Carolyn Aronson On Building 'It's a 10 Haircare,' Lessons Learned, Partnering With Fat Joe + More
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
What's up his way up at Angela Yee, I'm here.
And of course it's a Wealth Wednesday, so my partners
Stacey Tisday is here.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Happy Wealth Wednesday. And it is a ten on Wealth
Wednesdays today. You know, I had to say that, Oh
my gosh, because we have the founding it's a ten.
I'm sorry, it's a ten because we have the founder
and CEO of It's A ten hair Care and I
think one of the first, if not the only, and
certainly one of the few self made Latina billionaires with
(00:32):
the creating a company that has over a billion dollar valuation. Yes,
that's Carolyn Aaronson in the house.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Thank you so much, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
And I was scited to be here and I was
telling you I use It's A ten haircare products and
I like. What I like about it is the spray
to leave in that I could just spray in my
hair and then you guys have developed that so like
just an amazing line of products.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
I remember when it was just.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
That, that's right.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
So I started one bottle and now over ten million
bottles a years old of that one bottle just in
the US.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Just that product.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Please talk to me, because this is always fascinating to me,
and because I didn't, I found out who you were
later and I'm gonna tell you how. But when I
first initially started using the product, you know, I do
care so much about who's behind the product, and so
just talk to me about yourself and what made you
even develop this one product that you initially started with.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
As you started as a hairdresser, you were just eighteen
years old.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
I mean I was sixteen when I started. I've been
a hairdresser for forty one years. I still have a
license in two states because my mother pounded it in
my head.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Keep it, it's yours.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
You can never take it from you. No one can
take these hands away. So anything happens, I can always
go back to hair.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Right.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
You'll think you, hey, you never know.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
We think you're okay.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Seam worse. Yeah, I think you're gonna be okay.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
I'm worse.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
But there is that mentality when you come from where
you come from and you make it that you always are, Like,
I got to be prepared in cases can all go away.
Speaker 5 (01:59):
You got to make sure people can't, you know, take
from you what you really justly earned.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Look where you came from. You were taken out into
foster care at how old.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
So I was in foster care from birth to two
years old, and then I was adopted at the age
of two by the clever half I say, by the
Cleavers junior ward like very American Midwest.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Actually they were.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
They were New Yorkers originally, but I was raised in
the Midwest. And but really just just super loving devoted
parents that were very white.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But what a blessing to have loving devoted parents.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
Amen, I mean, I really obviously has a lot to
do with who I am today. I always say my
birth mother gave me life, but they showed me how
to live life, and that's really really important to have
that influence. It really helped meld me, I think, to
be this kind of hybrid person, this little bit of
a crazy Latina with a little finance.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Did they tell you your story, like, did you know
that you were adapted? Is that something they discussed with
you or was that something they waited till way later
in life?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
You know that. I always got to ask that question.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
They never sat us down and like said, hey, you're adopted.
I was adopted with a biological brother. He was like
four at the time, and they had two of their
own sons, so the family picture was a little obvious, okay.
And my brother had an afro and darker skin, and
I'm definitely probably a little whiter. As far as coloring,
I could, I could pass as multiculture. He definitely looked
(03:31):
very Hispanic. So it was nothing they ever had to
sit down and tell us that we were adopted. It
was a part of our lives. They used to say,
you're chosen. How they said that beautiful way you chose me.
But they never really sat down and had to announce
anything to us.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
It was very obvious.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
You and I had an amazing conversation the other day
and we were talking a little bit about my work
and financial behavior and how those first lessons, those first
impressions you get about money, stay with you for the
rest of your life and create these habits. And you
were saying, the first things they taught you were curiosity
and financial literacy. They both seemed to you know, I
(04:12):
think the curiosity was in my bones.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
I remember getting my first birthday card with money in
it at the age of five, and it had a
big five on the front with a cat, and I
opened it up and there was a five dollar bill.
I was literally like here and I hid it and
I saved it, and I'm like, how can I get more?
So that's just part of my I think my mindset
that I like to I wanted to know how I
(04:37):
could turn fives into tens, into twenties into fifties and
so on, and that's why.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So they'd make you things up when you wanted to
figure something in.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
So but as far as the literacy part, absolutely, I
was eight years old. My father took all four kids
to the bank. We opened up bank account nice way.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:54):
They from day one, and I was the youngest of
three girls excuse me, three boys. So it was three
older boys and myself was the only girl in the
youngest and I think he used to want to make
sure that I had the mindset that I could be
equal to them, okay, And so from day one he
treated me the same. I was one of the boys.
As far as how he educated me with finances, how
(05:17):
he taught me how to be financially literate, how he
taught me how to.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Pay myself first. That was one of his terms. To
yourself first.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
That's a blessed and that does not mean go buy
the shoes because that's what we girls do, right. It
means put your money away, let a compound take care
of yourself, say for those rainy days.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Make sure you have insurance. You know.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
I was an independent contractor from day one. I my
four little foot square that I worked in every day.
I was ten ninety nine, so I had to do
my own taxes. I had to pay my own quarterly,
so I had to get my own insurances. So I
lot to I really, at a young age, learn how
to be a business.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
You know, they've said that they've done studies that kids,
the earlier you open up a bank account, the better
they'll be with money later on in life.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Definitely.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah, And we had a whole conversation about that.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I was telling one of my friends he should open
up a bank account for his daughter.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
She's like five years old. But I was like, that
would be a great idea.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
And I was like, imagine, let her get the statements right,
let her see.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
What compounding interest means. Let her see like even at
a young age, like I can remember writing in my
little passport book. You know, that's how we used to
do it back then. We literally had to do journal entries.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Well, that led to me doing journal entries in my
business at the age of you know, when I was older.
So when you kind of get that mindset of actually
regulating and looking and processing the ins and outs, what.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Did your parents do for a living.
Speaker 5 (06:36):
I'm just curious that my father actually was manager of
labor relations for Ford Mortar Company. He worked himself up
from a clerk, so he was in the business world
within four but really started, you know, from nothing there.
My mother was a Columbia University grad, very smart woman.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But a stay at home mom.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
Okay, so, but she was you know, she also taught
me another edge, right, and I had a little bit
of everything because she was a smart woman and a
very independent thinker, an environmentalist long before it was even
popular to be environmental.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
You know.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
She had the other side. One was a Democrat, one
was a Republican. So I got a little bit of both,
you know.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
That's why I'm an independent. It's like you just take
it all in, take it all in.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
And you just take a little bit of everything and
you kind of become you know that it's like the
sauce of life, so to speak. All you just pull
it all in and become a very you know, diversified person.
I think my hair care brand was diversified from day
one because how.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I was raised, right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I also love that I hear in that I see
now you're in my wheelhouse. I call them childhood money scripts,
those early lessons. And you remind me of a female
CEO that I know who was also the only girl
and a family of boys. And she said she's very
comfortable sitting and advocating for herself at a boardroom at
a table full of men. And you've told me that
(07:56):
about you too.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
And I get to asked that question a lot by women.
How do you feel when you're in a room full
of manner? How do you get through it? What does
your you know inner self tell you to maybe work
through some of those moments? And truthfully, first of all,
probably the way I was raised has a bit of
my mindset.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I played every sport. I was very competitive. You can't
beat them, join them. I wanted the underwear with the
hole in the front, you know, no reason.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
Were fullly underwear, and I just blew their mind because
I wanted to be like them, or at least equal.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
To Yeah, no, I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
I'm a I mean, I just have one older brother,
but they definitely raised me like I was just like
him too, other than the fact that I couldn't have
company of the opposite sex and he could.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
But know.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
That.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
But let's say so, let's start talking about when you
decided you wanted to become an entrepreneur. So you're a
licensed cosmetologist as well, which is important too because there's
a lot of people who do here but they may
not necessarily be licensed. Why was that important for you?
Speaker 5 (09:01):
You know, first of all, I think, like my mother said, uh,
be anything you want to be in life, but be
the best you can be at it. So I think
educating yourself in your field, getting better at it, honing it,
and actually taking additional courses beyond just the basics is
how you actually excel in what you love to do.
