 3: about how you're evolving. Some questions we like to ask

222
00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,720
Speaker 3: is if you could give your hair a name, what

223
00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:30,280
Speaker 3: would it be and why Right? Because your hair has

224
00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:36,240
Speaker 3: its own personality too, but it usually reveals something about you, right,

225
00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:40,960
Speaker 3: Like Minde's is sunshine, because I love to do blonde,

226
00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,480
Speaker 3: big hair. Also the name of my journey is rebirth

227
00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,480
Speaker 3: because I feel like every style shows how shows.

228
00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,720
Speaker 2: The rebirth that I'm having over time.

229
00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:57,920
Speaker 3: And so find the one thing that is driving your

230
00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:02,080
Speaker 3: customer because TI your platform is going to be built

231
00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,360
Speaker 3: around that one thing. And it just so happened that

232
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,680
Speaker 3: for us to get to the one thing, there's this

233
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:14,440
Speaker 3: major algorithm that's involved that took you know, twelve years

234
00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,920
Speaker 3: of research and development. But now imagine we can unlock

235
00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,880
Speaker 3: this for every person. Yeah, so that at every stage

236
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,560
Speaker 3: of their journey, not only do they know what products

237
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,640
Speaker 3: they need, but they are supported in who they are

238
00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,000
Speaker 3: at that stage of their journey. And that's what I

239
00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:36,560
Speaker 3: love the most about may Havana, And I feel like

240
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,120
Speaker 3: we're just getting into that phase too, because first we

241
00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:44,320
Speaker 3: had to build it. But now the idea of catering

242
00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:48,640
Speaker 3: to the unique needs of every person on a personalized level,

243
00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,760
Speaker 3: that that gives me so much excitement.

244
00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:58,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, with this rise of AI driven personalization, we're having

245
00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:03,000
Speaker 1: a huge conversation are in our community about retail and

246
00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,280
Speaker 1: I wonder, like, will traditional retailers struggle to keep up

247
00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:10,120
Speaker 1: with you are a product made for Candace and not

248
00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,440
Speaker 1: for black women. It's made for Candace, Like how do

249
00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,360
Speaker 1: how it's hard for them to put Candace on the shelf,

250
00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,160
Speaker 1: but they can put our people on the shelf. But

251
00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:20,960
Speaker 1: how do I do that?

252
00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a really great question.

253
00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,360
Speaker 3: So two answers to that of course, Like these these

254
00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:33,760
Speaker 3: retailers need strong innovation teams, strong technology teams, right and

255
00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:38,520
Speaker 3: since that isn't their particular line of business.

256
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:40,840
Speaker 2: That that's why a company.

257
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,560
Speaker 3: Like Mayavana is such a strong partner, because we can

258
00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:48,360
Speaker 3: own that innovation within any organization, right we can. We

259
00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,000
Speaker 3: can sync right in to be your product team for

260
00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:56,560
Speaker 3: hair AI, implement it into your environment and run with it.

261
00:16:57,800 --> 00:16:58,000
Speaker 2: Now.

262
00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:02,640
Speaker 3: I love your question because here's the thing. There's a

263
00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:07,880
Speaker 3: product for everyone, right, There's a product for everyone. So like, yes,

264
00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,040
Speaker 3: this shampoo might be for Candice, but it also may

265
00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:15,359
Speaker 3: be for Lisa, for a Sandy, for a Tamika, you know,

266
00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,399
Speaker 3: and you know next month it will be for a

267
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:24,760
Speaker 3: new set of women, right because again it's many to many,

268
00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,680
Speaker 3: meaning that it could be personalized, but it also can

269
00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:32,280
Speaker 3: have those same commonalities with other consumers that may have

270
00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:37,359
Speaker 3: my same hair ID. So to explain on the personalization

271
00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,399
Speaker 3: side how it works with AI, once we do your

272
00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:45,520
Speaker 3: unique analysis, you will now have a unique hair ID, right,

273
00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,280
Speaker 3: So think about face ID with Apple touched ID.

274
00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:49,560
Speaker 2: You have a hair ID.

