August 16, 2023 • 25 mins
A beautiful and delightful interview with Zoe Oli, the 11-year-old mastermind behind Beautiful Curly Me.
Zoe's inspiring journey starts at the tender age of six, when she decided to tackle her self-confidence issues head-on by creating her own line of dolls that feature curls and braids just like hers. Don't miss Zoe's incredible tale of resilience and ambition, and how even the youngest among us can make a significant difference when they dare to dream.
Zoe's story is not just about business; it's a testament to the power of vision, determination, and the importance of representation. She sheds light on how she navigated the complexities of manufacturing to bring her dolls to life, and how she learned the art of delegation, all while being a regular school kid.
But, there's more to Zoe than being a remarkable young entrepreneur. She's also a TEDx speaker committed to spreading the message of empowerment and representation to other young girls.
With the guidance and inspiration from powerful black women like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams, Zoe continues to expand her brand and impact. She shares powerful anecdotes, such as the heartwarming feedback she's received from young girls who connect with her dolls, and gives us a glimpse into what the future holds for Beautiful Curly Me.
To learn more about Zoe and the Beautiful Curly Me line visit www.beautifulcurlyme.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello everybody and welcome to In the Dawn World, a
show spotlighting the passionand the people of the Dawn
community With your host,georgia Taylor, former vice
president and co-founder of BigBeautiful Dolls.
Join her as she talks tofascinating doll artists,
customizers, avid collectors,redesigners, authors and all the
people in between, as theyshare their journeys, give us
(00:27):
glimpses into their processesand will propel their passion
and drive to help keep the dollworld moving and shaking.
Welcome to the show, helloeverybody, and welcome to In the
Dawn World.
I am your host, georgia Taylor,and as always, I'm so excited to
bring you such amazing guestsand today is no exception.
First, I just want to say I'mexcited when I have young, new
(00:51):
doll creators on the showbecause they bring such a
different perspective on howthey feel about representation.
So today our guest is Zoe Oli.
She is the CEO and founder ofBeautiful Curly Me and I'm so
excited she's doing such amazingstuff out there in the world.
She has an amazing brand andher brand is on mission to
instill and inspire confidencein young black and brown girls
(01:13):
through a line of dolls withcurls and braids, as well as
amazing other products.
So thank you so much, zoe, forbeing on In the Dawn World with
me.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm super excited.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I'm super excited, too, to have you on the show, so
I know a lot of people probablyalready know what you do and
who you are, but for the otheraudiences and listeners out
there who don't know, you canjust share a little bit about
who you are, where you come fromand why you got started
creating this line of beautifuldolls.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So hi everybody, my name is Zoe, I'm 11 years old
and I am the CEO of my owncompany called Beautiful Curly
Me.
I'm Atlanta based, andBeautiful Curly Me is a brand on
a mission to instill andinspire confidence in young
black and brown girls throughtoys and empowering content.
And when I was six years old, Idid not like my hair and I wish
(02:09):
to look straight like myclassmates and I'm not alone.
So six out of 10 girls do notlike their natural hair, and
girls confidence drops by 30% byage eight.
So my mom got me a black dollto help and I loved her, but she
did not have hair that lookedlike mine and I wanted dolls
with curls and braids.
So when my mom went back to thestores and came up short, I
(02:32):
decided I wanted to make my ownbusiness and do something about
this.
So that is how Beautiful CurlyMe was born.
We have a line of beautifulblack dolls like Bella here.
Hi, bella, I have two booksthat I've written and empowering
and inspiring puzzles.
We're also a social impactbrand, so for every doll that is
(02:54):
bought on my website, I giveone to a young girl need,
because I do not want any othergirl to feel the way I felt.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, I think that's you know.
I've listened to your story andit's just, it's so inspiring to
hear somebody that's so, soencouraging that you just took
the step and said this is what Iwant to create.
So how did that step come aboutfor you?
Because I mean thinking, okay,I want to create a doll is one
thing.
I've created dolls my own.
I understand the process ofthat.
Why did creating a doll, whydid you feel creating the doll
(03:25):
was so important for you, asopposed to just, you know,
finding a doll and just figuringout how to make our hair curly?