(09:21):
And so that was really the mindset behind it. And
you know, it's funny because she was an Ivy League
grad and her friends were like, aren't you disappointed your
daughter's going to beauty school?
Speaker 4 (09:31):
And she said, no, no.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
I'm not disappointed.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
I think she's got to do amazing at it.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
So yeah, and so rather than than you know, belittling
someone or receiving that negativity. You know, I had a
parent who actually really said, you know what, go to beauty.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
School, then then get additional training.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
I went to Videlsa soon training school after and then
really from there she said, go to college at night
because I knew I wanted to be a salon owner.
She said, if you want to really excel in business,
get some biggest business background.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And that's what I did. I never fully graduated.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
She actually wanted me to go back to college, even
though after I had made it. She's like, come on,
just cash up for you. I'm like, I think I'm good, mom,
But yeah, you know, hard Knock's life.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Is my degree.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Where to get that passion from? Though? To want to
know that you wanted to own a salon.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
I was in my blood. I was eight years old
and said it was going to be a hairdresser. I
waivered actually in high school, thought I was going to
go to.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Nursing, did that a little bit, then went back to
hair and that's good, right, you know what, It's good
to waiver. It's good to feel things out. It's good
to challenge your doubts and your questions and experiencings. But
then from there, I knowing I was probably nineteen new
I wanted to own a salon, and it took me
to thirty to do it.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Oh wow, really took me.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
To thirty to do it. But you know it was
I knew it was something I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
So what was happening during that time between nineteen and thirty.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Oh, my goodness, partying in a beauty industry back then,
you know, it was out every night.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
No, it was a combination.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
It was a combination of things, probably some immaturity, but
also really just enjoying my craft, building, building and getting
better at what I did. I wasn't born a good
hair dress you know. Some people were just artists from
day one.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I definitely had to be taught.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
I had to really hone my craft to be really
good at it, and so, you know, that had a
lot to do with it, I think. And also I
was building my empire financially. I knew that when I
wanted to own my own business, I had to do
it myself. I didn't have wealthy parents that were going
to set me up. I had a father who said,
let's go to the library and figure out how to
(11:46):
write a business plan.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
But that was pretty much it. So yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
And if I ever borrowed a penny from my parents,
it was paid back with interest. My father was really
really strict about teaching me how to.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Actually you know, he says, I mean, you know, use
me as a bank, but you're going to pay.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
These Did you negotiate interest rates? Or I did not?
Speaker 5 (12:06):
He told me, this is what I'm getting in my
market share right now, and this is what you're gonna
pay me, and I, yeah, I did.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Do you think that has any you started you created
this business without taking on any debt, yes, or any investors
using your own money?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Do you think that had a lot to do with that?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Because listen, the bottom line is, I don't care what
kind of business you're in. If you borrow money, you
have to pay it back. That's the reality of it.
And what happens is if you don't is what like
during COVID, that's when we see massive companies falling, companies
we never dreamed we'd ever see collapse, built on a
horrible foundation, built on.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
An illusion, so to speak. I call it an illusion.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know a lot of times these companies are just
so in debt, they're barely running profits. All they do
is continue to acquire in order to even build their profits.
And it's really it's somewhat of a facade.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah, sometimes it's really hard to dig yourself out once
you get in debt.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
It is, it becomes a vicious cycle. Robin Peter to
pay Paul I call.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
It, and it's jessful.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
It's not how I roll it well.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And so that's interesting because was there ever a point
where you were like, because it is hard to self
fund your business. So talk to me about that process
of when you developed the first it's a ten spray,
the leaving conditioner that you have, and how you were
able to develop that and then the process of growing that.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
So actually, failure is how I developed it. My partner
and I had a company. Our first company completely failed.
We lost everything and we were married at the time
and got divorced. Was it because of that had a
lot to do with it? I'm sure it was a
multiple things.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
But so we each.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Had forty dollars each and we decided to pick up
the pieces and start with one bottle, one closed all bottle.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
It's all we could afford.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
And so that's when we actually started it's a ten
haircare together and with the one bottle, and we just
grew it and grew it and grew it. There was
one time we took it a loan for fifty thousand
dollars from a bank. I literally went to the bank,
but yeah, it was it was paid back within probably
two months. And that's first then I've never had to actually,
(14:16):
but the first.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
One, where would you get money?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Yes, where would you?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Where did you get the money?
Speaker 5 (14:20):
So the very first company that we lost half a
million dollars on, we had gotten that through real estate.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
I love to flip real estate. I've done it since
my twenties.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
So my real estate ventures have actually really helped fund
my passions, my business dreams, and so you know, I've
always kind of been a scrapper creativenors are really scrappers,
and my whole life, I've just kind of always flipped
things and made money with them. I did it when
I was young with cars, and then I did it.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
You know, I was always flipping things. So that's really how.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
How I was able to get the money to fund
the very first company that we failed.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
In, and that was another haircare company, was a Link.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
It was.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
Yeah and nine products, and we did too much too fast, okay,
and we had QC issues. We did everything all a caart.
It was a nightmare. I mean, we just had a
lot of issues.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
That's a good doing things too fast, because fast.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
And too fragmented, like literally trying to do everything ourselves.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
And whereas what I learned from that is really to
start partnering with a little.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Bit of one stop shops that help you bring your
visions to life. And there are so many of them
out there today.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Clarify what you mean by one step shop.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Stop shop, so you know, it's it's basically part of
your industry that may have multiple services under one roof.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
So rather than having somebody.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Who you get the bottle from here, and you get
the cap from there, and you get the label from here,
and you get the ingredients from there, and the chemist
put some ingredients together and you hope they mix well
and then they put them in a bottle with the
cap that doesn't fit in the label.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
The bubbles right right, So that's what I'm talking about.
So then we started partnering with with vendors who have
multiple services under one roof.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Maybe it was they had the bottle, the label, the
graphic designing, they.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Had all of it on one package, and then they
had the you know, the fillers who had all that
under one roof.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
So when you start limiting the amount of people that
touch your end product, you're gonna have a finer tune product.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
And it's probably less expensive when you're using all your
services from one place and paying each each vendor individually exactly.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Less a lot less contracts negotiate.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Right, Oh, that's amazing, all right, So it's a ten.
How did you even come up with the name, Because
that's also a thing, right, because when you have a product,
you have to come up with something that is going
to stick that you love, and that's a hard thing
to do, even as far as branding and marketing.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
So my partner's like, you know, let's call it ten
and say it does ten things. And I'm like, I
love that.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
But truthfully, when I work with a chemist, I usually
say to them, you know, it's a three, send it back,
or it's a six. We need can see like that,
we need to like I'm constantly using that kind of gauge,
the premium ten, to get towards to actually be able
(17:11):
to create what it is that I am visioned within
the products of the bottle. Listen I've touched thousands of
heads and thousands of products. I've been doing here forty
one years, so I have visions with when I create products.
And really I always wondered why all the products in
a haircare line weren't amazing, and now I know why.
(17:33):
It's not easy to create a ten, and so I
really strive for that, and that's really became the name
that I said, let's call it. It's a ten, meaning
it's the best. Obviously the cliche phrase, you know, people
get that, and.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
You say, turning down the noise on all of the
input that you're getting and on all the feedback that
you're getting, and really trusting your instincts is really a
critical part to your success.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
It is.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
It's a major part, I think, to any success. And
you know, the as we were talking a little earlier,
when we had our conversation, I was referring to this
this term within our society, imposture syndrome.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Right, It is such a key term today.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
And when people use it, I sometimes actually had to
look it up because I didn't know what it meant.
And then when I read that people actually have a
doubt about what they actually deserve, you know, that's mind
blowing to me because I just don't.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
I don't hear that noise. My mind doesn't work like that.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
And I think a lot of entrepreneurs that are really
probably within the top five percent of what they do
have they're.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Wired differently, yes, very differently.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
We don't. We don't. We don't listen to the doubters.
We don't. We kind of have a vision. We go
where they don't go.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
It.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Actually we're attracted to that, right, you know.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
That's really how when I created this line eighteen years ago,
no one had bright colors and bottles. I knew that
I had two seconds to get someone's attention off the shelf,
and then from there I had to create a great fragrance.