275
00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:55,439
Speaker 3: With Mayavana and so therefore you can get personalized recommendations

276
00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,000
Speaker 3: everywhere you shop as we integrate more with the retailers.

277
00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,160
Speaker 3: We're live with Ultra right now and we have more

278
00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:07,000
Speaker 3: that are being activated. So anywhere you shop, anywhere you go,

279
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,600
Speaker 3: even salons, right, having trusted salon to know your hair,

280
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:13,880
Speaker 3: know how to take care of your hair, it's all

281
00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,320
Speaker 3: going to be associated with your hair ID. And so

282
00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:20,600
Speaker 3: now when we look at the product assortments in retail,

283
00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,560
Speaker 3: they will have the data on the back end that

284
00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:29,719
Speaker 3: says this grooming section. You know, these ten products are

285
00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:33,879
Speaker 3: best for Will, right, they also may be best for John,

286
00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:40,480
Speaker 3: for Dominique, for you know, whomever is your key customer.

287
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:40,920
Speaker 2: Right.

288
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:45,440
Speaker 3: So with the brands, we help the brands find your

289
00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:49,840
Speaker 3: target customer right, and not on a demographic level. We're

290
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,879
Speaker 3: talking about hair care right, because most companies do have

291
00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:59,359
Speaker 3: demographic data. That's how you are targeting your customers right now,

292
00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:03,359
Speaker 3: That's how you're running your ads, right it's mostly on

293
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:08,520
Speaker 3: demographic data interests, things that you clicked on, you know,

294
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,000
Speaker 3: so on and so forth. But imagine now you have

295
00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:16,240
Speaker 3: data based on the unique hair care needs about that

296
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,960
Speaker 3: consumer and beyond, because we are going to go beyond

297
00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:24,080
Speaker 3: here for those who are interested about that. Because think

298
00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:28,760
Speaker 3: about this, what companies actually know about you right what

299
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,920
Speaker 3: companies know what you need right now? And so in

300
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,920
Speaker 3: this understanding of what you know the power of personalization

301
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,359
Speaker 3: can do, it helped me see that, you know, we

302
00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:45,080
Speaker 3: will help companies shift from being solely transactional to more

303
00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:49,400
Speaker 3: relational because now your products can align with the real

304
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:54,359
Speaker 3: time needs of that consumer, and so their whole assortment

305
00:19:54,480 --> 00:20:00,720
Speaker 3: is now optimized to what their consumer needs actually are.

306
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,840
Speaker 3: And that data actually shows them what products they should

307
00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,520
Speaker 3: be carrying too, because a lot of a lot of

308
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,680
Speaker 3: them may be missing out maybe on some good brands too,

309
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:15,040
Speaker 3: because we have emerging brands, we have, you know, a

310
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,360
Speaker 3: much more vast representation. So it's the data that comes

311
00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,720
Speaker 3: from it that opens up so much more.

312
00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:26,159
Speaker 1: So you're doing physical stores on the continent now and

313
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,879
Speaker 1: so yes, we are tell me tell me about this.

314
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:30,040
Speaker 1: How did this come about?

315
00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:35,359
Speaker 3: Yes, well, this was always part of the blueprint, which

316
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,879
Speaker 3: is to own the full supply chain in the hair industry,

317
00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:44,119
Speaker 3: from raw materials meaning knowing the ingredients that are needed

318
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:48,720
Speaker 3: in certain products to the retail side. But I knew

319
00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,439
Speaker 3: our first phase would be powered by Mayavana, which means

320
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,200
Speaker 3: making the existing retailers integrated with our technology and now

321
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:02,320
Speaker 3: in our ecosystem. What was important as we looked at

322
00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,480
Speaker 3: market data was a lot of quality hair care products

323
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:10,880
Speaker 3: that we have here are not available on a continent

324
00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,119
Speaker 3: and a lot of different nations.

325
00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:13,680
Speaker 2: And so.