You said I don't want to dothat.
I just want to create a wholedoll line that represented you
know the way I look.
How is that really importantfor you to do that?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well, I could not find any dolls that had hair
like mine and look like me, andI realized that there must be so
many other Girls that look likeme that have the same issue.
So instead of just Giving upand just saying, oh well, it's
okay, I wanted to create dollarsthat other girls can see
themselves in and feel beautiful.
And At first I mean, it wasn'teasy.
(04:03):
So my mom, I kept on buggingher, saying what are we gonna
start my business?
Mom, what happened to mybusiness?
And at first she didn't take meseriously.
So it was a lot of bugging herand pestering and she saw that I
was serious and that I wantedto do this.
So when I was seven, four yearsago, we got started.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Mm-hmm.
And how did you, how did youguys get started?
Did you contact themanufacturer?
Did you?
Were you in the stores, lookingat other places to figure out
like this is what I want thedoll to look like.
You know what, and what was theprocess for you?
You say you were hands-on, sowhat does that mean?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
so first we had to do a whole lot of research because
my mom, prior to that, had noexperience with dolls and.
I had no experience other thanplaying with them, so we had to
do a lot of research.
I found a manufacturer and Iworked hand-in-hand with the
designer telling them oh, I wantthe dolls here to look like
(05:01):
this.
Oh, making sure that all thefeatures really stood out and
really agreed with my vision.
So it was a lot of Back andforth, sketching out the design,
then shown it to themanufacturer and then getting
our samples and Just a wholeprocess of just telling them
what we like, what we didn'tlike and going back and forth
(05:24):
with that.
I think, it was super excitingfor me To be able to be a CEO
and be able to tell Someone whatI wanted, and they got it for
me At seven years old that was alot, but that was really
exciting.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
That was the exciting part.
It's like I can tell peoplewhat to do.
You know that's really cool.
So, in the process of youcreating the doll, what did you
find the most challenging or themost the hardest part of the of
that whole process?
What did you or did you noteven look at it as being very
difficult for you?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I think that I mean the whole process was
challenging, I think, gettingstarted because there was we
didn't really know anybody atthe beginning who need, who
could give us advice about it.
So it's a lot of trying andactually Our first iteration of
dolls that we started gettingdolls that were defective, so
(06:20):
they some of their Body partswere like smashed in and that
was really scary and See gooddolls and then see dolls that
were not good.
So it was a lot of trial anderror and I think just Now
having a community of people sowe're part of different industry
(06:43):
based organizations like womenand toys so
having that Resource, havingresources and having people that
can tell us and give us advice,was really kind of the hardest
part.
And then we launched rightbefore COVID.
So when COVID hit, that wasreally hard because at first I
(07:04):
Was doing a lot of shows, so youwent to a lot of vendor markets
and that was exciting for me toget on my shell and actually
talk to customers and see girlsRunning up to the dolls and
saying, oh, she looks like me.
So I had to take a huge breakfrom that when we started doing
everything online.
So I wasn't able to reallyconnect with my customers a lot,
(07:25):
but I tried to do lives andother things that really helped
me.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
I think that's really good what you said, that the
fact of connecting with yourcustomers, I think for you is
really, is really importantbecause of the fact that you are
a young CEO of your company andyou want to inspire people.
So I mean, I understand you canstill do that via live, but I I
do know that having them beable to talk to you in person is
(07:50):
something that's much moreimpactful.
I believe, yes, now what theywere there, people that you
inspired you Along the way alongthis journey.
I should say you know, or didyou have people who inspired you
before you decided I wanted tostart a doll company?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Wow, I think there are a lot of people that inspire
me every single day.
My mom, for one.
She was so strong and I am justso happy that she took a chance
on me and started helping outwith the business, because I
couldn't have done it withouther.
My grandma is another personthat inspires me.
She writes books like me.
(08:27):
She's very inspiring.
Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey,Serena Williams I think there
are a lot of just powerful blackwomen that I see every day that
really inspire me, show me whatis possible and help me to be
able to keep on going.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
To keep on going, and I think that's so important to
have people that you can look upto, to know that you know and
to know their stories.