And I've really worked on the little things that actually
captivate someone in the first few seconds. You have to
maybe get them engaged with your product line.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
So things like that.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
The experience that I had I applied to my industry.
I raised the bar and listen. I was up against
Procter and Gamble, Lorial, the largest brands in the world
to this day, these massive, massive companies, and so many
people are like, oh yeah, right, yeah, right, you're gonna
make it, you know, you're I mean, we had no
marketing budgets, We didn't have any money, but I got
(19:36):
the product into people's hands.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
You literally gave it away.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
We gave it away. We gave the largest sampling campaigns
in the history of the beauty industry. We're round for it.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
When we started with Cosmoprof, who's a professional haircare distributor,
eighteen years ago, we wrote such large spiff checks that
people bought homes with them. People bought a car and
put their license plates. It's a ten on the back
of the that they were able to buy. We empowered
people in a way that they never forgot us, you know,
(20:07):
and it was it just took off.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
I think that as we were as we've been talking
and you said, Okay, between this age, I partied a lot,
I did this, but that actually probably really did help you,
you know, grow your base. And I also think that people,
besides the product being a tend also are drawn to you.
Because I was telling you earlier, people do care a
lot about the person behind the brand. And so I've
(20:31):
always heard about you know what else, I've always heard
about the yat business. I've always heard about this, Yeah,
can you talk to me? Because people be like, oh
my god, you know they.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Haven't got yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
When I first to about.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yea because this isn't fascinating his.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Name, she's a ten and yep.
Speaker 5 (20:52):
I literally had never owned a boat my life, nor
barely been on one. Maybe in a lake, so an
ocean for sure, And I just started searching for them
and was looking, looking, looking, And I'm the kind of
person I like.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
To find a diamond in the rough and shine her up.
That's what I do with real estate, That's what I
do with airplanes. That's what I do with boats. I
call them boats, not yeats, you know, So that's what
I did.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
I actually purchased an older boat, I redid it. I
owned it for almost eight years and recently sold it.
And I really fixed it up and enjoyed it thoroughly.
And I'm one of the few self made yacht owners
women yacht owners in the world. And really it's just
(21:36):
you know, you can like anything, you can. You can
buy things at good deals. I ended up selling it
for more than double I paid.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
For it when I actually amazing.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
But I bought it really like it needed to fix.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
It up, and it doesn't very expensive to maintain. People
always say, like, if you're going to have.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
It's not the cost of the boat, it's the maintenance
every year.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
But you put it to work.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
I put it to work.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I would chart it, you know, occasionally I would. I
would use it for business. And so yeah, anytime, anytime
you actually can turn something into a profit center by
sharing it, by running it out, by marketing it, it
can be a business.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Did you always know that you were going to sell it?
When you bought it? Was at the plan to fix
it up and then at some point sell it.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Yeah, that's what you do. I knew it was going
to be Yeah, I knew it was going to be
a money maker eventually.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
For me.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
It just I happened to stumble into a great situation.
I nabbed it and I knew it was going to be.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Now, talk to me about so you had one product, Now,
how did you know it was time to expand?
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And how do you decide what to expand to.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Listen, I'm in the beauty industry. All we do is create.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
We're like, to me, the culture of hair just like fashion,
it's important to keep innovation, creativity, and we really are
the ones that inspire the rest of the beauty industry.
The actual professional haircare brands inspire a lot of other
retail brands and other right, same.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
With with fashions. So I love to create.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
That's my favorite thing to do. So I always knew
I planned on growing and expanding. Did I ever think
I'd be here? Did I ever think that I would
be this big? Did I ever think I'd be in
one hundred and seventeen countries and a worldwide professional hair
care brand?
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Probably not? But you know what, I love to create.
It's my favorite thing to do.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
I continue to do it, and I'll have expanded into
extensions and be a tend makeup and hair tools and
anything beauty.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
It's really about. I love to make people look and
feel beautiful. I just do it in a different way.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Now.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I traded in my scissors for bottles.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Right, How great that ten goes right into extensions too.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Yeah, it's yeah, one zero, yes, amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
I was going to say, you started a men's Joe, but.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
We started a men's hair color and beer color line.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
That Joe was part of that.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
That's my Yeah, he's family, which men definitely are, right,
and that is such a great way to expand because
all the guys have been dying, you know, putting it
on their beards when he's like, where's my lunch?
Speaker 3 (24:13):
On?
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Color my beard? And even for you know, for their
hair too. They are definitely coloring their grayes. That's a
real thing, and you.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Know what they're so stressed about it.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
I should know.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
But it's not even about just coming the grades. Now
even young guys today are using it to richen up
their hairline, even if they don't have great to thicken
their beard line. It's becoming such an art within the barbers.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
It definitely is. It's a great, great.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
And they have to use good products too.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
I just want to say, because sometimes I've seen people
have allergic to they use this thing called Beijing that's
what that's what everyone calls it, you know, and so
people will have like allergic reactions to it, and I've
seen some terrible reactions. But it does matter, I think,
for people to understand what products you're actually using and
putting on your face, you know, on your hairline, because
(25:00):
a lot of these things, like guys aren't as well
versed on that.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Unfortunately, the men haven't had the actual quality products that
women have been for years. So they've been kind of
you know, subjected to go to take and so I,
you know, like anything, it's all about raising the bar
in that sector, and that's what we really set out
to do.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
You know. Joe came to me and said, hey, let's
make this.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
And at first I'm like, listen, I don't know about
you know, it took me a few years to kind
of warm to it.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
Plus I was really busy.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
But but you know what I started seeing, like when
he was getting ridiculed on social media every time in
colored his beer came out of different color, and I'm like, this,
this is what happens in dark looks. Say, I knew
the quality wasn't there, and I knew I had my
years of experience to raise that bar you know, Macadamian
oil oliver.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
I mean, we put natural ingredients in on top of it.
It's Italian color. So I've literally put but professional grade
Italian color and a box to take home or a
barbera to use, and the barbers are loving it.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
I was a little worried, like I was thinking, barber's
going to use vodcast color.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
They're all over it because it's quality.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
We literally get handwritten notes where people men are saying
and women barber So I love that women are going
into barbaring just saying I'm so glad that you finally
made a quality product. You know, they were craving it.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Yeah, it's a ten.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Yeah, he's a ten, and you guys, I have some
He's A ten products just randomly because there's like a code.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Yeah, the pomade.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
It's great, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
I'm like, because it's being for us too.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
You know, of course. But we made a coily collection, yeah,
which we're expanding on.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
We're creating Coily tight, so we're really expanding the repertoire
of that.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
But my daughter is Nigerian and Puerto Rican.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
I'm Puerto Rican and so really her you know, her
hair which is down to the hair down to her
butt and Nigerian hair has really really inspired me to
really focus on that coily sector. But we launched that,
I think in twenty thirteen.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Yeah, now I remember that.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
I was grateful for that because I have my I
think everybody a lot of people are trying to get
back to their natural my naturals back too, So I'm happy.
But I keep on putting my hair and braids because
it's a lot of work.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
I'm going to try it.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I told her, I'm the keratin I'm going to try this. Well,
a lot of your products have keratin in them, right.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
No, so, well, keratin is a protein, so that's the thing.
We have protein enriched products.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
But I stay away from really harsh.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
Chemicals and keratin actual straighteners and things like that.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
I'm a little bit firm believer in the natural ingredients
and natural processes.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
I just think that it's important to embrace your own
natural beauty and not try not to damage it and
try to figure out really how you can. You know, Listen,
my daughter will blow her hair straight and it'll take
poor hairdresser for five hours to do.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
It and then thirty seconds.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
Yeah you know.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
But the thing is is she she's learned the tools
to touch it up and keep it straight. But then
she'll also do the braid so she'll actually wear.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
So now I'm looking forward to all of it. I'm
I'm the person who's not going to spend more than
thirty seconds on here and make up, no matter what,
no matter what.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Honestly, well, then you must be hiring people, honey, because
you look.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
At me.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Dress up.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
I know some of these larger companies have tried to
come to you and been like, listen, we would love
to discuss you know, some type of investment. Has that
been something have you always known, like I want to
keep it this way, or is that something that you've
ever considered.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
So in twenty seventeen, I bought my partner out and
did become the only female owned Latina own brand. I
think for sure, of this size in the world, that
is something that I hold in high regard, something that
I honestly I don't want investors. I don't want partners.