326
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,200
Speaker 3: This was actually spark when I was doing some ministry

327
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,879
Speaker 3: work in Uganda because I started an entrepreneur's boot camp

328
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,479
Speaker 3: there years ago through ministry, and so I did this

329
00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:31,919
Speaker 3: whole amazing presentation and the first questions I get were

330
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:37,520
Speaker 3: about my hair. So they're like, you know, I'm focusing

331
00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,840
Speaker 3: all on like financial projection, you know, building your business model,

332
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:42,119
Speaker 3: and the questions.

333
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:45,720
Speaker 2: I got were is your hair real? Yeah, that was

334
00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:46,520
Speaker 2: a first question.

335
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:51,040
Speaker 3: Number two what products can make my hair like yours?

336
00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:54,879
Speaker 3: And so I just had to take a step back,

337
00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,760
Speaker 3: and especially when they were wondering like if my hair

338
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:01,200
Speaker 3: was real and if their hair could grow in this way,

339
00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:05,320
Speaker 3: because I'm like, our hair naturally grows like this, right,

340
00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:11,480
Speaker 3: but because you know, in many cultures, you know, they're

341
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:17,080
Speaker 3: so influenced by other things like the media, like you know,

342
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,159
Speaker 3: should their hair be straight? You know, a lot of

343
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,240
Speaker 3: things that we went through in our culture. And so

344
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:27,080
Speaker 3: it showed me that similar to like the natural hair

345
00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:30,360
Speaker 3: movement that we all went through, there's this same movement

346
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,200
Speaker 3: that needs to happen on the continent so that they

347
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,359
Speaker 3: can not only brace their own.

348
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:37,600
Speaker 2: Hair, but have the right products to do it.

349
00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,119
Speaker 3: Because it was the products when I went to like

350
00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:44,280
Speaker 3: you know, the marketplaces that were out there, you know,

351
00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,399
Speaker 3: the products that they had or.

352
00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:50,760
Speaker 2: Very very low.

353
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:56,000
Speaker 3: Par in terms of ingredients and from what I knew

354
00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:00,160
Speaker 3: was available, you know. So that showed me the opportunity

355
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:05,600
Speaker 3: because from a retail standpoint, we always envision our retail

356
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,960
Speaker 3: experience to be similar to like if you envision Apple,

357
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:14,960
Speaker 3: but a beauty supply store, meaning that it's technology driven.

358
00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:23,159
Speaker 3: We could bring that same personalized approach into retail. And

359
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,720
Speaker 3: so that was already part of the plan. But then

360
00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,040
Speaker 3: the aha moment was, oh, we could start it in

361
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:35,400
Speaker 3: Uganda first, because again our market is already saturated, and

362
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:39,399
Speaker 3: our strategy in the US was more so integrating with

363
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:44,240
Speaker 3: the retailers and beauty supply stores here, and so we

364
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:48,600
Speaker 3: did a retail innovation academy last year. We have seventeen

365
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,680
Speaker 3: black owned beauty supply stores who were in that academy

366
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:56,520
Speaker 3: and now powered by Mayavana, and so we wanted to

367
00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,000
Speaker 3: support the existing stores here. But as far as Africa,

368
00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:04,639
Speaker 3: it's an open market opportunity, right and so to me,

369
00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,400
Speaker 3: from a business standpoint, it made more sense for us

370
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,600
Speaker 3: to start our franchise in the motherland and actually target

371
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:19,000
Speaker 3: each nation to open up global product distribution. And so

372
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,760
Speaker 3: I love the strategy so much because now we can

373
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:28,520
Speaker 3: distribute black owned haircare brands.

374
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,600
Speaker 2: In Uganda and beyond.

375
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,240
Speaker 3: And so it feels multiple purposes because the main purpose

376
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:37,320
Speaker 3: for Mayavana is to reclaim the wealth of the hair industry,

377
00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,800
Speaker 3: which we know have has gone to other cultures, you know,

378
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,199
Speaker 3: over the years, So that that's part of how we

379
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,560
Speaker 3: can strategically do that and especially through technology.

