April 18, 2024 • 35 mins
No Solopreneur is an island. Even as we run our own businesses, the importance of building a community of other business owners is paramount. From sharing advice and support to building a thriving and competitive marketplace, networking and building connections can take your business to the next level. Jannese and Austin talk with Ciara Imani May who runs her own hair brand and is passionate about taking care of her customers and uplifting her community. In this episode we’ll explore why small business networking as a solopreneur with a solid network allows you to have the best of both worlds: to be your own boss but still have a supportive community around you.
Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business:
For a recap from this week’s episode visit:
Episode 7 Recap with Ciara Imani May of Rebundle.
Or learn more about this topic at this resource: How Networking Can Help You Leverage the Wisdom of Other Entrepreneurs
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The views, information, or opinions express during this podcast are
solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent
those of intuitt, QuickBooks or any of its cornerstone brands
or employees. This podcast does not constitute financial, legal, or
other professional advice or services. No assurance is given that
the info is comprehensive, accurate, or free of errors, and
the information presented is for general information purposes only. Into
It QuickBooks does not have any responsibility for updating or
(00:22):
revising any information presented. Listeners should verify statements before relying
on them. QuickBooks Money is a standalone into It offering
banking services provided by Green Dot Bank member FDIC.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Hey everyone, I'm Austin Hankwitz.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
And I'm Jennise Torres. Welcome to Mind the Business Small
Business Success Stories, a podcast brought to you by Intowit,
QuickBooks and iHeartRadio's Ruby Studio. In each episode, Austin and
I chat with small business owners as they share their
stories about the ups and downs of owning a small business.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
That's right, Jenise, and I'm really excited to talk to
this episode's guests. But before we do that, let me
ask you. We've both traveled a lot. I know you
just got back from New York, which was really exciting,
and being an entrepreneur, we both have a little bit
of freedom as it relates to scheduling our trips. So
do you prefer to go on vacation and travel with
(01:17):
a group or by yourself?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I think there's a time and place for both. I
like the group travel. I like traveling with my family
and friends. But I also have been very intentional about
doing quarterly retreats as a solopreneur, and these are solo retreats,
so it's kind of my time to reset, plan for
the next quarter and just really give myself a break
(01:40):
from all the responsibilities that come with owning a business.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Mmm. I like that a lot, kind of giving yourself
the opportunity to reflect upon the last couple months here
and build the business that you know you're doing a
really good job of building. So you mentioned traveling solo
and doing that on a quarterly basis here, but it's
important to remember you're not ever really alone, right. You
still need that Uber driver, you still need the airplane pilot,
(02:04):
the hotel employees, or even just the random people you
meet at the coffee shops that are helping you out
and allowing you to have a good time, which is
just like when you're a solopreneur. No matter what industry
your enterprise falls into, you still need to have some
people in your corner, whether they're other founders with more experience,
or mentors that can help you out with business, or
(02:25):
even people that can guide you through the intricate paperwork
side of things. I've personally had a lot of intricate
paperwork come my way now that we are navigating tax season,
which is why I think QuickBooks Live is such an
instrumental tool in helping people build their businesses. Now with
QuickBooks Live, you'll have access to expert bookkeepers who will
(02:45):
help you keep your books organized and balanced.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
And who doesn't need that, honestly, because when you're a
solopreneur with a good team, you basically get the best
of both worlds. You run your own show, but you
still get live experts helping you achieve success.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Lloyd knows I need that same.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Oh my gosh, you know. It's just you got to
be able to not always try to be the smartest
person in the room. And I think as a solopreneur,
I've gotten really good at just knowing where my limitations lie,
not trying to DII why my way to success in
areas where I just don't have the expertise, and really
knowing and getting good at relying on my community to
(03:24):
source potential, you know, connections or new ideas that I
didn't even think.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
About one hundred percent, right, is like, wait a second,
I need to start caring about bookkeeping. I need to
start caring about taxes and payroll and things like that.
So what did I do. I've reached out to my
community of other solopreneurs and content creators to see what
they were doing right. And being able to lean on
your community when you have these types of problems, as
well as provide feedback to other people when they have
(03:50):
problems is probably one of the most rewarding things that
comes from being a solopreneur.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Absolutely. I think it's also really important as someone who
is hyper independent, right, And I'd like to say it's
the trauma response of being an eldest daughter and just
not wanting to ask for help. But one of the
things that I've learned in entrepreneurship is how critical it
is to have a sounding board that community. I think
(04:17):
about it a specific example where I got my first,
like multiple five figure influencer marketing brand deal, and I
was just like, I don't feel qualified to read these
legal contracts and I don't feel comfortable signing my life
away potentially, And so I called my mentor and I'm like,
do you have anybody who can help me with this?
And she actually introduced me to her agent, who now
(04:39):
manages my own partnerships too. And so it's just the
power of community is something that I don't think we
can emphasize enough because unless you're in this world of entrepreneurship,
most people around you are not even going to know how.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
To help you one hundred percent. And I just want
to also hammer home the idea that at least this
has been my experience and I'm sure it's been yours
as well, Janie, but like people are really excited to
meet other people who are solopreneurs or building small businesses. Right,
everyone believes that it's not a zero sum game. We
can all win together. And by me sharing with you
(05:14):
a tool or a resource, right, your mentor introducing you
to her agent didn't mean that you're taking anything from her.
I mean, we're all here to help each other. And
I think that's such a big, big, big thing for
solopreneurs to understand as they build their business. Right, It's
not a zero sum game and we can all win together.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Absolutely. With that being said, let's meet our next guest.
Sierra Monti May is an entrepreneur based out of New
York City. After suffering from one too many itchy scalps
while wearing her favorite protective styles, Sierra realized she deserved
(05:51):
better and set out on a mission to find it
for all of us. And when she couldn't find any
quality sustainable hair extension products, she decided to make her own.
Siara founded the first ever plant based faux hair brand, Rebundle.