(29:03):
If someone were to come along and actually write me
in and saying check, I have to really think. I
have to think about it, because I also don't want
someone to come along and kill the baby, so to speak.
And it happens all the time in my industry. You
see these big corporations buying up these entrepreneurials.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
That's what they.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Do, companies, and they bury them and don't wire.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
And so instead of.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
Looking to them to necessarily come and acquire me, I'm
looking to become them. I'm looking to expand my repertoire
brands under one roof and actually create more and more
and more massive, massive companies, and so I mean, rewinded
time will be just as big as it's a time
one day, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
So it's just a matter of.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
Really expanding what I'm really good at and just you know,
that's that's the beauty of being an entrepreneur. We turn
on a dime and we can continue doing what we
do really well.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
And that's what I want to do.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
This is something I ask Angelo all the time. Also,
So you have your incredible businesses. You're doing the men's line,
you have the yacht business, you have real estate businesses.
How do you stay focused without getting frazzled? Or just
how do you run so many things successfully?
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Yeah? And give them there. I'm not always successful, first
of all, and there are days when I have my failures.
Speaker 5 (30:26):
But honestly, it's it's really becoming an expert at prioritizing
because there's you can get hit with fifty things at once.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
So which one do you pick first?
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Right? Right?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
That's the key to success. Which one do you pick first?
And it's not easy.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
You get to prioritize different days, different things. Do you
get prioritized?
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (30:45):
And there are times and listen, I have a family too,
so you know, how do you balance that too? As women, right,
I mean we have a lot. We have to be
our husband's I mean our our yeah, our husband's wives.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
We have to be our children's mothers. We play a
lot of roles to be t te Carolyn. You know
is my real name, Iris, So you know, yeah, I
mean you do. You have to really figure it out.
And a lot of it has got for me, A
lot of it's got.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
You know, you've spoken on this before, so I want
to bring this up. So you had a child at
fifty three I did fifty four.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
You were a blooded Okay, we got to pause, blended
kid mother, blended family of five and had a child
at fifty four years old. Everybody just full stop, full stop, you.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Know Latina's latinas we're like, I don't know, we're made
to babies.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
Was that like a surprise when you found out?
Speaker 3 (31:40):
I mean, you know, COVID came and fins come with it,
but yeah, no, it was. You know, my husband and
I are absolutely.
Speaker 4 (31:47):
Thrilled and that's amazing. Congratulations for that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
How different okay, as a mother, how different did it
feel to carry a baby at fifty four?
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Was it like the same experience but you have to
remember house was probably during COVID, right, so you're at home.
I was chilling anyway. It wasn't like I had a
run around and.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
That helped, sure, But honestly, everything went really, really smoothly
for me.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
I didn't get a ton of wait.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
I really took care of myself and my body was,
like I said, made for doing it natural child versus
oh no, see section. At that age, they won't let
you have it.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
They won't let you have natural child birth.
Speaker 5 (32:26):
And my first child I had a forty she was
was natural.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Yeah, they do.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
They've done steadies. They say when you have babies like later,
you end up living longer.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
Yeah, no, I believe it. I'm going to be one
hundred and twenty, no.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Doubt with that question. When you have a child all
of a sudden, you're not.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
Making sure of it. I stay on top of my health.
Speaker 5 (32:46):
It's the most important thing to me. I do have
a three year old. I'm almost fifty eight years old.
And actually, yeah, it's actually crucial.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Because you can be very judgmental about that too, Like
I see people, Oh.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
They're very drug Yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
And I just like I said, I don't turn out
on the noise.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Yeah, because you know what, they're not me. They don't
live my life.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
They don't understand, you know, my capabilities or you know,
our family's capabilities. Her siblings adore her. She's surrounded by
so much love. No matter what, this child is going
to just be fine in life. And everyone's got a
different path, right, So there's no cookie cutter answers to
that at all.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
And they're having a great life too, by the way,
these children are.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
It's a whole different world. It's a whole different world
these children live today.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Yeah, it's a scarier world too that social media.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
It's a lot scary world they don't.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Have to get up with, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
But we also think about how things are in advantage
in that way too, because I'm sure our social media
was helpful for your business too.
Speaker 5 (33:43):
Huge, especially from twenty seventeen one, right when I was
able to really get the helm of the company and
really direct it in the way that I always envisioned
and dreamed it to be. The company has doubled since then.
So yeah, it's absolutely crucial technology. AI fully embrace it.
Always love technology naturally, kind of grew up around it anyway.
(34:04):
So if you don't change, you know, with the times,
you will be a dinosaur like you know, that's what happens, right,
turn in dinosaur and what happened to them.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
So, I mean, it's.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
Really really crucial to make sure that you're embracing even
some things that are scary.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
A lot of people are afraid of AI, you know,
but we're already using it to rebuild websites, create imagery,
create content. It's just it is wonderful.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
I'm I'm sorry to say the people the daughter, right,
I'm sorry to say.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
I think if the AI economy is here.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
If you don't learn how to use it, you would
definitely see dollars disappearing, the banking system completely changing, going
to bitcoin, and I see all that happening. It's inevitable.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
I haven't been to a bank and on how long? Yeah,
you know what I'm saying. You would think I need
to go to the bank now.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
I'll tell you what, though, you gotta be careful of
these gammers in firsts. So when it comes to that
is I think that's the scariest part of it.
Speaker 5 (35:01):
I believe that getting the proper like anything in business,
getting the proper teams in place to actually protect you
to get all the securities, to get.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
The triple verifications. I mean, I literally have a team
of people overseeing all my companies. All the money is
going in and out.
Speaker 5 (35:17):
The slightest little thing that we even have a suspicion of,
we are on it. And I'm not saying I'm you know,
I've had wire fraud, I've had things like that, But
there are systems in place today that can help you
navigate it.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Yeah, make sure you implement that when you have a
business like that. And last question, how was it for
you balancing like finding love again and running this business
and having a family. You know, people always talk about
how difficult it is to be able to balance all
those things.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
What's your secret?
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Well, first of all, my husband and I are both
serial entrepreneurs. So when we met, we both kind of
had that mentality that same we.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Were, we were on the same plane. You know.
Speaker 5 (35:55):
He was my Ezra connecto, that's seeing to your yang.
He literally was very very similar to me. So when
we melded our worlds, it was a great fit. And
we think alike, we move alike. Sometimes we'll wake up
at three o'clock in the morning and start talking. We'll
talk business, but I'm going to jokes because he's a
(36:15):
great sense of humor and who got me laughing at.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
Three in the morning. But so really it's also allowing
time for each other. It's crucial. We've been together ten
years now.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
We've obviously have this you know, big family everything from
three to twenty three, our five kids, and you know,
we navigate through a lot during the days, but there
are those times when he's like, all right, come on,
honey's date night, let's go.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
And you know what, I am all for it.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
I am you obviously have to make sure you have
your time alone and really make sure that the relationship
is part of your priority as well.
Speaker 4 (36:49):
And that's about work at dinner all the time.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know about everything of course, but that's okay.
We love what we do, but we also love each other.
So we talk about our family, we talk about our dreams,
we talk about, you know, things we want to achieve,
where we want to go, what we want to do
so and how we want to build it and.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Do it together.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
You seem very comfortable unscripted.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Yes, no, it's real. Well, this is it, Like you know,
you and I bowed. I was never going to get
married again.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
See, and then you found you. That's when it happened.
You found your perfect ten for sure. That's right, that's okay,
he was out there.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Well, I'm happy for you.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
And this is just amazing, Like Yesterary is fantastic. So
thank you so much for taking the time to come
and sit with us.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
It's my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
It's a ten billion dollar valuation, billion dollar entrepreneur here
who never even stopped to look over her shoulder. Really
honored to have you here.
Speaker 5 (37:43):
Thank you so much, so much, and listen, we are
all the way up.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Yes, we are all the way up, all right way.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
Happy Wealth Wednesdays. We
What's up his way up at Angela Yee, I'm here.