380
00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,640
Speaker 1: And so talk to me about how you, just as

381
00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,160
Speaker 1: an operator, had to shift Gears from being a domestic

382
00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:00,199
Speaker 1: company to now an international company, different regulations, different gover

383
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,040
Speaker 1: them is different ways, you know, maybe not capitalism, Like

384
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,440
Speaker 1: how how does candas in the way candidates operates her

385
00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:09,119
Speaker 1: business have to shift.

386
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:11,679
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a really good question.

387
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:17,400
Speaker 3: So you know, we did have to obtain our international

388
00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:24,320
Speaker 3: trade license, so that was a process, and obtaining a

389
00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:28,359
Speaker 3: business license and a whole other country, you know, was

390
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:32,359
Speaker 3: a process too. But again, what it opens up is

391
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:37,520
Speaker 3: new market opportunity. And I will say for the most

392
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:42,440
Speaker 3: part it's just process and paperwork. But I would say

393
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:48,840
Speaker 3: from a strategy standpoint, being able to now transform our

394
00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:54,879
Speaker 3: business model to a franchise model and now opens up

395
00:25:55,640 --> 00:26:03,040
Speaker 3: the monetization of intellectual property because the same IP that

396
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,840
Speaker 3: runs hair Ai is very similar to how we will

397
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:12,560
Speaker 3: run a retail footprint, how we run an e commerce integration.

398
00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,200
Speaker 3: And so it really showed me how we can expand

399
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 3: our concept of thinking when it comes to business models.

400
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,080
Speaker 3: But of course, you know, you always have to do

401
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 3: your market research in every nation because I've learned a

402
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:36,520
Speaker 3: lot and just terms of studying Uganda, Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Nigeria,

403
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,920
Speaker 3: you know, and they're all different. I will say that

404
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:46,320
Speaker 3: they're all different. But being able to have the market

405
00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:51,280
Speaker 3: strategy with the right business model, it really opens up again.

406
00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:55,520
Speaker 3: We think the US is a big market, it is

407
00:26:55,640 --> 00:27:00,080
Speaker 3: like it is like nothing in comparison to the magnitude

408
00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:04,760
Speaker 3: of all other nations, you know, in Africa and abroad.

409
00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:08,480
Speaker 3: So so it was it was definitely an eye opening experience.

410
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 1: So what were some in that effort to become more

411
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,959
Speaker 1: international company and specifically work on the continent, Like, what

412
00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:20,280
Speaker 1: is some challenges that you know now that you could

413
00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:24,120
Speaker 1: have you know, maneuvered differently that other people who are

414
00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:26,520
Speaker 1: considering doing this should be aware.

415
00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:32,159
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yes, So definitely learned a lot about this.

416
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,879
Speaker 3: We had a live broadcast at our store opening, and

417
00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,320
Speaker 3: I would say the questions that we got were very

418
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:44,199
Speaker 3: different from questions that we typically get here. And so

419
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:46,840
Speaker 3: I guess one of the major things that I learned

420
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:53,600
Speaker 3: is there is a different perception about American products overseas.

421
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:58,000
Speaker 3: And so you know, I think that the United States

422
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:03,400
Speaker 3: and Western culture, we have been pained as the superior country, right,

423
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,000
Speaker 3: superior economy and things like that, but I think it

424
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:13,880
Speaker 3: has changed over time in terms of other countries perspective

425
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:16,880
Speaker 3: of America.

426
00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:19,280
Speaker 2: And even our economy and things like that.

427
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,360
Speaker 3: And so one of the questions was, you know, why

428
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 3: would I trust products from America?

429
00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:26,320
Speaker 1: Wow?