In twenty twenty. She left her fintech job to pursue
Rebundle full time. She launched her first product, bread Better,
(06:12):
in twenty twenty one, and has since relaunched as a
direct to consumer brand and raised two point five million
dollars in seed money. Siera is passionate about providing quality products,
building a better Earth, and about the importance of black
women being cared for. Siera, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I first of all, love the name Rebundle. Can you
tell us the story behind it.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yes, it's a short one because I didn't come up
with the name myself, and I actually wasn't sold on
it at first. I didn't think it made sense for
what I thought we were going to be doing at
the time, but it was really catchy, so we stuck
with it and we've grown into the name.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah. I love that that it's not necessarily the first
idea that would come to your head. But when did
you know that this was the name that you wanted
to continue with, Like, what was that sign? Well?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I would sometimes feel not connected to the name rebundle
in those early days because the word bundle, in as
it relates to hair and pertains to hair, is a
colloquialism for human hair bundles, and I was squarely focused
on creating an alternative to synthetic hair, so I didn't
(07:26):
think it made sense in the context. But as the
product evolved and the brand evolved, it did make sense
because we started calling our products bundles rather than packs,
because we're providing a more luxurious experience and elevated experience,
and I wanted to disassociate from packs that are, you know,
anywhere from a dollar to eight dollars, something more premium,
(07:49):
like what we pay for human hair extensions. So it
started to make sense to me then, and I was like, oh, okay,
well we can we can keep I mean, we had
already spent so much on the branding at that point,
but I always had a nagging thought in the back
of mind, like someone's gonna call out that it doesn't
make sense to call it bundles. And then no one
ever did because we started moving in that direction.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
You have to believe it before anybody else does, right,
So I think it's part of just the importance of
having conviction when you're putting yourself out there as an
entrepreneur and as a brand.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Yeah, that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, I love that. Okay, So have you always been
into like sustainability in the environment.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
In a way, I can say that for as long
as I can remember, I've always had an inkling or
a desire to learn more about sustainability and what it
looks like, and just curious about how my presence on
Earth impacts the environment and the well being of the
(08:44):
environment in ways that I could mitigate, mitigate my individual contribution.
And I've always been very encouraging to other people at
the bare minimum, recycle and recycling really is the bare minimum,
And that was all that I knew of until I
started grad school. I went to USC and studied social entrepreneurship,
(09:04):
and I was just exposed to one a totally different
lifestyle in Los Angeles compared to the Midwest where I
grew up. But the projects that my classmates were working
on also exposed me to different types of sustainability and
just expanded that definition for me. So I took those
learnings and started to apply them to my own life
(09:26):
and got more curious about the movement for sustainability and
the zero waste lifestyle and content that was being created
around environmental justice and intersectional environmentalism. Just all these concepts
that I was learning about that really resonated with me
and then subsequently translated into the products that I was
(09:49):
using and am familiar with. And hair just made the
list because it was part of my life and my
identity at that time.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
That's brilliant. It's I think it's a good example of
just like how your environment and can influence you as
an entrepreneur, and how the community that you surround yourself
with can have a direct impact on what that business
turns into. So I'm curious for you, when did you
realize that there was a market for this that wasn't
being fulfilled.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
The summer of twenty nineteen, so I was working at
an HBCU and was wearing braids really often because I
was trying to figure out how to be an adult
and go to work on time and minimize my morning routine.
So at this very same time that I was learning
more about sustainability, I was having issues with scalp irritation
(10:37):
from the hair and just had this sort of aha
moment that maybe there was something more that could be
done about the way synthetic hare is disposed of. And
then that meant understanding, well what is it made out of?
And that brought up all this stuff about synthetic hair
being plastic. And I think at this time twenty nineteen,
(11:01):
somebody had just passed a law or some regulation change
that we couldn't ship our trash to China anymore, and
all these things that was coming up about the world
changing and responding to climate change, and I'm just sitting
here scratching my head and like, well, this is a
plastic product that is probably not on anyone's radar and
(11:23):
could use innovation like everything else.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
It's kind of amazing that this all came together the
way it did because you built something that falls in
line with your values of sustainability and also is providing
a solution to scalp irritation when people get synthetic extensions,
And just for those listening who may not know, oftentimes,
when people get extensions in a form like braids, like
you mentioned, you can use human hair, which costs a
(11:47):
lot more money, or you can use synthetic hare, which
is more popular because the lower costs and higher access,
but the quality is not as good as human hair.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, I remember being really excited about this question of
if it's plastic, can it be recycled, which I then
learned that all plastics are technically recyclable, but it's dependent
on the municipality and what they want what they don't want.
Hair was likely never going to make the list, but
I wanted to know for the heart to recycle plastics
(12:18):
like synthetic hair, you know, where could you send it
for it to be properly disposed of? And there were
not any initiatives that were focused on this waststream in
particular because it's a product that's predominantly used and worn
by black women. So I knew that if I wanted
to find a way to sustainably dispose of it, I
was probably going to have to create it myself, because
(12:40):
nobody was looking at this waste stream as one that
needed attention. So the recycling program was developed and has
since been maintained as a way for people to choose
sustainability no matter where they are in their journeys, and
to help mitigate some of the waste that's created by
this industry. Overall.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I love that. I think it's so powerful, and I
really commend you for sort of building that from scratch.
You talked about studying entrepreneurship in school, and you know,
I studied a little bit of entrepreneurship. I think I
took a couple classes in college myself, But I don't
think school really prepares you for entrepreneurship, right, So were
there maybe challenges that school did prepare you for versus
(13:24):
have anything you know blindsided you? You've phraised two point
one million dollars. I don't remember learning how to do
that in school.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I didn't learn how to do that in school either,
And I've actually raised two and a half million dollars
since twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Two and a half. Okay, I stand corrected.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
But I think that the only thing that can teach
you how to be an entrepreneur is to be one
and to like be in the thick of it. But
what I was grateful for in both undergrad and grad
was to help develop my entrepreneurial mindset and to give
me the right community who were also working on challenging
problems and starting things from scratch. Also helped with the
(14:01):
vocabulary and certain concepts and practices that I didn't know beforehand.
And it was interesting and I didn't know I could
make a career out of it before I started school,
So I feel like I got a lot of that.
And I do find that people who are just starting
out and didn't study entrepreneurship in school are like starting
(14:22):
from scratch.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
You mentioned something really important, which was community. When you're
in school, you're surrounded by other people who are excited
about entrepreneurship. I'm curious how that community has followed you
outside of school. Have you leaned on them at all
with different problems over the past few years.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah, I would say yes to all of the above.
There are definitely people that I met in undergrad that
I've gone back to, whether that be professors or students alike,
that I've been able to go back to for questions
or feedback, support, introductions, etc. And then following me from
undergrad all the way way through my fellowship with VFA,
(15:03):
I'm friends with a lot of those fellows, some that
have started businesses and some that work at startups. So
I think there are different communities within those communities that
I can leverage for different purposes that you know, I've
helped in ways that I can't even begin to recall,
even if it's an intro or just an ear. Things
just come up. Things just happen for you when you
(15:25):
when you expand your network with people that are interested
in some of the same things that you are, whether
you're following the same path or not.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Most definitely, and you know, speaking of expanding your network
of people interested in the same things, you know you
are definitely a part of this environmentalist community as well
as now the entrepreneurial community. So maybe can you double
click on how you're expanding your network with keeping school
in college away for a second, but like post college
(15:53):
and post schooling, how have you been able to expand
your network of other environmentalists or other just entrepreneurs in
your surrounding area.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
So it's a pretty tight knit community, and many of them,
you know, you meet one and then they introduce you
to another person in their community, and even if that
one on one connection doesn't happen, I also get to
see who's a part of their community. So I was
finding a lot of people that were involved in the
environmentalist movement from creators that I was following and entrepreneurs
(16:22):
that I was following, and she exposed me to people
who were like minded and were doing, you know, their
own thing. I would say. Another good example is I
was asked to mentor in the Times of Main incubator program.