That's why I think you sharingwhat it is that you do is so
important, because people needto know the stories behind these
products right, and behindthese dolls.
It's not just I want to do adoll.
It's like I want to do a dollbecause it represents who I am
and I wanted to be able to helpother young women feel proud and
(09:09):
beautiful the way that they are, the way they come into the
world.
You know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yes, exactly that is so important for me.
I mean, I'm all about inspiringyoung girls feel confident in
themselves, to love who they are, and so being able to share my
story and saying, oh no, it'snot just because I wanted to
make money.
It's because I found a need andI wanted to solve that.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Yeah, yeah, so powerful it really is.
So I know that you're expandingon your brand.
So what else do you?
Oh, first of all, how manydolls do you have?
And what did you expand on?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Probably we have three dolls.
So different shades, differentskin tones.
That was very important becausethe black skin tone.
There are so many shades.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
I wanted to make sure we're representing everybody.
I also have puzzles, like Imentioned, so just finding
different ways to connect withgirls and spread my message of
confidence.
Books are another way, so Iwrite books.
I have three books currently.
So I'm just finding differentways to inspire, to connect with
girls and to hopefully makethem know that they are
(10:15):
beautiful and they matter.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah Well, I mean, you definitely do an amazing job
in that.
I love the way that you speak.
I love the way that yourepresent yourself, you know,
not just in the business, butalso, you know, just as a young
woman.
I think that's really, reallypowerful.
You know, I'm a boy mom.
I don't have two boys, you know.
So I didn't have theopportunity to have a little
(10:37):
girl.
But I will tell you, being amom, I know your mom must be so
proud of everything that you'redoing.
I do remember one interview.
She said that you inspire hertoo, and I can understand why.
But again, you're still a veryyoung person.
And how do you find time foryou to be that young person in
everything that you do, becauserunning a business is very
(10:57):
challenging even for the oldpeople like me.
And how do you find the time tojust be an 11 year old?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Well, definitely.
My mom makes sure, and I makesure, that I am an 11 year old,
so I play tennis, I run track, Ido theater, I play the piano.
So I think it's all about goingwith the flow and prioritizing
different things.
At certain times, like lastyear, I gave a TEDx talk.
And at that time I had to take abreak from some theater
(11:26):
rehearsals and some tennis andpiano lessons to be able to
focus and memorize it.
But every day my mom and I makesure that I have fun, that I be
a kid, that I hang out with myfriends.
But it's definitely aboutprioritizing and just going with
the flow.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, that's very cool.
I was going to get to that TEDtalk in a minute, but since you
mentioned it, I would love toyou to share about how did that
come about for you, and did youchoose the topic that you were
going to talk about?
Or was it something that youdiscussed with your mom, or did
they say, hey, you should talkabout this?
How did that come about for you?
Speaker 2 (12:03):
So I was given the opportunity to give a TEDx talk
last year, november 4th.
That was really exciting for me.
I was 10 years old at the timeand I knew that the topic of the
event was SOAR.
It was actually the very firstTEDx Atlanta Women event, so it
was about how women really soar.
So I wanted to make sure that Italked about my story and I was
(12:26):
there to share my mission andprovided some tips and tricks
and things for young girls totake away and help them be more
confident in themselves.
I am currently the youngestblack girl to ever give a TEDx
talk, so it was a lot ofpressure, definitely, but I
think just remembering mymission and remembering
(12:50):
everything that I've been ableto do and everything that was
going to come out of this talkdefinitely kept me going.
So I got to write this speech,figure out what I was going to
write about, write this speech.
Then I had to memorize it fully.
So every day, car rides, atschool, I was constantly saying
it.
I mean to the point where evenmy mom knew my talk because I
(13:13):
sat around her so many times.
So it was a long process andthere was a lot of things to do
in a short amount of time, but Iam very excited about how it
turned out.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Yes, it was beautiful .
It really was beautiful.
I watched it.
I thought it was just sopowerful and just so great to
see you there.
One of the things I think thatyou said that was really
important was that the fact thatyou know it was overwhelming,
and I'm sure at some point youfelt a little nervous, but you
remembered the mission of whyyou were doing it.