And of course it's a Wealth Wednesday, so my partners
Stacey Tisday is here.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Happy Wealth Wednesday. And it is a ten on Wealth
Wednesdays today. You know, I had to say that, Oh
my gosh, because we have the founding it's a ten.
I'm sorry, it's a ten because we have the founder
and CEO of It's A ten hair Care and I
think one of the first, if not the only, and
certainly one of the few self made Latina billionaires with
(00:32):
the creating a company that has over a billion dollar valuation. Yes,
that's Carolyn Aaronson in the house.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Thank you so much, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
And I was scited to be here and I was
telling you I use It's A ten haircare products and
I like. What I like about it is the spray
to leave in that I could just spray in my
hair and then you guys have developed that so like
just an amazing line of products.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
I remember when it was just.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
That, that's right.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
So I started one bottle and now over ten million
bottles a years old of that one bottle just in
the US.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Just that product.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Please talk to me, because this is always fascinating to me,
and because I didn't, I found out who you were
later and I'm gonna tell you how. But when I
first initially started using the product, you know, I do
care so much about who's behind the product, and so
just talk to me about yourself and what made you
even develop this one product that you initially started with.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
As you started as a hairdresser, you were just eighteen
years old.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
I mean I was sixteen when I started. I've been
a hairdresser for forty one years. I still have a
license in two states because my mother pounded it in
my head.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Keep it, it's yours.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
You can never take it from you. No one can
take these hands away. So anything happens, I can always
go back to hair.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Right.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
You'll think you, hey, you never know.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
We think you're okay.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Seam worse. Yeah, I think you're gonna be okay.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
I'm worse.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
But there is that mentality when you come from where
you come from and you make it that you always are, Like,
I got to be prepared in cases can all go away.
Speaker 5 (01:59):
You got to make sure people can't, you know, take
from you what you really justly earned.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Look where you came from. You were taken out into
foster care at how old.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
So I was in foster care from birth to two
years old, and then I was adopted at the age
of two by the clever half I say, by the
Cleavers junior ward like very American Midwest.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Actually they were.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
They were New Yorkers originally, but I was raised in
the Midwest. And but really just just super loving devoted
parents that were very white.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But what a blessing to have loving devoted parents.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
Amen, I mean, I really obviously has a lot to
do with who I am today. I always say my
birth mother gave me life, but they showed me how
to live life, and that's really really important to have
that influence. It really helped meld me, I think, to
be this kind of hybrid person, this little bit of
a crazy Latina with a little finance.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Did they tell you your story, like, did you know
that you were adapted? Is that something they discussed with
you or was that something they waited till way later
in life?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
You know that. I always got to ask that question.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
They never sat us down and like said, hey, you're adopted.
I was adopted with a biological brother. He was like
four at the time, and they had two of their
own sons, so the family picture was a little obvious, okay.
And my brother had an afro and darker skin, and
I'm definitely probably a little whiter. As far as coloring,
I could, I could pass as multiculture. He definitely looked
(03:31):
very Hispanic. So it was nothing they ever had to
sit down and tell us that we were adopted. It
was a part of our lives. They used to say,
you're chosen. How they said that beautiful way you chose me.
But they never really sat down and had to announce
anything to us.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
It was very obvious.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
You and I had an amazing conversation the other day
and we were talking a little bit about my work
and financial behavior and how those first lessons, those first
impressions you get about money, stay with you for the
rest of your life and create these habits. And you
were saying, the first things they taught you were curiosity
and financial literacy. They both seemed to you know, I
(04:12):
think the curiosity was in my bones.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
I remember getting my first birthday card with money in
it at the age of five, and it had a
big five on the front with a cat, and I
opened it up and there was a five dollar bill.
I was literally like here and I hid it and
I saved it, and I'm like, how can I get more?
So that's just part of my I think my mindset
that I like to I wanted to know how I
(04:37):
could turn fives into tens, into twenties into fifties and
so on, and that's why.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So they'd make you things up when you wanted to
figure something in.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
So but as far as the literacy part, absolutely, I
was eight years old. My father took all four kids
to the bank. We opened up bank account nice way.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:54):
They from day one, and I was the youngest of
three girls excuse me, three boys. So it was three
older boys and myself was the only girl in the
youngest and I think he used to want to make
sure that I had the mindset that I could be
equal to them, okay, And so from day one he
treated me the same. I was one of the boys.
As far as how he educated me with finances, how
(05:17):
he taught me how to be financially literate, how he
taught me how to.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Pay myself first. That was one of his terms. To
yourself first.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
That's a blessed and that does not mean go buy
the shoes because that's what we girls do, right. It
means put your money away, let a compound take care
of yourself, say for those rainy days.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Make sure you have insurance. You know.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
I was an independent contractor from day one. I my
four little foot square that I worked in every day.
I was ten ninety nine, so I had to do
my own taxes. I had to pay my own quarterly,
so I had to get my own insurances. So I
lot to I really, at a young age, learn how
to be a business.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
You know, they've said that they've done studies that kids,
the earlier you open up a bank account, the better
they'll be with money later on in life.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Definitely.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah, And we had a whole conversation about that.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I was telling one of my friends he should open
up a bank account for his daughter.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
She's like five years old. But I was like, that
would be a great idea.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
And I was like, imagine, let her get the statements right,
let her see.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
What compounding interest means. Let her see like even at
a young age, like I can remember writing in my
little passport book. You know, that's how we used to
do it back then. We literally had to do journal entries.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Well, that led to me doing journal entries in my
business at the age of you know, when I was older.
So when you kind of get that mindset of actually
regulating and looking and processing the ins and outs, what.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Did your parents do for a living.
Speaker 5 (06:36):
I'm just curious that my father actually was manager of
labor relations for Ford Mortar Company. He worked himself up
from a clerk, so he was in the business world
within four but really started, you know, from nothing there.
My mother was a Columbia University grad, very smart woman.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But a stay at home mom.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
Okay, so, but she was you know, she also taught
me another edge, right, and I had a little bit
of everything because she was a smart woman and a
very independent thinker, an environmentalist long before it was even
popular to be environmental.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
You know.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
She had the other side. One was a Democrat, one
was a Republican. So I got a little bit of both,
you know.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
That's why I'm an independent. It's like you just take
it all in, take it all in.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
And you just take a little bit of everything and
you kind of become you know that it's like the
sauce of life, so to speak. All you just pull
it all in and become a very you know, diversified person.
I think my hair care brand was diversified from day
one because how.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I was raised, right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I also love that I hear in that I see
now you're in my wheelhouse. I call them childhood money scripts,
those early lessons. And you remind me of a female
CEO that I know who was also the only girl
and a family of boys. And she said she's very
comfortable sitting and advocating for herself at a boardroom at
a table full of men. And you've told me that
(07:56):
about you too.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
And I get to asked that question a lot by women.
How do you feel when you're in a room full
of manner? How do you get through it? What does
your you know inner self tell you to maybe work
through some of those moments? And truthfully, first of all,
probably the way I was raised has a bit of
my mindset.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I played every sport. I was very competitive. You can't
beat them, join them. I wanted the underwear with the
hole in the front, you know, no reason.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
Were fullly underwear, and I just blew their mind because
I wanted to be like them, or at least equal.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
To Yeah, no, I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
I'm a I mean, I just have one older brother,
but they definitely raised me like I was just like
him too, other than the fact that I couldn't have
company of the opposite sex and he could.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
But know.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
That.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
But let's say so, let's start talking about when you
decided you wanted to become an entrepreneur. So you're a
licensed cosmetologist as well, which is important too because there's
a lot of people who do here but they may
not necessarily be licensed. Why was that important for you?
Speaker 5 (09:01):
You know, first of all, I think, like my mother said, uh,
be anything you want to be in life, but be
the best you can be at it. So I think
educating yourself in your field, getting better at it, honing it,
and actually taking additional courses beyond just the basics is
how you actually excel in what you love to do.
(09:21):
And so that was really the mindset behind it. And
you know, it's funny because she was an Ivy League
grad and her friends were like, aren't you disappointed your
daughter's going to beauty school?