So there were both mentors like myself who had some
level of involvement in environmentalism and then activists who as
(16:46):
another layer of people involved in the environmentalism movement. And
so one of the other mentors posted about an event
happening here in New York tomorrow, So I'm going to
go to that, So who knows who all while meet there,
But you know, just capping in with people following their
work and networking not always vertically, but also be horizontal,
(17:09):
like people that are working at different level different stages
that you know are still maybe on the ground level
one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
You know, being the founder of such an innovative business
means that you have to really use every part of
your brand, which means the logistical side of running the
business every day as well as the creative side. So, Sierra,
do you have any strategies for keeping your books balanced
while using community connections and networking to raise money and
crew your business at the same time.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
First, you need a good bookkeeper. I really love the
bookkeeping team that we have. What they have really impressed
me with is they built us a financial dashboard that
lists all of our spending in and out. We have
budget templates and all the sales are linked to transactions
in quick books, so I can always see in real
(17:59):
time time how far or how close we are to
being on budget. So I would say that has been
a really monumental process that we've implemented. It really gives
me peace of mind. And that was a connection that
I had made through someone else who I knew through
someone else who I knew through someone else.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
It's that mental rolodex.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
I mean, come on now, Yeah, it goes back deep,
coming up after the break. The only way we're going
to grow is by serving this community and serving them well.
So I want to give them the opportunity to help
guide our product development roadmap. With a few dollars we have.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
We'll be right back with Mine the Business. Welcome back
to Mind the Business, Small business success stories from iHeartMedia's
Ruby Studio and Into It QuickBooks. So, Sierra, you've spoken
(19:00):
in interviews about the challenges of being a black business owner,
and as an entrepreneur coach myself, I know very well
the statistics do not favor people of color, especially when
it comes to raising capital and funding. Can you talk
about what have been some of the challenges that you've
faced in your journey and do you have any examples
of where your community has come in to overcome them
(19:22):
or to help you overcome them.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
I'll start with that one. So with the product like
hours that is predominantly used by black women and people
of color in general who wear braids, I would say
I don't have to spend as much time explaining or
convincing them that this problem exists and that the solution
should also exist, and so I get a lot of
(19:43):
excitement when I tell people within our community about what
we're doing, and you know, they want to refer their
friends and their co workers, their family members who identify
with this issue. On average, one in three wearers are
going to experience scalp rotation while wearing braids. So if
I'm talking to someone who looks like me, if they
themselves are not prone to scalp rotation, they know someone
(20:05):
else that is. And so we've been able to leverage
word of mouth in that regard. But with that has
come challenges on the funding side and the storytelling side
of making a compelling case for this problem that we're
solving in the solution that we've developed, because there's very
limited data that exists around consumer behavior in this category
(20:30):
spend in terms of how the market is segmented players
along the value chain. These are privately held companies whose
data is not made public, So we're making assumptions and
educated guesses based on the data that we can find.
And venture capitalists are data driven. They make decisions based
on biases that they see in their portfolio, but also
(20:54):
readily available data that helps drive their investment decisions. So
that's two things that I can't always provide in a
very astute manner because it doesn't exist. So when I
get frustrated, I find myself saying, like, what you're asking
me for does not exist.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
It literally doesn't exist.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Here's what I can tell you. And so having to
give really thoughtful answers while also being candidate that we're
building in a white space, and we know that there's
money flowing through here because that much is available online,
but some of the more nitty gritty details that are
more readily available through consumer research is not quite there
(21:33):
for hair extensions today.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Well that makes sense, right, because it really depends on
who's doing the research and who they're talking to, and
a lot of this information can be very anecdotal, and
it's not something that you'd necessarily have a pie chart
that you can go and reference to. So it makes
sense why you'd have those challenges. There was a recent
statistics that I read the other day that was about
forty six percent of black business owners site community support
(21:57):
as a primary motivation of their business. Would you say
that that's a primary motivating factor for you one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
I would say since the beginning, we've always had a
good relationship with our community, and more so today because
a lot of my focus this quarter, in this year
is on building relationships with beauty supply stores and salons,
and so I get a lot of energy from talking
with these usually sole proprietors about their small business and
(22:26):
their challenges and what they need to succeed, and why
we should work together, why they should carry a product
like hours in their store. Many of them are taking
a bet on us because we're a new product and
a higher price point in a category that has not
seen partly any innovation, and so I have to explain
to them why we're doing what we're doing, what success
(22:47):
we've seen to date, and then in return, I get
to learn about their individual businesses, how they came into
the beauty industry, what questions they get from their customer base.
So it's really rewarding to be able to network pretty horizontally. Actually,
they are small business owners like I am.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Technically all right, So we've talked about the importance of
networking amongst your entrepreneurial circle, and we did talk about
how community has impacted your own mission as an entrepreneur.
What strategies do you have for fostering returning and happy customers.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Good customer service and authenticity, also being able to connect
with your community in person. So we're prioritizing more of
that this year as well. But I would say I've
seen huge returns from providing customers with a pleasant experience
from checkout to install. So we have our Braiker's directory
(23:41):
on our site, which allows our customers to browse professionals
near them if they want to go to a rebund
to approved breider, and even something as simple as software
that we have on the site that makes suggestions, our
FAQs that are really thorough, and having a chatbot on
our website for quick answers. So you know, really just
(24:01):
trying to provide a seamless shopping experience for our audience
has really paid off in terms of returning customer rate,
but also building a really strong opportunity for referrals from
one customer to another.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
That's great. That word of mouth is really powerful, so
when it's harnessed in a way that's strategic, I think
it can have a really big impact on building out
that community for sure.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
So before this interview, Sierra, I jumped on your website
and I clicked around on your products, and I saw
you had a bunch of great reviews. But while looking
at these reviews, I also saw that you were doing
a really good job of getting back to people right,
thanking them for their feedback or even their considerations moving
forward for your products. So how has reviews helped you
foster community, helped you find your super fans and those
(24:47):
awesome returning customers.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
It's a great question. The reviews can be scary, Like
whenever I get that email they have a new review,
my heart always drops good or bad, and so I
always make a point in as usually me responding if
not one more person from my team. But I always
think it's a good idea to make sure people feel
validated with their reviews because they're leaving it for the
(25:12):
company to see, but they're also leaving it for other
people to see. So I just want to make sure
that they feel like their concerns have been acknowledged. In
some of them, we may send them an email separately
asking for more questions or asking them if we can
use their review for content, etc. So I think that
reviews are a really key way to build trust among
(25:35):
new customers. Your current customers are probably not reviewing the
reviews till after the fact, but it does give new
customers an opportunity to make an informed purchase. The only
way we're going to grow is by serving this community
and serving them well. So I want to give them
the opportunity to help guide our product development roadmap with
a few dollars we have.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I love that perspective, and Jennie and I are always
looking for sort of you know, the happy customers and
the people who are leaving the reviews, especially the positive ones,
are the people who go out and tell people about
your product, right So having that awesome relationship with them
and sort of building a community of those super fans
I think is incredibly important for all solopreneurs out there
(26:16):
right now.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Yep him in percent.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
So you've talked about the importance of black women feeling
comfortable and cared for. How does that mission inform the
way that you build your brand and your market your products.