Yes, and I think that gets youthrough so many challenges that
(13:51):
you probably ran across, becausethe bottom line is the mission
and the representation thatthese dollars were created for.
So I think once you know yourmission, you know again it's not
just all about you.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yes.
So I think that every singlechallenge that I've come by,
every single time I feel down inthe dumps or I feel like I
don't want to keep going.
I think about my mission, Ithink about the girls that I'm
helping and inspiring, and thatjust keeps me going.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Yeah, and I think, like you said, because you still
also think about you being an11 year old and I don't take
that lightly, you know, becauseyou do, even though you have a
mission it is a challenge andit's a lot to ask for from
yourself as well, you know,being a CEO of a company that's
expanding and growing and a lotof people look up to you, and so
(14:43):
you have a lot of that on yourshoulders too.
But the fact that you are still, that you understand I still
have to remain who I am Rightand know who you are as a person
, I think says a lot about theway your mother raised you as
well, and that's a beautifulthing.
What is the most like, I guessheartwarming, I guess feedback
(15:04):
that you receive from younggirls who connect with you when
they see you and your dolls.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I mean every single young girl I meet they always
tell me oh, she's so beautiful.
And even actually last Friday Idid a talk.
So after my TEDx I continued myspeaking journey.
So I love speaking to young andold, different audiences.
So I was invited to come outand speak at a school.
(15:31):
I was invited to read my bookto some of the little kids and
actually talk to some of theolder kids, and all the kids
were like oh, this is sobeautiful, I love your doll.
And I help them say affirmation.
So say things like I'mbeautiful, I'm confident.
And I think they really believein themselves.
After that, I think every younggirl that was to me and says,
(15:56):
oh, you're beautiful, oh I lovethis.
This really resonated with me.
One little girl.
I showed her my TEDx talk at anevent and I asked her if she
enjoyed it.
She was like, yes, this wasvery powerful and she gave me a
hug and I think, just as Imentioned, things like these,
moments like these just keep megoing and hold a special place
(16:20):
in my heart.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Oh, that's so sweet, zoe.
That is so beautiful, sopowerful.
You know, when we did our big,beautiful dolls the first plus
size fashion doll and I thinkthose things are important
because the reason that we didthat was the same reason that
you do what you do, because noteverybody looks the same.
Some people are plus size, somepeople are not, some people are
(16:43):
darker, some people are lighter, hair is shorter, hair is
curlier, hair is longer.
So having representation, Ithink, is just always so
important, especially in theworld of dolls, because dolls
open up such great imagination,you know, for young girls and
boys to play with and to comeinto their own and find out who
they are.
So I just say kudos so much toyou for seeing that and
(17:08):
understanding that and knowingthat that should be a part of
your life and a part of yourmission, you know, because I
think I think it's really,really powerful what you're
doing out there with these dolls.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Thank you so much.
I truly agree.
I mean helping young girls andyoung kids come into their own,
discover their passions.
I'm actually launching a newline of plush dolls.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Oh nice.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
For the holidays oh that's so cool I love that.
So they have different passions.
One of them loves art and alsoloves reading, one loves science
, and so just showing girls thepossibilities and showing them
that they can be anything thatthey want to be, and showing
them that representation is sopowerful.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Yes, yes, very.
You're definitely going to beforced to be reckoned with
because, first of all, they'renot very many African Americans.
You know, I've been in the dollworld for many years now and
they're not very many AfricanAmericans that own their own
doll company.
You're, in a month or a handfulof amazing people who have
(18:12):
established companies thatcreate their own dolls and
manufacture their own dolls theway that you want them to be
done.
I really appreciate that and I,you know, just welcome you into
the doll world and into the darkcommunity for doing that,
because because it, you know, italso helps to you know, it also
gives opportunities to otherpeople to, at some point, your
(18:34):
business will grow to a pointwhere you're really going to be
able to employ way more peopleand, to, you know, help other
people move on in their ownmissions and their own desires,
and you know their own designs.
So I'm excited about that.
So you were saying you're goinginto plush dolls.