430
00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:30,040
Speaker 3: And I was like, okay, that's very interesting. You know

431
00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:35,399
Speaker 3: that that is a point of sensitivity. But you know,

432
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:40,000
Speaker 3: for us, you know, it just really strengthens our mission

433
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:45,920
Speaker 3: with this because we're specifically distributing black owned haircare brands,

434
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,440
Speaker 3: and so it's not that it's like, you know, made

435
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,680
Speaker 3: in America, similar to made in China, where you don't

436
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,600
Speaker 3: know where in China this is made, right, I say

437
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,200
Speaker 3: when we say and I have a whole now have

438
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,920
Speaker 3: a whole philosophy about this, But the fact that I

439
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,960
Speaker 3: could emphasize that these are actually black women owned hair

440
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:10,040
Speaker 3: care brands, you know, women just like you who took

441
00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 3: the time to understand the needs of our hair and

442
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:17,640
Speaker 3: now create their own products. And so to me, that

443
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:23,200
Speaker 3: showed how we need to just incorporate brand education as

444
00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,920
Speaker 3: we're selling, which we've already seen.

445
00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,800
Speaker 2: This is that you know, consumers.

446
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:33,080
Speaker 3: Really buy into the trust of the brand too, Like

447
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,920
Speaker 3: when you're making that buying decision. Even when we look

448
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,920
Speaker 3: at founder stories of different brands, you may you know,

449
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,320
Speaker 3: develop an affinity of the brand because of that founder's story,

450
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:47,959
Speaker 3: their journey, and so that is just as much important,

451
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,920
Speaker 3: an important part of our marketing process when we talk about,

452
00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:55,480
Speaker 3: you know, products that are best for you why and

453
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:57,200
Speaker 3: that the why is important.

454
00:29:57,800 --> 00:29:59,880
Speaker 2: And then it also made me think.

455
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:04,720
Speaker 3: Of what does made in Black America?

456
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:05,840
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I like that.

457
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm like, okay, we need to talk about what's

458
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:14,040
Speaker 3: made in black America because that's different than America.

459
00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:14,400
Speaker 2: You know what I mean.

460
00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,360
Speaker 1: So, how does a company, let's say, I have, you know,

461
00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,680
Speaker 1: a black owned haircare company. How do I get into

462
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,680
Speaker 1: your pipeline for recommendations? How does that happen?

463
00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:28,040
Speaker 3: Yes, so you can go to our website mayavana dot com,

464
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:32,000
Speaker 3: click the tab for brands and go ahead and sign up.

465
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:35,360
Speaker 3: We have been doing a lot of our market research

466
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 3: over the years, so we do have most haircare brands

467
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,520
Speaker 3: in our database. But for example, if you're an emerging brand,

468
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,480
Speaker 3: you know, maybe we have not heard about you before,

469
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,320
Speaker 3: or maybe you are new to the market. It's a

470
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:53,240
Speaker 3: very simple process to be added to our recommendation system.

471
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:58,160
Speaker 3: It actually does include product performance testing so that you

472
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:02,560
Speaker 3: can become Mayavana's certified. That's our new seal of approval

473
00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,280
Speaker 3: that we're releasing into the market so that you can

474
00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:09,120
Speaker 3: trust these products that you're using, Yes, because we've done

475
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,480
Speaker 3: our own research on them, because actually the beauty industry

476
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:13,360
Speaker 3: is not regulated.

477
00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's wow when I learned that.

478
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:16,000
Speaker 2: Yeah.

479
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, because your skin is the I've heard my dermatania

480
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:20,880
Speaker 1: say that your skin is your largest organ and you're

481
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,880
Speaker 1: putting things on your body. It can see into your pores.

482
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,240
Speaker 2: Which exactly. Yeah, and that includes your scalp.

483
00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:28,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, think about it.

484
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:33,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, which is why the effects of wearing relaxers for

485
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,280
Speaker 3: so many years is so damaging because all those chemicals

486
00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,320
Speaker 3: have been absorbed into our body one way or the other.

487
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,040
Speaker 3: And so yeah, So that would be the process of

488
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,160
Speaker 3: being added to our recommendation system because we now want

489
00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:53,360
Speaker 3: to create a symbol of trust for consumers that they're

490
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:56,440
Speaker 3: being recommended the best products and there's you know, the

491
00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,160
Speaker 3: research and development behind it.

492
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:06,080
Speaker 1: Finally, like, how can entrepreneurs ensure that they're working on solutions,

493
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:10,120
Speaker 1: whether they be technical or otherwise that can actually create

494
00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:11,240
Speaker 1: generational wealth.