I would say in the.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Early days, we really wanted to evoke the feeling of
resting and being at peace and at ease and not
having to worry when you get your hair braided. And
since then that motif has evolved in the end to
end experience of getting your hair braided. So the other
(26:51):
products that we've added on in edge jail, which can
also be used as a do it all jail for
your install, high quality edgebrush, and we're launching some other
products later this year. We believe that when people get
their hair braided and they make an investment in this experience,
they're making an investment in the hair, but also in
(27:12):
the takedown and all the other steps that are involved
with getting braids, even to the person that's installing them.
So we're focused on making sure that when people think
about the future of hair extensions, it includes safe and
non toxic ingredients, a seamless checkout experience, a seamless install experience,
(27:34):
a seamless takedown experience, and reusing. Our bundles are on
average about an ounce and a half bigger than standard
plastic bundle, so you don't need as much hair for
an install with rebundle, and then because of the thickness
of the fibers, they're also better candidates to take down
(27:54):
and reuse them after your install. You can reuse the
bundles up to three times. You can wash them like normal.
You can also use drash shampoo if you're in a
rush and do it all over again, and once you're
done with the hair, it can be composted.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I love that. It's like you're infusing the idea of
luxury and that soft girl life into the brand.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
I guess so, yeah, I don't live a soft life,
but hopefully our customers do.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
I love it. So your products are great for the
health of the planet and the environment, but they're also
great for the health of your customers. What are the
plans that you have for Rebundle's future.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
We are continuing to explore other applications for the fiber
technology that we've developed, so other types of hair extensions
beyond just braids. And then I'm also really focused on
how we make this product more accessible and available. So
pricing is always going to be a point of contingency
(28:56):
for people that are trading up from a lower price synthetic,
but we know we can capture more of them with
different strategies in our pricing strategy. This one area that
we're working on this year, but also making sure that
the products are available in beauty supply stores, in big
box retailers where prestige beauty is because we do see
(29:17):
our product as a luxurious experience, So there's some development
on that side that we're working on to make this
product more widely available.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I love it. Do you have a story that sticks
out to you from your community that's really shifted your
mindset in any way?
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Yeah. I would say there's been a number of customers
who've told us that they're wearing braids again for the
first time in several years. It is something that they
thought just wasn't for them anymore. Their scalps couldn't tolerate it,
and so they've just sort of given up on it.
Which braids are an really intricate part of black culture
(29:55):
and black hair, So I can't imagine what it would
be like to not be able to wear braids, but
that is a lot of people's reality. So it's really
invigorating to hear from someone say that, you know, they
were able to wear braids again for the first time
in a long time, and they're able to rejoin part
of their culture.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
That's really important, and you're literally allowing folks to rejoin
the community that they're a part of and experience what
it is to embrace your culture proudly wear it. And
I think only a person from the community can understand
how to best serve that community in this case, and
I think you're doing an amazing job at this, Sierra,
(30:36):
So I just want to congratulate you and the team
at Rebundle. It's such an inspiring story, and I know
this is just the beginning of so many waves that
you're going to make in the haircare industry.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Thank you appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Where can we find you online?
Speaker 3 (30:49):
You can find us online at rebundle dot co and
on Instagram and TikTok with the same handle.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Amazing. Thank you Sierra for being here.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Thanks so much.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Yeah, thank you both.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Sierra and her story is such an inspiring example of
what success looks like, especially when you rely on your community. Austin,
I'm curious for you, what was your favorite part of
our discussion today.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I learned a lot from Sierra, not just from a solopreneur,
but also from someone who also studied a little bit
of entrepreneurship in school and was able to take that
into my own sort of journey here. But I think
the biggest takeaway for me was how important she thought
customer feedback and customer reviews were not just for her
(31:36):
business in real time right. She mentioned like, oh my gosh,
my heart drops because of how important it is to me,
you know, as the CEO of this business. So I
think just kind of leaning in on how important it
is for customer reviews, customer feedback to not just you know,
build new products and services for your customers, but also
find those super fans, right because the customers who love
(31:57):
your products are going to be the ones that drive
the new ten, fifteen, twenty customers.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Just having that one customer to refer you to all
their friends is so important, and I've certainly seen that
in my own entrepreneurial journey myself. So I would really
say that being able to identify and build community around
your biggest fans as customers and take their feedback into
account and launch new products with that feedback is just
really really important, while also reminding them like listen, here's
(32:24):
an email address. Send us all your positive feedback, negative feedback,
like we're here for it because it is what's part
of building a long standing business. What about you?
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah? I love that perspective, Austin, because I often get
the question should you launch the product or should you
build the community first? And I'm a firm believer that
you need to build the community first. You need to
get people excited about what it is that you're building,
and maybe even like bringing them along for the ride
can be such an awesome part of your whole marketing
strategy as a business. And I loved Sierra's perspective of
(32:58):
being a member of the community that she's trying to serve.
Right when she's able to identify the known issues that
come with installing synthetic hair. It just gives her a
unique perspective that I think makes her a better entrepreneur.
I think it gives her a strategic advantage versus someone
who would be coming in without any knowledge of what
(33:19):
those real pain points are from the customers that you're
trying to serve.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
I totally agree, right, And I think it was some
really good advice that she gave when we asked her
about what sort of piece of advice would you have
for someone who's trying to create a more sustainable product
that already exists out in the marketplace, and she said,
you know, you don't have to reinvent the wheel, right,
there's a ton of products out there right now that
do need a little bit of reinventing from a sustainability side.
Of the equation and that's exactly what she did. It's
(33:47):
just it's so inspiring.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Absolutely another incredible episode that was fantastic, And if you're
loving this show, you need to subscribe and continue.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
To follow us absolutely so, guys, you.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Can find me on social media at jokerotinto Podcast and.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
You can find me at Austin Hankwitz. You can follow
Into It QuickBooks on all social media at QuickBooks. To
get the tools you need to start, run and grow
your business, head to QuickBooks dot com today.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Don't forget to follow this show wherever you listen to
podcasts so you can stay up to date on future episodes.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
We also want to hear from you, so be sure
to leave us a rating and a review.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
See you next time.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
This podcast is a production of iHeartRadio and Into It QuickBooks.
