Once upon a time, Zoe Oli hated her hair, wondering why it couldn’t look like that of her classmates. Zoe’s mom, wanting to boost Zoe’s confidence, bought her a black doll with straight hair. More confident but still disillusioned, Zoe decided that it her opportunity to create a doll that had curly and braided hair. This way, other little girls of color would feel confident and more secure in their appearance growing up. Since then, Zoe’s product line has expanded to include sleeping hair caps, for both girls and dolls. What’s more - donating 10% of her proceeds to girls in need, Zoe’s proving to be both an entrepreneur and a philanthropist!

In awe of her spirit, Kebloom got in touch to speak with Zoe, the businesswoman, herself:

1) Please introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Zoe, I’m 9 years old and I live in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Beautiful Curly Me is a lifestyle brand that raises the self esteem of young black girls through dolls that reflect their natural beauty, hair care accessories and empowering books.”

2) What is the name of your business?

The name of my business is Beautiful Curly Me.

3) Tell us a little bit about Beautiful Curly Me.

Beautiful Curly Me is a lifestyle brand that raises the self esteem of young black girls through dolls that reflect their natural beauty, hair care accessories and empowering books. We also give 10% of our proceeds to girl empowerment organizations and we gift dolls through our Gift-A-Doll initiative. I recently wrote two books in line with our mission to raise a generation of curly and confident girls.

“I asked my mom: why doesn’t the doll have hair that looks like mine. We should have dolls that have curls and braids.”

4) Who are your customers?

Our customers are parents of black and brown girls, ages 4 through 12.

5) What passions inspired Beautiful Curly Me?

When I was 6 years old, I did not like my hair and I wished it was straight like my classmates. When I told my mom about this, she did everything to help. One of the things she did, is she bought me a black doll. I really loved that doll and I played with it everyday. But, I asked my mom “why doesn’t the doll have hair that looks like mine. We should have dolls that have curls and braids.” So I told her that I wanted to start a business and create dolls that look like me. This business is really great for me because I love photography and taking pictures of things. I am also very artistic and love to help people.

6) What skills have you developed?

I have learned so many things from running a business. Some of these include: photography from taking pictures for our website, graphic design from making graphics for our social media, organization from packing orders, patience and flexibility from going through things and learning to go with the flow.

7) What are your current business goals and what is your ultimate one?

I want to continue to expand my product line and to get my dolls to the hands of little girls everywhere and expand my brand globally.

8) What advice would you give to other young entrepreneurs/dreams?

Don’t be afraid to try new things, be creative, know your numbers, fail up, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, dream big and work hard. Most importantly, don’t give up when things are hard.

…and anything else you’d like to add!

On social media, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram and also on our website.

About the Author:

Ellie McRae is the blogger, interviewer and content creator for Kebloom! When she’s not writing kick-ass articles, you’ll find her studying marketing and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Find out more about Ellie here.