So let me ask you I know youdid an initiative, a program
(18:57):
called gift to doll program.
I believe that's what it'scalled.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
So it is actually our giving back.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
So we give this all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So we give a doll for every doll that is purchased.
So I get to go into differentcommunities, different shelters
like the Atlaya and Shodanshelter run a mission and give
those girls a doll and sometimesdon't read to the little kids.
So I think that it's soimportant that every girl in the
world has a doll that they cansee themselves in and feel
(19:27):
beautiful, so not only peoplewhose parents can afford it or
have asset access to it.
It's important for all girls tohave one.
So that is definitely veryimportant to me.
I mean, I've always given back,even when I was three years old
with my mom handing outsandwiches to people on the
street.
So I think that that is soimportant to me and I'm really
(19:50):
glad that I have found a way tobe able to incorporate that into
my company.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
That's great.
Yes, is that going to be withthe plus, the plus styles as
well, or?
Speaker 2 (19:59):
just the story.
Every dog, every dog.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Okay, beautiful, oh my goodness.
Okay, wow, that's really reallypowerful that you're doing that
.
So what advice would you give?
You know an aspiringentrepreneur, especially a young
entrepreneur.
You know when they decide, oh,I want to start a business
because you know the process nowand you know what it takes.
I mean, first of all, not justfinding a manufacturer, but
(20:21):
monetarily.
I mean I don't know if we canhave that type of conversation,
but you know, having the kind ofmoney that you need to create
the things that you want can bevery challenging.
So what kind of advice wouldyou give to other aspiring
entrepreneurs who want to make apositive difference in the
world?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Just get started.
I know, spend a lot of time forfascinating and thinking, oh,
this is not the right time, Imay not have enough funds, but
just get started.
I like to say don't wait forthe perfect way to just surf.
I mean, I've never surfed, butI think it's important to
remember because there's nevergoing to be a right time if
(21:00):
you're waiting for that time.
So just get started and, as ayoung entrepreneur, remember
that there are always people outthere who are willing to
support you, willing to help you, that there are always
organizations different industryorganizations that have
resources and mentors that canhelp you and have been through
the same things that you'regoing through.
(21:21):
And then, just, anytime youhave challenges, anytime there
are hard times, remember yourmission, remember what you stand
for and it will keep you going.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yeah, I love that.
What did you say about thesurfing?
Say that again.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I love that.
Don't wait for the perfect wave, just surf.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
And it's true, don't just don't wait.
You know you have to, becauseit's never going to be the
perfect time.
You know the perfect time iswhen you just do it right.
It's just when you just do it.
I think that's powerful.
I think once you get oldersometimes because you've been
through a lot you have theseideas that you can't do certain
things because you've seencertain things happening.
You just get stuck into thatmotive.
Oh well, you know that happenedthen, instead of just saying
(22:04):
I'm just going to keep moving.
So I think when you're younger,you have a better opportunity,
right, because they haven'treally happened to you yet.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yes, definitely utilize your youngness.
I think as you grow older youhave different worries, you have
different problems and thingsthat can hold you back as an
adult.
So when you're young and youhave parents and you have people
that support you and will fundand help you with your ideas,
just go for it.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Yeah, that's so true, wow.
Well, I mean I'm going to say Iabsolutely love this interview
and I probably could talk to youfor about 20, you know at least
20 more hours, but I do knowyou have school and you have
other things that you have toget to.
But you know, I really do wantto thank you for being in the
doll world.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
You know I talked to a lot of.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Oh, you're so welcome and I'm so glad you guys found
the time, because I know you'reso busy out there just doing
amazing things.
And before we go, where canpeople find your amazing
beautiful dolls and find outmore about you and what you're
doing in the future?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
So you can visit our website, beautifulcurlymecom.
You can follow us on Instagram,facebook, big talk, pinterest,
twitter, at beautifulandthreads,at beautifulcurlyme, and then,
yeah, you can stay connectedthose ways.
We're also in if you're lookingto purchase a doll or book.
We're also in some Macy'slocations in New York and
(23:30):
Atlanta and California.
Oh nice, so yes, and I want tosay thank you so much, ms
Georgia, for inviting me.