Our executive producer is Malay Soshia, our supervising producer is
Nikia Swinton, and our writer is Eric Lijah.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Our head of post production is James Foster. QuickBooks Money
is a standalone Into It offering banking services provided by
Green dot Bank member FDIC only funds and envelopes earn
annual percentag yield. Apy can change at any time. Money
movement services provided by Intuit Payments Inc. Licensed as a
money transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial
Services
The views, information, or opinions express during this podcast are
solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent
those of intuitt, QuickBooks or any of its cornerstone brands
or employees. This podcast does not constitute financial, legal, or
other professional advice or services. No assurance is given that
the info is comprehensive, accurate, or free of errors, and
the information presented is for general information purposes only. Into
It QuickBooks does not have any responsibility for updating or
(00:22):
revising any information presented. Listeners should verify statements before relying
on them. QuickBooks Money is a standalone into It offering
banking services provided by Green Dot Bank member FDIC.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Hey everyone, I'm Austin Hankwitz.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
And I'm Jennise Torres. Welcome to Mind the Business Small
Business Success Stories, a podcast brought to you by Intowit,
QuickBooks and iHeartRadio's Ruby Studio. In each episode, Austin and
I chat with small business owners as they share their
stories about the ups and downs of owning a small business.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
That's right, Jenise, and I'm really excited to talk to
this episode's guests. But before we do that, let me
ask you. We've both traveled a lot. I know you
just got back from New York, which was really exciting,
and being an entrepreneur, we both have a little bit
of freedom as it relates to scheduling our trips. So
do you prefer to go on vacation and travel with
(01:17):
a group or by yourself?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I think there's a time and place for both. I
like the group travel. I like traveling with my family
and friends. But I also have been very intentional about
doing quarterly retreats as a solopreneur, and these are solo retreats,
so it's kind of my time to reset, plan for
the next quarter and just really give myself a break
(01:40):
from all the responsibilities that come with owning a business.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Mmm. I like that a lot, kind of giving yourself
the opportunity to reflect upon the last couple months here
and build the business that you know you're doing a
really good job of building. So you mentioned traveling solo
and doing that on a quarterly basis here, but it's
important to remember you're not ever really alone, right. You
still need that Uber driver, you still need the airplane pilot,
(02:04):
the hotel employees, or even just the random people you
meet at the coffee shops that are helping you out
and allowing you to have a good time, which is
just like when you're a solopreneur. No matter what industry
your enterprise falls into, you still need to have some
people in your corner, whether they're other founders with more experience,
or mentors that can help you out with business, or
(02:25):
even people that can guide you through the intricate paperwork
side of things. I've personally had a lot of intricate
paperwork come my way now that we are navigating tax season,
which is why I think QuickBooks Live is such an
instrumental tool in helping people build their businesses. Now with
QuickBooks Live, you'll have access to expert bookkeepers who will
(02:45):
help you keep your books organized and balanced.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
And who doesn't need that, honestly, because when you're a
solopreneur with a good team, you basically get the best
of both worlds. You run your own show, but you
still get live experts helping you achieve success.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Lloyd knows I need that same.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Oh my gosh, you know. It's just you got to
be able to not always try to be the smartest
person in the room. And I think as a solopreneur,
I've gotten really good at just knowing where my limitations lie,
not trying to DII why my way to success in
areas where I just don't have the expertise, and really
knowing and getting good at relying on my community to
(03:24):
source potential, you know, connections or new ideas that I
didn't even think.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
About one hundred percent, right, is like, wait a second,
I need to start caring about bookkeeping. I need to
start caring about taxes and payroll and things like that.
So what did I do. I've reached out to my
community of other solopreneurs and content creators to see what
they were doing right. And being able to lean on
your community when you have these types of problems, as
well as provide feedback to other people when they have
(03:50):
problems is probably one of the most rewarding things that
comes from being a solopreneur.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Absolutely. I think it's also really important as someone who
is hyper independent, right, And I'd like to say it's
the trauma response of being an eldest daughter and just
not wanting to ask for help. But one of the
things that I've learned in entrepreneurship is how critical it
is to have a sounding board that community. I think
(04:17):
about it a specific example where I got my first,
like multiple five figure influencer marketing brand deal, and I
was just like, I don't feel qualified to read these
legal contracts and I don't feel comfortable signing my life
away potentially, And so I called my mentor and I'm like,
do you have anybody who can help me with this?
And she actually introduced me to her agent, who now
(04:39):
manages my own partnerships too. And so it's just the
power of community is something that I don't think we
can emphasize enough because unless you're in this world of entrepreneurship,
most people around you are not even going to know how.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
To help you one hundred percent. And I just want
to also hammer home the idea that at least this
has been my experience and I'm sure it's been yours
as well, Janie, but like people are really excited to
meet other people who are solopreneurs or building small businesses. Right,
everyone believes that it's not a zero sum game. We
can all win together. And by me sharing with you
(05:14):
a tool or a resource, right, your mentor introducing you
to her agent didn't mean that you're taking anything from her.
I mean, we're all here to help each other. And
I think that's such a big, big, big thing for
solopreneurs to understand as they build their business. Right, It's
not a zero sum game and we can all win together.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Absolutely. With that being said, let's meet our next guest.
Sierra Monti May is an entrepreneur based out of New
York City. After suffering from one too many itchy scalps
while wearing her favorite protective styles, Sierra realized she deserved
(05:51):
better and set out on a mission to find it
for all of us. And when she couldn't find any
quality sustainable hair extension products, she decided to make her own.
Siara founded the first ever plant based faux hair brand, Rebundle.
In twenty twenty. She left her fintech job to pursue
Rebundle full time. She launched her first product, bread Better,
(06:12):
in twenty twenty one, and has since relaunched as a
direct to consumer brand and raised two point five million
dollars in seed money. Siera is passionate about providing quality products,
building a better Earth, and about the importance of black
women being cared for. Siera, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I first of all, love the name Rebundle. Can you
tell us the story behind it.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yes, it's a short one because I didn't come up
with the name myself, and I actually wasn't sold on
it at first. I didn't think it made sense for
what I thought we were going to be doing at
the time, but it was really catchy, so we stuck
with it and we've grown into the name.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah. I love that that it's not necessarily the first
idea that would come to your head. But when did
you know that this was the name that you wanted
to continue with, Like, what was that sign? Well?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I would sometimes feel not connected to the name rebundle
in those early days because the word bundle, in as
it relates to hair and pertains to hair, is a
colloquialism for human hair bundles, and I was squarely focused
on creating an alternative to synthetic hair, so I didn't
(07:26):
think it made sense in the context. But as the
product evolved and the brand evolved, it did make sense
because we started calling our products bundles rather than packs,
because we're providing a more luxurious experience and elevated experience,
and I wanted to disassociate from packs that are, you know,
anywhere from a dollar to eight dollars, something more premium,
(07:49):
like what we pay for human hair extensions. So it
started to make sense to me then, and I was like, oh, okay,
well we can we can keep I mean, we had
already spent so much on the branding at that point,
but I always had a nagging thought in the back
of mind, like someone's gonna call out that it doesn't
make sense to call it bundles. And then no one
ever did because we started moving in that direction.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
You have to believe it before anybody else does, right,
So I think it's part of just the importance of
having conviction when you're putting yourself out there as an
entrepreneur and as a brand.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Yeah, that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, I love that. Okay, So have you always been
into like sustainability in the environment.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
In a way, I can say that for as long
as I can remember, I've always had an inkling or
a desire to learn more about sustainability and what it
looks like, and just curious about how my presence on
Earth impacts the environment and the well being of the
(08:44):
environment in ways that I could mitigate, mitigate my individual contribution.