Speaker 4 (09:31):
And she said, no, no.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
I'm not disappointed.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
I think she's got to do amazing at it.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
So yeah, and so rather than than you know, belittling
someone or receiving that negativity. You know, I had a
parent who actually really said, you know what, go to beauty.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
School, then then get additional training.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
I went to Videlsa soon training school after and then
really from there she said, go to college at night
because I knew I wanted to be a salon owner.
She said, if you want to really excel in business,
get some biggest business background.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And that's what I did. I never fully graduated.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
She actually wanted me to go back to college, even
though after I had made it. She's like, come on,
just cash up for you. I'm like, I think I'm good, mom,
But yeah, you know, hard Knock's life.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Is my degree.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Where to get that passion from? Though? To want to
know that you wanted to own a salon.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
I was in my blood. I was eight years old
and said it was going to be a hairdresser. I
waivered actually in high school, thought I was going to
go to.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Nursing, did that a little bit, then went back to
hair and that's good, right, you know what, It's good
to waiver. It's good to feel things out. It's good
to challenge your doubts and your questions and experiencings. But
then from there, I knowing I was probably nineteen new
I wanted to own a salon, and it took me
to thirty to do it.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Oh wow, really took me.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
To thirty to do it. But you know it was
I knew it was something I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
So what was happening during that time between nineteen and thirty.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Oh, my goodness, partying in a beauty industry back then,
you know, it was out every night.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
No, it was a combination.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
It was a combination of things, probably some immaturity, but
also really just enjoying my craft, building, building and getting
better at what I did. I wasn't born a good
hair dress you know. Some people were just artists from
day one.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I definitely had to be taught.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
I had to really hone my craft to be really
good at it, and so, you know, that had a
lot to do with it, I think. And also I
was building my empire financially. I knew that when I
wanted to own my own business, I had to do
it myself. I didn't have wealthy parents that were going
to set me up. I had a father who said,
let's go to the library and figure out how to
(11:46):
write a business plan.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
But that was pretty much it. So yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
And if I ever borrowed a penny from my parents,
it was paid back with interest. My father was really
really strict about teaching me how to.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Actually you know, he says, I mean, you know, use
me as a bank, but you're going to pay.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
These Did you negotiate interest rates? Or I did not?
Speaker 5 (12:06):
He told me, this is what I'm getting in my
market share right now, and this is what you're gonna
pay me, and I, yeah, I did.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Do you think that has any you started you created
this business without taking on any debt, yes, or any investors
using your own money?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Do you think that had a lot to do with that?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Because listen, the bottom line is, I don't care what
kind of business you're in. If you borrow money, you
have to pay it back. That's the reality of it.
And what happens is if you don't is what like
during COVID, that's when we see massive companies falling, companies
we never dreamed we'd ever see collapse, built on a
horrible foundation, built on.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
An illusion, so to speak. I call it an illusion.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know a lot of times these companies are just
so in debt, they're barely running profits. All they do
is continue to acquire in order to even build their profits.
And it's really it's somewhat of a facade.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah, sometimes it's really hard to dig yourself out once
you get in debt.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
It is, it becomes a vicious cycle. Robin Peter to
pay Paul I call.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
It, and it's jessful.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
It's not how I roll it well.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And so that's interesting because was there ever a point
where you were like, because it is hard to self
fund your business. So talk to me about that process
of when you developed the first it's a ten spray,
the leaving conditioner that you have, and how you were
able to develop that and then the process of growing that.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
So actually, failure is how I developed it. My partner
and I had a company. Our first company completely failed.
We lost everything and we were married at the time
and got divorced. Was it because of that had a
lot to do with it? I'm sure it was a
multiple things.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
But so we each.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Had forty dollars each and we decided to pick up
the pieces and start with one bottle, one closed all bottle.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
It's all we could afford.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
And so that's when we actually started it's a ten
haircare together and with the one bottle, and we just
grew it and grew it and grew it. There was
one time we took it a loan for fifty thousand
dollars from a bank. I literally went to the bank,
but yeah, it was it was paid back within probably
two months. And that's first then I've never had to actually,
(14:16):
but the first.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
One, where would you get money?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Yes, where would you?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Where did you get the money?
Speaker 5 (14:20):
So the very first company that we lost half a
million dollars on, we had gotten that through real estate.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
I love to flip real estate. I've done it since
my twenties.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
So my real estate ventures have actually really helped fund
my passions, my business dreams, and so you know, I've
always kind of been a scrapper creativenors are really scrappers,
and my whole life, I've just kind of always flipped
things and made money with them. I did it when
I was young with cars, and then I did it.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
You know, I was always flipping things. So that's really how.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
How I was able to get the money to fund
the very first company that we failed.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
In, and that was another haircare company, was a Link.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
It was.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
Yeah and nine products, and we did too much too fast, okay,
and we had QC issues. We did everything all a caart.
It was a nightmare. I mean, we just had a
lot of issues.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
That's a good doing things too fast, because fast.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
And too fragmented, like literally trying to do everything ourselves.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
And whereas what I learned from that is really to
start partnering with a little.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Bit of one stop shops that help you bring your
visions to life. And there are so many of them
out there today.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Clarify what you mean by one step shop.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Stop shop, so you know, it's it's basically part of
your industry that may have multiple services under one roof.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
So rather than having somebody.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Who you get the bottle from here, and you get
the cap from there, and you get the label from here,
and you get the ingredients from there, and the chemist
put some ingredients together and you hope they mix well
and then they put them in a bottle with the
cap that doesn't fit in the label.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
The bubbles right right, So that's what I'm talking about.
So then we started partnering with with vendors who have
multiple services under one roof.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Maybe it was they had the bottle, the label, the
graphic designing, they.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Had all of it on one package, and then they
had the you know, the fillers who had all that
under one roof.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
So when you start limiting the amount of people that
touch your end product, you're gonna have a finer tune product.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
And it's probably less expensive when you're using all your
services from one place and paying each each vendor individually exactly.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Less a lot less contracts negotiate.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Right, Oh, that's amazing, all right, So it's a ten.
How did you even come up with the name, Because
that's also a thing, right, because when you have a product,
you have to come up with something that is going
to stick that you love, and that's a hard thing
to do, even as far as branding and marketing.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
So my partner's like, you know, let's call it ten
and say it does ten things. And I'm like, I
love that.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
But truthfully, when I work with a chemist, I usually
say to them, you know, it's a three, send it back,
or it's a six. We need can see like that,
we need to like I'm constantly using that kind of gauge,
the premium ten, to get towards to actually be able
(17:11):
to create what it is that I am visioned within
the products of the bottle. Listen I've touched thousands of
heads and thousands of products. I've been doing here forty
one years, so I have visions with when I create products.
And really I always wondered why all the products in
a haircare line weren't amazing, and now I know why.
(17:33):
It's not easy to create a ten, and so I
really strive for that, and that's really became the name
that I said, let's call it. It's a ten, meaning
it's the best. Obviously the cliche phrase, you know, people
get that, and.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
You say, turning down the noise on all of the
input that you're getting and on all the feedback that
you're getting, and really trusting your instincts is really a
critical part to your success.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
It is.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
It's a major part, I think, to any success. And
you know, the as we were talking a little earlier,
when we had our conversation, I was referring to this
this term within our society, imposture syndrome.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Right, It is such a key term today.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
And when people use it, I sometimes actually had to
look it up because I didn't know what it meant.
And then when I read that people actually have a
doubt about what they actually deserve, you know, that's mind
blowing to me because I just don't.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
I don't hear that noise. My mind doesn't work like that.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
And I think a lot of entrepreneurs that are really
probably within the top five percent of what they do
have they're.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Wired differently, yes, very differently.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
We don't. We don't. We don't listen to the doubters.
We don't. We kind of have a vision. We go
where they don't go.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
It.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Actually we're attracted to that, right, you know.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
That's really how when I created this line eighteen years ago,
no one had bright colors and bottles. I knew that
I had two seconds to get someone's attention off the shelf,
and then from there I had to create a great fragrance.
And I've really worked on the little things that actually
captivate someone in the first few seconds. You have to
maybe get them engaged with your product line.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
So things like that.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
The experience that I had I applied to my industry.
