Vivian Kaye is an entrepreneur and founder of the highly successful KinkyCurlyYaki, a premium textured hair extensions brand for black women. She bootstrapped the company into a multimillion dollar business. But life wasn’t always so simple for Vivian. Going from a college dropout to running a seven-figure startup, Vivian has learned that “there is no secret sauce,” but that you must just take “action.” As a TV and podcast personality, keynote speaker, and content creator, Vivian helps brands reach their target audiences. Vivian is also the host of a YouTube series called Mind Your Business, where she teaches everything from entrepreneurship and running a business to scaling it and developing the right mindset to achieve audacious goals in both your professional and personal life.
Can you run us through some of your innovations and establishments and the stories behind them?
I started my business KinkyCurlyYaki while I was a wedding decorator. I needed something that looked “professional.” So, as a black woman, it means bone straight, relaxed looking, textured hair. But at the time, I wasn’t at all interested in having that silky Brazilian Malaysian hair that didn’t look like hair that grew out of my head. I didn’t mean to start a business, I just wanted to solve my own problem.
Once I found the solution to my problem, I wore it. I went to a networking event, and a black woman pulled me aside to ask about my hair regimen and who my hairdresser was. When I told her that it was a weave, she said she would buy it. That’s when the light bulb went off for me. I launched KinkyCurlyYaki in December of 2012, and it immediately took off.
What were some of the challenges you encountered while growing KinkyCurlyYaki?
The challenges were typical challenges anyone faces while starting a business. Things like time management, finances, scaling and growing your business, whether or not to hire employees. But then, a year after I started the business, I had a baby. That came with its own challenges. But I managed to overcome those obstacles by focusing not necessarily on what I didn’t know, but on what I did know. I didn’t have any business training. I learned as I went along.
Tell us about the products in your KinkyCurlyYaki hair collection.
I first started out with bundles, and then it became bundles and closures, and then it turned into clip-ins, and then it turned into ponytails and now wigs. We carry six different textures and seven different lengths, and then as the business grew, I added complimentary products that my customers said that they needed. So, we’ve got six or seven different products. We just go based on what the market and our customers are asking for.
How did you go about financing your business?
I bootstrapped the business. Someone would buy two bundles, I would take the money from the two bundles and then go and buy four. That’s how I grew the business. I didn’t take outside financing until six years into the business, but by then, I was already a million-dollar business. All I kept doing in the first few years was focusing on growing the business. Now, there are lots of funds and grants to help people fund their businesses.
What advice do you have for young women of colour, who have great ideas but doubt themselves?
I came up with this phrase called, ‘what would Chad do’? It’s meant to help overcome those self-limiting beliefs that pop up in your head. Chad is more of an energy/mindset. A lot of times, we as women, and especially as black women, we’re starting businesses to serve our own needs. We understand the demographic of people that we’re serving, but we don’t necessarily have the confidence in order to take the steps to start or grow the business. There’s people out there doing it confidently, and they’re doing it wrong. But if you actually know what you’re doing, then all you need to do is match your confidence with your expertise.
What’s next in line for Vivian Kaye?
If you asked me 10 years ago what my next 10 years would look like, I wouldn’t have predicted the last decade and what actually took place. So, I’m open-minded as to what will happen. I’m grateful for all the abundance that flows into my life and I wish for more of it.
Gladys Christian | Contributing Writer