And I've always been very encouraging to other people at
the bare minimum, recycle and recycling really is the bare minimum,
And that was all that I knew of until I
started grad school. I went to USC and studied social entrepreneurship,
(09:04):
and I was just exposed to one a totally different
lifestyle in Los Angeles compared to the Midwest where I
grew up. But the projects that my classmates were working
on also exposed me to different types of sustainability and
just expanded that definition for me. So I took those
learnings and started to apply them to my own life
(09:26):
and got more curious about the movement for sustainability and
the zero waste lifestyle and content that was being created
around environmental justice and intersectional environmentalism. Just all these concepts
that I was learning about that really resonated with me
and then subsequently translated into the products that I was
(09:49):
using and am familiar with. And hair just made the
list because it was part of my life and my
identity at that time.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
That's brilliant. It's I think it's a good example of
just like how your environment and can influence you as
an entrepreneur, and how the community that you surround yourself
with can have a direct impact on what that business
turns into. So I'm curious for you, when did you
realize that there was a market for this that wasn't
being fulfilled.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
The summer of twenty nineteen, so I was working at
an HBCU and was wearing braids really often because I
was trying to figure out how to be an adult
and go to work on time and minimize my morning routine.
So at this very same time that I was learning
more about sustainability, I was having issues with scalp irritation
(10:37):
from the hair and just had this sort of aha
moment that maybe there was something more that could be
done about the way synthetic hare is disposed of. And
then that meant understanding, well what is it made out of?
And that brought up all this stuff about synthetic hair
being plastic. And I think at this time twenty nineteen,
(11:01):
somebody had just passed a law or some regulation change
that we couldn't ship our trash to China anymore, and
all these things that was coming up about the world
changing and responding to climate change, and I'm just sitting
here scratching my head and like, well, this is a
plastic product that is probably not on anyone's radar and
(11:23):
could use innovation like everything else.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
It's kind of amazing that this all came together the
way it did because you built something that falls in
line with your values of sustainability and also is providing
a solution to scalp irritation when people get synthetic extensions,
And just for those listening who may not know, oftentimes,
when people get extensions in a form like braids, like
you mentioned, you can use human hair, which costs a
(11:47):
lot more money, or you can use synthetic hare, which
is more popular because the lower costs and higher access,
but the quality is not as good as human hair.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, I remember being really excited about this question of
if it's plastic, can it be recycled, which I then
learned that all plastics are technically recyclable, but it's dependent
on the municipality and what they want what they don't want.
Hair was likely never going to make the list, but
I wanted to know for the heart to recycle plastics
(12:18):
like synthetic hair, you know, where could you send it
for it to be properly disposed of? And there were
not any initiatives that were focused on this waststream in
particular because it's a product that's predominantly used and worn
by black women. So I knew that if I wanted
to find a way to sustainably dispose of it, I
was probably going to have to create it myself, because
(12:40):
nobody was looking at this waste stream as one that
needed attention. So the recycling program was developed and has
since been maintained as a way for people to choose
sustainability no matter where they are in their journeys, and
to help mitigate some of the waste that's created by
this industry. Overall.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I love that. I think it's so powerful, and I
really commend you for sort of building that from scratch.
You talked about studying entrepreneurship in school, and you know,
I studied a little bit of entrepreneurship. I think I
took a couple classes in college myself, But I don't
think school really prepares you for entrepreneurship, right, So were
there maybe challenges that school did prepare you for versus
(13:24):
have anything you know blindsided you? You've phraised two point
one million dollars. I don't remember learning how to do
that in school.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I didn't learn how to do that in school either,
And I've actually raised two and a half million dollars
since twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Two and a half. Okay, I stand corrected.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
But I think that the only thing that can teach
you how to be an entrepreneur is to be one
and to like be in the thick of it. But
what I was grateful for in both undergrad and grad
was to help develop my entrepreneurial mindset and to give
me the right community who were also working on challenging
problems and starting things from scratch. Also helped with the
(14:01):
vocabulary and certain concepts and practices that I didn't know beforehand.
And it was interesting and I didn't know I could
make a career out of it before I started school,
So I feel like I got a lot of that.
And I do find that people who are just starting
out and didn't study entrepreneurship in school are like starting
(14:22):
from scratch.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
You mentioned something really important, which was community. When you're
in school, you're surrounded by other people who are excited
about entrepreneurship. I'm curious how that community has followed you
outside of school. Have you leaned on them at all
with different problems over the past few years.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah, I would say yes to all of the above.
There are definitely people that I met in undergrad that
I've gone back to, whether that be professors or students alike,
that I've been able to go back to for questions
or feedback, support, introductions, etc. And then following me from
undergrad all the way way through my fellowship with VFA,
(15:03):
I'm friends with a lot of those fellows, some that
have started businesses and some that work at startups. So
I think there are different communities within those communities that
I can leverage for different purposes that you know, I've
helped in ways that I can't even begin to recall,
even if it's an intro or just an ear. Things
just come up. Things just happen for you when you
(15:25):
when you expand your network with people that are interested
in some of the same things that you are, whether
you're following the same path or not.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Most definitely, and you know, speaking of expanding your network
of people interested in the same things, you know you
are definitely a part of this environmentalist community as well
as now the entrepreneurial community. So maybe can you double
click on how you're expanding your network with keeping school
in college away for a second, but like post college
(15:53):
and post schooling, how have you been able to expand
your network of other environmentalists or other just entrepreneurs in
your surrounding area.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
So it's a pretty tight knit community, and many of them,
you know, you meet one and then they introduce you
to another person in their community, and even if that
one on one connection doesn't happen, I also get to
see who's a part of their community. So I was
finding a lot of people that were involved in the
environmentalist movement from creators that I was following and entrepreneurs
(16:22):
that I was following, and she exposed me to people
who were like minded and were doing, you know, their
own thing. I would say. Another good example is I
was asked to mentor in the Times of Main incubator program.