I raised the bar and listen. I was up against
Procter and Gamble, Lorial, the largest brands in the world
to this day, these massive, massive companies, and so many
people are like, oh yeah, right, yeah, right, you're gonna
make it, you know, you're I mean, we had no
marketing budgets, We didn't have any money, but I got
(19:36):
the product into people's hands.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
You literally gave it away.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
We gave it away. We gave the largest sampling campaigns
in the history of the beauty industry. We're round for it.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
When we started with Cosmoprof, who's a professional haircare distributor,
eighteen years ago, we wrote such large spiff checks that
people bought homes with them. People bought a car and
put their license plates. It's a ten on the back
of the that they were able to buy. We empowered
people in a way that they never forgot us, you know,
(20:07):
and it was it just took off.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
I think that as we were as we've been talking
and you said, Okay, between this age, I partied a lot,
I did this, but that actually probably really did help you,
you know, grow your base. And I also think that people,
besides the product being a tend also are drawn to you.
Because I was telling you earlier, people do care a
lot about the person behind the brand. And so I've
(20:31):
always heard about you know what else, I've always heard
about the yat business. I've always heard about this, Yeah,
can you talk to me? Because people be like, oh
my god, you know they.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Haven't got yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
When I first to about.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yea because this isn't fascinating his.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Name, she's a ten and yep.
Speaker 5 (20:52):
I literally had never owned a boat my life, nor
barely been on one. Maybe in a lake, so an
ocean for sure, And I just started searching for them
and was looking, looking, looking, And I'm the kind of
person I like.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
To find a diamond in the rough and shine her up.
That's what I do with real estate, That's what I
do with airplanes. That's what I do with boats. I
call them boats, not yeats, you know, So that's what
I did.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
I actually purchased an older boat, I redid it. I
owned it for almost eight years and recently sold it.
And I really fixed it up and enjoyed it thoroughly.
And I'm one of the few self made yacht owners
women yacht owners in the world. And really it's just
(21:36):
you know, you can like anything, you can. You can
buy things at good deals. I ended up selling it
for more than double I paid.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
For it when I actually amazing.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
But I bought it really like it needed to fix.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
It up, and it doesn't very expensive to maintain. People
always say, like, if you're going to have.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
It's not the cost of the boat, it's the maintenance
every year.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
But you put it to work.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
I put it to work.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I would chart it, you know, occasionally I would. I
would use it for business. And so yeah, anytime, anytime
you actually can turn something into a profit center by
sharing it, by running it out, by marketing it, it
can be a business.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Did you always know that you were going to sell it?
When you bought it? Was at the plan to fix
it up and then at some point sell it.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Yeah, that's what you do. I knew it was going
to be Yeah, I knew it was going to be
a money maker eventually.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
For me.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
It just I happened to stumble into a great situation.
I nabbed it and I knew it was going to be.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Now, talk to me about so you had one product, Now,
how did you know it was time to expand?
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And how do you decide what to expand to.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Listen, I'm in the beauty industry. All we do is create.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
We're like, to me, the culture of hair just like fashion,
it's important to keep innovation, creativity, and we really are
the ones that inspire the rest of the beauty industry.
The actual professional haircare brands inspire a lot of other
retail brands and other right, same.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
With with fashions. So I love to create.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
That's my favorite thing to do. So I always knew
I planned on growing and expanding. Did I ever think
I'd be here? Did I ever think that I would
be this big? Did I ever think I'd be in
one hundred and seventeen countries and a worldwide professional hair
care brand?
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Probably not? But you know what, I love to create.
It's my favorite thing to do.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
I continue to do it, and I'll have expanded into
extensions and be a tend makeup and hair tools and
anything beauty.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
It's really about. I love to make people look and
feel beautiful. I just do it in a different way.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Now.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I traded in my scissors for bottles.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Right, How great that ten goes right into extensions too.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Yeah, it's yeah, one zero, yes, amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
I was going to say, you started a men's Joe, but.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
We started a men's hair color and beer color line.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
That Joe was part of that.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
That's my Yeah, he's family, which men definitely are, right,
and that is such a great way to expand because
all the guys have been dying, you know, putting it
on their beards when he's like, where's my lunch?
Speaker 3 (24:13):
On?
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Color my beard? And even for you know, for their
hair too. They are definitely coloring their grayes. That's a
real thing, and you.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Know what they're so stressed about it.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
I should know.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
But it's not even about just coming the grades. Now
even young guys today are using it to richen up
their hairline, even if they don't have great to thicken
their beard line. It's becoming such an art within the barbers.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
It definitely is. It's a great, great.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
And they have to use good products too.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
I just want to say, because sometimes I've seen people
have allergic to they use this thing called Beijing that's
what that's what everyone calls it, you know, and so
people will have like allergic reactions to it, and I've
seen some terrible reactions. But it does matter, I think,
for people to understand what products you're actually using and
putting on your face, you know, on your hairline, because
(25:00):
a lot of these things, like guys aren't as well
versed on that.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Unfortunately, the men haven't had the actual quality products that
women have been for years. So they've been kind of
you know, subjected to go to take and so I,
you know, like anything, it's all about raising the bar
in that sector, and that's what we really set out
to do.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
You know. Joe came to me and said, hey, let's
make this.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
And at first I'm like, listen, I don't know about
you know, it took me a few years to kind
of warm to it.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
Plus I was really busy.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
But but you know what I started seeing, like when
he was getting ridiculed on social media every time in
colored his beer came out of different color, and I'm like, this,
this is what happens in dark looks. Say, I knew
the quality wasn't there, and I knew I had my
years of experience to raise that bar you know, Macadamian
oil oliver.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
I mean, we put natural ingredients in on top of it.
It's Italian color. So I've literally put but professional grade
Italian color and a box to take home or a
barbera to use, and the barbers are loving it.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
I was a little worried, like I was thinking, barber's
going to use vodcast color.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
They're all over it because it's quality.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
We literally get handwritten notes where people men are saying
and women barber So I love that women are going
into barbaring just saying I'm so glad that you finally
made a quality product. You know, they were craving it.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Yeah, it's a ten.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Yeah, he's a ten, and you guys, I have some
He's A ten products just randomly because there's like a code.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Yeah, the pomade.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
It's great, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
I'm like, because it's being for us too.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
You know, of course. But we made a coily collection, yeah,
which we're expanding on.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
We're creating Coily tight, so we're really expanding the repertoire
of that.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
But my daughter is Nigerian and Puerto Rican.
Speaker 5 (26:51):
I'm Puerto Rican and so really her you know, her
hair which is down to the hair down to her
butt and Nigerian hair has really really inspired me to
really focus on that coily sector. But we launched that,
I think in twenty thirteen.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Yeah, now I remember that.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
I was grateful for that because I have my I
think everybody a lot of people are trying to get
back to their natural my naturals back too, So I'm happy.
But I keep on putting my hair and braids because
it's a lot of work.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
I'm going to try it.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I told her, I'm the keratin I'm going to try this. Well,
a lot of your products have keratin in them, right.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
No, so, well, keratin is a protein, so that's the thing.
We have protein enriched products.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
But I stay away from really harsh.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
Chemicals and keratin actual straighteners and things like that.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
I'm a little bit firm believer in the natural ingredients
and natural processes.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
I just think that it's important to embrace your own
natural beauty and not try not to damage it and
try to figure out really how you can. You know, Listen,
my daughter will blow her hair straight and it'll take
poor hairdresser for five hours to do.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
It and then thirty seconds.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
Yeah you know.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
But the thing is is she she's learned the tools
to touch it up and keep it straight. But then
she'll also do the braid so she'll actually wear.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
So now I'm looking forward to all of it. I'm
I'm the person who's not going to spend more than
thirty seconds on here and make up, no matter what,
no matter what.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Honestly, well, then you must be hiring people, honey, because
you look.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
At me.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Dress up.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
I know some of these larger companies have tried to
come to you and been like, listen, we would love
to discuss you know, some type of investment. Has that
been something have you always known, like I want to
keep it this way, or is that something that you've
ever considered.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
So in twenty seventeen, I bought my partner out and
did become the only female owned Latina own brand. I
think for sure, of this size in the world, that
is something that I hold in high regard, something that
I honestly I don't want investors. I don't want partners.