495
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:16,800
Speaker 3: Yes, that is always at the forefront of my mind.

496
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,440
Speaker 3: I will say, one, you have to think about products

497
00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:27,080
Speaker 3: and businesses that are generational and what that means is

498
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:34,040
Speaker 3: it's a staple part of your routine, your lifestyle and

499
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:39,400
Speaker 3: it's something that will stand the test of time, even

500
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:43,280
Speaker 3: though it may evolve many forms. And then make sure

501
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:46,920
Speaker 3: you do have the assets in place to protect that

502
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:51,480
Speaker 3: and make sure you are thinking generationally.

503
00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:51,520
Speaker 2: You know.

504
00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 3: And I think that has been kind of interpreted in

505
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,920
Speaker 3: different ways, Like some people think about, you know, the wealth,

506
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,360
Speaker 3: the money that comes from the businesses that we are building, right,

507
00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:07,040
Speaker 3: Meaning there's a lot of you know, different perspectives about

508
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,240
Speaker 3: black owned companies being acquired and now is that generational wealth, right,

509
00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,600
Speaker 3: because now it's being sold to another company, So we

510
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,280
Speaker 3: can look at it from the perspective of the actual

511
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,760
Speaker 3: money and assets that come from that that allow you

512
00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,280
Speaker 3: to build a legacy, maybe pass that pass that on

513
00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:31,960
Speaker 3: to the next generation, but also the actual businesses because.

514
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:32,760
Speaker 2: I do believe that.

515
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,880
Speaker 3: If you look at other cultures, right, you have staple

516
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:42,280
Speaker 3: businesses that will never go away in those communities as well.

517
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:44,480
Speaker 2: And I think that our.

518
00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:49,520
Speaker 3: Legacy businesses have had a hard time maintaining that longevity

519
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,520
Speaker 3: and that sustainability. So I do think that there is

520
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:59,600
Speaker 3: especially a place to retain businesses and our portfolios so

521
00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:05,560
Speaker 3: that they are building the ecosystem of black culture. Because

522
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,359
Speaker 3: the thing is, you know, every time a company gets

523
00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:12,680
Speaker 3: to a tipping point, it's acquired, right, So what is

524
00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:18,880
Speaker 3: left for the infrastructure of black culture, so that I

525
00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:24,160
Speaker 3: think that there's an opportunity to fill every position every

526
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:29,560
Speaker 3: industry to now have like you know our Coca Colas, right,

527
00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:33,399
Speaker 3: you know our Chick fil A's, you know, like we

528
00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:37,520
Speaker 3: know that those brands tho these you know, American based

529
00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:43,440
Speaker 3: brands have now become staples and icons in their industries

530
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,719
Speaker 3: and markets. I still believe that we need to do

531
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,200
Speaker 3: with the same and I'm building may Havana in that

532
00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:53,200
Speaker 3: way to be a pillar in the beauty industry that

533
00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,840
Speaker 3: can be passed on for generations, especially since we're you know,

534
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:02,200
Speaker 3: driven by technology and wanting to protect how technology is

535
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:03,640
Speaker 3: created in the future too.

536
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,520
Speaker 1: Black Tech Green Money is a production of Blavity Afro

537
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,560
Speaker 1: Tech on the Black Effect podcast network in Nighthearted Media.

538
00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:13,880
Speaker 1: It's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas, with

539
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:18,360
Speaker 1: the additional production support by Kate McDonald Jama McGee. Special

540
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:20,919
Speaker 1: thank you to Michael Davis and Lovebeach. Learn more about

541
00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:22,920
Speaker 1: My Guessing Other Tech. This shop is an innovators at

542
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:26,439
Speaker 1: afrotech dot Com. The video version this episode will drop

543
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,680
Speaker 1: to Black Tech Green Money on YouTube, so'll tap it in.

544
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:32,120
Speaker 1: Enjoy your black Tech green money. Shut us to somebody,

545
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:35,000
Speaker 1: Go get your money piece some love,