So there were both mentors like myself who had some
level of involvement in environmentalism and then activists who as
(16:46):
another layer of people involved in the environmentalism movement. And
so one of the other mentors posted about an event
happening here in New York tomorrow, So I'm going to
go to that, So who knows who all while meet there,
But you know, just capping in with people following their
work and networking not always vertically, but also be horizontal,
(17:09):
like people that are working at different level different stages
that you know are still maybe on the ground level
one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
You know, being the founder of such an innovative business
means that you have to really use every part of
your brand, which means the logistical side of running the
business every day as well as the creative side. So, Sierra,
do you have any strategies for keeping your books balanced
while using community connections and networking to raise money and
crew your business at the same time.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
First, you need a good bookkeeper. I really love the
bookkeeping team that we have. What they have really impressed
me with is they built us a financial dashboard that
lists all of our spending in and out. We have
budget templates and all the sales are linked to transactions
in quick books, so I can always see in real
(17:59):
time time how far or how close we are to
being on budget. So I would say that has been
a really monumental process that we've implemented. It really gives
me peace of mind. And that was a connection that
I had made through someone else who I knew through
someone else who I knew through someone else.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
It's that mental rolodex.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
I mean, come on now, Yeah, it goes back deep,
coming up after the break. The only way we're going
to grow is by serving this community and serving them well.
So I want to give them the opportunity to help
guide our product development roadmap. With a few dollars we have.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
We'll be right back with Mine the Business. Welcome back
to Mind the Business, Small business success stories from iHeartMedia's
Ruby Studio and Into It QuickBooks. So, Sierra, you've spoken
(19:00):
in interviews about the challenges of being a black business owner,
and as an entrepreneur coach myself, I know very well
the statistics do not favor people of color, especially when
it comes to raising capital and funding. Can you talk
about what have been some of the challenges that you've
faced in your journey and do you have any examples
of where your community has come in to overcome them
(19:22):
or to help you overcome them.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
I'll start with that one. So with the product like
hours that is predominantly used by black women and people
of color in general who wear braids, I would say
I don't have to spend as much time explaining or
convincing them that this problem exists and that the solution
should also exist, and so I get a lot of
(19:43):
excitement when I tell people within our community about what
we're doing, and you know, they want to refer their
friends and their co workers, their family members who identify
with this issue. On average, one in three wearers are
going to experience scalp rotation while wearing braids. So if
I'm talking to someone who looks like me, if they
themselves are not prone to scalp rotation, they know someone
(20:05):
else that is. And so we've been able to leverage
word of mouth in that regard. But with that has
come challenges on the funding side and the storytelling side
of making a compelling case for this problem that we're
solving in the solution that we've developed, because there's very
limited data that exists around consumer behavior in this category
(20:30):
spend in terms of how the market is segmented players
along the value chain. These are privately held companies whose
data is not made public, So we're making assumptions and
educated guesses based on the data that we can find.
And venture capitalists are data driven. They make decisions based
on biases that they see in their portfolio, but also
(20:54):
readily available data that helps drive their investment decisions. So
that's two things that I can't always provide in a
very astute manner because it doesn't exist. So when I
get frustrated, I find myself saying, like, what you're asking
me for does not exist.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
It literally doesn't exist.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Here's what I can tell you. And so having to
give really thoughtful answers while also being candidate that we're
building in a white space, and we know that there's
money flowing through here because that much is available online,
but some of the more nitty gritty details that are
more readily available through consumer research is not quite there
(21:33):
for hair extensions today.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Well that makes sense, right, because it really depends on
who's doing the research and who they're talking to, and
a lot of this information can be very anecdotal, and
it's not something that you'd necessarily have a pie chart
that you can go and reference to. So it makes
sense why you'd have those challenges. There was a recent
statistics that I read the other day that was about
forty six percent of black business owners site community support
(21:57):
as a primary motivation of their business. Would you say
that that's a primary motivating factor for you one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
I would say since the beginning, we've always had a
good relationship with our community, and more so today because
a lot of my focus this quarter, in this year
is on building relationships with beauty supply stores and salons,
and so I get a lot of energy from talking
with these usually sole proprietors about their small business and
(22:26):
their challenges and what they need to succeed, and why
we should work together, why they should carry a product
like hours in their store. Many of them are taking
a bet on us because we're a new product and
a higher price point in a category that has not
seen partly any innovation, and so I have to explain
to them why we're doing what we're doing, what success
(22:47):
we've seen to date, and then in return, I get
to learn about their individual businesses, how they came into
the beauty industry, what questions they get from their customer base.
So it's really rewarding to be able to network pretty horizontally. Actually,
they are small business owners like I am.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Technically all right, So we've talked about the importance of
networking amongst your entrepreneurial circle, and we did talk about
how community has impacted your own mission as an entrepreneur.
What strategies do you have for fostering returning and happy customers.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Good customer service and authenticity, also being able to connect
with your community in person. So we're prioritizing more of
that this year as well. But I would say I've
seen huge returns from providing customers with a pleasant experience
from checkout to install. So we have our Braiker's directory
(23:41):
on our site, which allows our customers to browse professionals
near them if they want to go to a rebund
to approved breider, and even something as simple as software
that we have on the site that makes suggestions, our
FAQs that are really thorough, and having a chatbot on
our website for quick answers. So you know, really just
(24:01):
trying to provide a seamless shopping experience for our audience
has really paid off in terms of returning customer rate,
but also building a really strong opportunity for referrals from
one customer to another.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
That's great. That word of mouth is really powerful, so
when it's harnessed in a way that's strategic, I think
it can have a really big impact on building out
that community for sure.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
So before this interview, Sierra, I jumped on your website
and I clicked around on your products, and I saw
you had a bunch of great reviews. But while looking
at these reviews, I also saw that you were doing
a really good job of getting back to people right,
thanking them for their feedback or even their considerations moving
forward for your products. So how has reviews helped you
foster community, helped you find your super fans and those
(24:47):
awesome returning customers.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
It's a great question. The reviews can be scary, Like
whenever I get that email they have a new review,
my heart always drops good or bad, and so I
always make a point in as usually me responding if
not one more person from my team. But I always
think it's a good idea to make sure people feel
validated with their reviews because they're leaving it for the
(25:12):
company to see, but they're also leaving it for other
people to see. So I just want to make sure
that they feel like their concerns have been acknowledged. In
some of them, we may send them an email separately
asking for more questions or asking them if we can
use their review for content, etc. So I think that
reviews are a really key way to build trust among
(25:35):
new customers. Your current customers are probably not reviewing the
reviews till after the fact, but it does give new
customers an opportunity to make an informed purchase. The only
way we're going to grow is by serving this community
and serving them well. So I want to give them
the opportunity to help guide our product development roadmap with
a few dollars we have.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I love that perspective, and Jennie and I are always
looking for sort of you know, the happy customers and
the people who are leaving the reviews, especially the positive ones,
are the people who go out and tell people about
your product, right So having that awesome relationship with them
and sort of building a community of those super fans
I think is incredibly important for all solopreneurs out there
(26:16):
right now.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Yep him in percent.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
So you've talked about the importance of black women feeling
comfortable and cared for. How does that mission inform the
way that you build your brand and your market your products.