(29:03):
If someone were to come along and actually write me
in and saying check, I have to really think. I
have to think about it, because I also don't want
someone to come along and kill the baby, so to speak.
And it happens all the time in my industry. You
see these big corporations buying up these entrepreneurials.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
That's what they.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Do, companies, and they bury them and don't wire.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
And so instead of.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
Looking to them to necessarily come and acquire me, I'm
looking to become them. I'm looking to expand my repertoire
brands under one roof and actually create more and more
and more massive, massive companies, and so I mean, rewinded
time will be just as big as it's a time
one day, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
So it's just a matter of.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
Really expanding what I'm really good at and just you know,
that's that's the beauty of being an entrepreneur. We turn
on a dime and we can continue doing what we
do really well.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
And that's what I want to do.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
This is something I ask Angelo all the time. Also,
So you have your incredible businesses. You're doing the men's line,
you have the yacht business, you have real estate businesses.
How do you stay focused without getting frazzled? Or just
how do you run so many things successfully?
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Yeah? And give them there. I'm not always successful, first
of all, and there are days when I have my failures.
Speaker 5 (30:26):
But honestly, it's it's really becoming an expert at prioritizing
because there's you can get hit with fifty things at once.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
So which one do you pick first?
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Right? Right?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
That's the key to success. Which one do you pick first?
And it's not easy.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
You get to prioritize different days, different things. Do you
get prioritized?
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (30:45):
And there are times and listen, I have a family too,
so you know, how do you balance that too? As women, right,
I mean we have a lot. We have to be
our husband's I mean our our yeah, our husband's wives.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
We have to be our children's mothers. We play a
lot of roles to be t te Carolyn. You know
is my real name, Iris, So you know, yeah, I
mean you do. You have to really figure it out.
And a lot of it has got for me, A
lot of it's got.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
You know, you've spoken on this before, so I want
to bring this up. So you had a child at
fifty three I did fifty four.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
You were a blooded Okay, we got to pause, blended
kid mother, blended family of five and had a child
at fifty four years old. Everybody just full stop, full stop, you.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Know Latina's latinas we're like, I don't know, we're made
to babies.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
Was that like a surprise when you found out?
Speaker 3 (31:40):
I mean, you know, COVID came and fins come with it,
but yeah, no, it was. You know, my husband and
I are absolutely.
Speaker 4 (31:47):
Thrilled and that's amazing. Congratulations for that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
How different okay, as a mother, how different did it
feel to carry a baby at fifty four?
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Was it like the same experience but you have to
remember house was probably during COVID, right, so you're at home.
I was chilling anyway. It wasn't like I had a
run around and.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
That helped, sure, But honestly, everything went really, really smoothly
for me.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
I didn't get a ton of wait.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
I really took care of myself and my body was,
like I said, made for doing it natural child versus
oh no, see section. At that age, they won't let
you have it.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
They won't let you have natural child birth.
Speaker 5 (32:26):
And my first child I had a forty she was
was natural.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Yeah, they do.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
They've done steadies. They say when you have babies like later,
you end up living longer.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
Yeah, no, I believe it. I'm going to be one
hundred and twenty, no.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Doubt with that question. When you have a child all
of a sudden, you're not.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
Making sure of it. I stay on top of my health.
Speaker 5 (32:46):
It's the most important thing to me. I do have
a three year old. I'm almost fifty eight years old.
And actually, yeah, it's actually crucial.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Because you can be very judgmental about that too, Like
I see people, Oh.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
They're very drug Yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
And I just like I said, I don't turn out
on the noise.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Yeah, because you know what, they're not me. They don't
live my life.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
They don't understand, you know, my capabilities or you know,
our family's capabilities. Her siblings adore her. She's surrounded by
so much love. No matter what, this child is going
to just be fine in life. And everyone's got a
different path, right, So there's no cookie cutter answers to
that at all.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
And they're having a great life too, by the way,
these children are.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
It's a whole different world. It's a whole different world
these children live today.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Yeah, it's a scarier world too that social media.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
It's a lot scary world they don't.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Have to get up with, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
But we also think about how things are in advantage
in that way too, because I'm sure our social media
was helpful for your business too.
Speaker 5 (33:43):
Huge, especially from twenty seventeen one, right when I was
able to really get the helm of the company and
really direct it in the way that I always envisioned
and dreamed it to be. The company has doubled since then.
So yeah, it's absolutely crucial technology. AI fully embrace it.
Always love technology naturally, kind of grew up around it anyway.
(34:04):
So if you don't change, you know, with the times,
you will be a dinosaur like you know, that's what happens, right,
turn in dinosaur and what happened to them.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
So, I mean, it's.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
Really really crucial to make sure that you're embracing even
some things that are scary.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
A lot of people are afraid of AI, you know,
but we're already using it to rebuild websites, create imagery,
create content. It's just it is wonderful.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
I'm I'm sorry to say the people the daughter, right,
I'm sorry to say.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
I think if the AI economy is here.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
If you don't learn how to use it, you would
definitely see dollars disappearing, the banking system completely changing, going
to bitcoin, and I see all that happening. It's inevitable.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
I haven't been to a bank and on how long? Yeah,
you know what I'm saying. You would think I need
to go to the bank now.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
I'll tell you what, though, you gotta be careful of
these gammers in firsts. So when it comes to that
is I think that's the scariest part of it.
Speaker 5 (35:01):
I believe that getting the proper like anything in business,
getting the proper teams in place to actually protect you
to get all the securities, to get.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
The triple verifications. I mean, I literally have a team
of people overseeing all my companies. All the money is
going in and out.
Speaker 5 (35:17):
The slightest little thing that we even have a suspicion of,
we are on it. And I'm not saying I'm you know,
I've had wire fraud, I've had things like that, But
there are systems in place today that can help you
navigate it.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Yeah, make sure you implement that when you have a
business like that. And last question, how was it for
you balancing like finding love again and running this business
and having a family. You know, people always talk about
how difficult it is to be able to balance all
those things.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
What's your secret?
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Well, first of all, my husband and I are both
serial entrepreneurs. So when we met, we both kind of
had that mentality that same we.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Were, we were on the same plane. You know.
Speaker 5 (35:55):
He was my Ezra connecto, that's seeing to your yang.
He literally was very very similar to me. So when
we melded our worlds, it was a great fit. And
we think alike, we move alike. Sometimes we'll wake up
at three o'clock in the morning and start talking. We'll
talk business, but I'm going to jokes because he's a
(36:15):
great sense of humor and who got me laughing at.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
Three in the morning. But so really it's also allowing
time for each other. It's crucial. We've been together ten
years now.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
We've obviously have this you know, big family everything from
three to twenty three, our five kids, and you know,
we navigate through a lot during the days, but there
are those times when he's like, all right, come on,
honey's date night, let's go.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
And you know what, I am all for it.
Speaker 5 (36:40):
I am you obviously have to make sure you have
your time alone and really make sure that the relationship
is part of your priority as well.
Speaker 4 (36:49):
And that's about work at dinner all the time.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
Yeah, yeah, you know about everything of course, but that's okay.
We love what we do, but we also love each other.
So we talk about our family, we talk about our dreams,
we talk about, you know, things we want to achieve,
where we want to go, what we want to do
so and how we want to build it and.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Do it together.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
You seem very comfortable unscripted.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Yes, no, it's real. Well, this is it, Like you know,
you and I bowed. I was never going to get
married again.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
See, and then you found you. That's when it happened.
You found your perfect ten for sure. That's right, that's okay,
he was out there.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Well, I'm happy for you.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
And this is just amazing, Like Yesterary is fantastic. So
thank you so much for taking the time to come
and sit with us.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
It's my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
It's a ten billion dollar valuation, billion dollar entrepreneur here
who never even stopped to look over her shoulder. Really
honored to have you here.
Speaker 5 (37:43):
Thank you so much, so much, and listen, we are
all the way up.
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Yes, we are all the way up, all right way.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
Happy Wealth Wednesdays. We
Way Up With Angela Yee News
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Angela Yee
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