I would say in the.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Early days, we really wanted to evoke the feeling of
resting and being at peace and at ease and not
having to worry when you get your hair braided. And
since then that motif has evolved in the end to
end experience of getting your hair braided. So the other
(26:51):
products that we've added on in edge jail, which can
also be used as a do it all jail for
your install, high quality edgebrush, and we're launching some other
products later this year. We believe that when people get
their hair braided and they make an investment in this experience,
they're making an investment in the hair, but also in
(27:12):
the takedown and all the other steps that are involved
with getting braids, even to the person that's installing them.
So we're focused on making sure that when people think
about the future of hair extensions, it includes safe and
non toxic ingredients, a seamless checkout experience, a seamless install experience,
(27:34):
a seamless takedown experience, and reusing. Our bundles are on
average about an ounce and a half bigger than standard
plastic bundle, so you don't need as much hair for
an install with rebundle, and then because of the thickness
of the fibers, they're also better candidates to take down
(27:54):
and reuse them after your install. You can reuse the
bundles up to three times. You can wash them like normal.
You can also use drash shampoo if you're in a
rush and do it all over again, and once you're
done with the hair, it can be composted.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I love that. It's like you're infusing the idea of
luxury and that soft girl life into the brand.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
I guess so, yeah, I don't live a soft life,
but hopefully our customers do.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
I love it. So your products are great for the
health of the planet and the environment, but they're also
great for the health of your customers. What are the
plans that you have for Rebundle's future.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
We are continuing to explore other applications for the fiber
technology that we've developed, so other types of hair extensions
beyond just braids. And then I'm also really focused on
how we make this product more accessible and available. So
pricing is always going to be a point of contingency
(28:56):
for people that are trading up from a lower price synthetic,
but we know we can capture more of them with
different strategies in our pricing strategy. This one area that
we're working on this year, but also making sure that
the products are available in beauty supply stores, in big
box retailers where prestige beauty is because we do see
(29:17):
our product as a luxurious experience, So there's some development
on that side that we're working on to make this
product more widely available.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
I love it. Do you have a story that sticks
out to you from your community that's really shifted your
mindset in any way?
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Yeah. I would say there's been a number of customers
who've told us that they're wearing braids again for the
first time in several years. It is something that they
thought just wasn't for them anymore. Their scalps couldn't tolerate it,
and so they've just sort of given up on it.
Which braids are an really intricate part of black culture
(29:55):
and black hair, So I can't imagine what it would
be like to not be able to wear braids, but
that is a lot of people's reality. So it's really
invigorating to hear from someone say that, you know, they
were able to wear braids again for the first time
in a long time, and they're able to rejoin part
of their culture.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
That's really important, and you're literally allowing folks to rejoin
the community that they're a part of and experience what
it is to embrace your culture proudly wear it. And
I think only a person from the community can understand
how to best serve that community in this case, and
I think you're doing an amazing job at this, Sierra,
(30:36):
So I just want to congratulate you and the team
at Rebundle. It's such an inspiring story, and I know
this is just the beginning of so many waves that
you're going to make in the haircare industry.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Thank you appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Where can we find you online?
Speaker 3 (30:49):
You can find us online at rebundle dot co and
on Instagram and TikTok with the same handle.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Amazing. Thank you Sierra for being here.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Thanks so much.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Yeah, thank you both.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Sierra and her story is such an inspiring example of
what success looks like, especially when you rely on your community. Austin,
I'm curious for you, what was your favorite part of
our discussion today.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I learned a lot from Sierra, not just from a solopreneur,
but also from someone who also studied a little bit
of entrepreneurship in school and was able to take that
into my own sort of journey here. But I think
the biggest takeaway for me was how important she thought
customer feedback and customer reviews were not just for her
(31:36):
business in real time right. She mentioned like, oh my gosh,
my heart drops because of how important it is to me,
you know, as the CEO of this business. So I
think just kind of leaning in on how important it
is for customer reviews, customer feedback to not just you know,
build new products and services for your customers, but also
find those super fans, right because the customers who love
(31:57):
your products are going to be the ones that drive
the new ten, fifteen, twenty customers.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Just having that one customer to refer you to all
their friends is so important, and I've certainly seen that
in my own entrepreneurial journey myself. So I would really
say that being able to identify and build community around
your biggest fans as customers and take their feedback into
account and launch new products with that feedback is just
really really important, while also reminding them like listen, here's
(32:24):
an email address. Send us all your positive feedback, negative feedback,
like we're here for it because it is what's part
of building a long standing business. What about you?
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah? I love that perspective, Austin, because I often get
the question should you launch the product or should you
build the community first? And I'm a firm believer that
you need to build the community first. You need to
get people excited about what it is that you're building,
and maybe even like bringing them along for the ride
can be such an awesome part of your whole marketing
strategy as a business. And I loved Sierra's perspective of
(32:58):
being a member of the community that she's trying to serve.
Right when she's able to identify the known issues that
come with installing synthetic hair. It just gives her a
unique perspective that I think makes her a better entrepreneur.
I think it gives her a strategic advantage versus someone
who would be coming in without any knowledge of what
(33:19):
those real pain points are from the customers that you're
trying to serve.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
I totally agree, right, And I think it was some
really good advice that she gave when we asked her
about what sort of piece of advice would you have
for someone who's trying to create a more sustainable product
that already exists out in the marketplace, and she said,
you know, you don't have to reinvent the wheel, right,
there's a ton of products out there right now that
do need a little bit of reinventing from a sustainability side.
Of the equation and that's exactly what she did. It's
(33:47):
just it's so inspiring.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
Absolutely another incredible episode that was fantastic, And if you're
loving this show, you need to subscribe and continue.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
To follow us absolutely so, guys, you.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Can find me on social media at jokerotinto Podcast and.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
You can find me at Austin Hankwitz. You can follow
Into It QuickBooks on all social media at QuickBooks. To
get the tools you need to start, run and grow
your business, head to QuickBooks dot com today.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Don't forget to follow this show wherever you listen to
podcasts so you can stay up to date on future episodes.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
We also want to hear from you, so be sure
to leave us a rating and a review.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
See you next time.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
This podcast is a production of iHeartRadio and Into It QuickBooks.
Our executive producer is Malay Soshia, our supervising producer is
Nikia Swinton, and our writer is Eric Lijah.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Our head of post production is James Foster. QuickBooks Money
is a standalone Into It offering banking services provided by
Green dot Bank member FDIC only funds and envelopes earn
annual percentag yield. Apy can change at any time. Money
movement services provided by Intuit Payments Inc. Licensed as a
money transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial
Services
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.