I had a great time.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Well, thank you so much.
I had a wonderful time with youtoo, zoe.
I really appreciate you takingthe time to come on in the doll
world with me.
I hope you have a wonderful dayand I'm sure we'll be talking
again once your business getsbigger.
I'd love to have you back onthe show, probably next year,
just to see where you're at, youknow, just to see what you're
doing out there in the world,because you're going to be
making some amazing thingshappen and inspiring some, you
(24:00):
know, not just young women, buteverybody out there, because
they see your growth and theyknow the type of person that you
are, and you're very focusedand you have a mission to help
people be represented and whothey are through dolls.
So we really appreciate that.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for being on In theDoll World.
I'll talk to you guys later.
(24:20):
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(25:03):
next week, add a little playinto your life by collecting a
doll, sharing a doll or giving adoll a home.
And again, thank you forlistening to In the Doll World.
Hello everybody and welcome to In the Dawn World, a
show spotlighting the passionand the people of the Dawn
community With your host,georgia Taylor, former vice
president and co-founder of BigBeautiful Dolls.
Join her as she talks tofascinating doll artists,
customizers, avid collectors,redesigners, authors and all the
people in between, as theyshare their journeys, give us
(00:27):
glimpses into their processesand will propel their passion
and drive to help keep the dollworld moving and shaking.
Welcome to the show, helloeverybody, and welcome to In the
Dawn World.
I am your host, georgia Taylor,and as always, I'm so excited to
bring you such amazing guestsand today is no exception.
First, I just want to say I'mexcited when I have young, new
(00:51):
doll creators on the showbecause they bring such a
different perspective on howthey feel about representation.
So today our guest is Zoe Oli.
She is the CEO and founder ofBeautiful Curly Me and I'm so
excited she's doing such amazingstuff out there in the world.
She has an amazing brand andher brand is on mission to
instill and inspire confidencein young black and brown girls
(01:13):
through a line of dolls withcurls and braids, as well as
amazing other products.
So thank you so much, zoe, forbeing on In the Dawn World with
me.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm super excited.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I'm super excited, too, to have you on the show, so
I know a lot of people probablyalready know what you do and
who you are, but for the otheraudiences and listeners out
there who don't know, you canjust share a little bit about
who you are, where you come fromand why you got started
creating this line of beautifuldolls.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So hi everybody, my name is Zoe, I'm 11 years old
and I am the CEO of my owncompany called Beautiful Curly
Me.
I'm Atlanta based, andBeautiful Curly Me is a brand on
a mission to instill andinspire confidence in young
black and brown girls throughtoys and empowering content.
And when I was six years old, Idid not like my hair and I wish
(02:09):
to look straight like myclassmates and I'm not alone.
So six out of 10 girls do notlike their natural hair, and
girls confidence drops by 30% byage eight.
So my mom got me a black dollto help and I loved her, but she
did not have hair that lookedlike mine and I wanted dolls
with curls and braids.
So when my mom went back to thestores and came up short, I
(02:32):
decided I wanted to make my ownbusiness and do something about
this.
So that is how Beautiful CurlyMe was born.
We have a line of beautifulblack dolls like Bella here.
Hi, bella, I have two booksthat I've written and empowering
and inspiring puzzles.
We're also a social impactbrand, so for every doll that is
(02:54):
bought on my website, I giveone to a young girl need,
because I do not want any othergirl to feel the way I felt.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, I think that's you know.
I've listened to your story andit's just, it's so inspiring to
hear somebody that's so, soencouraging that you just took
the step and said this is what Iwant to create.
So how did that step come aboutfor you?
Because I mean thinking, okay,I want to create a doll is one
thing.
I've created dolls my own.
I understand the process ofthat.
Why did creating a doll, whydid you feel creating the doll
(03:25):
was so important for you, asopposed to just, you know,
finding a doll and just figuringout how to make our hair curly?
You said I don't want to dothat.
I just want to create a wholedoll line that represented you
know the way I look.
How is that really importantfor you to do that?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well, I could not find any dolls that had hair
like mine and look like me, andI realized that there must be so
many other Girls that look likeme that have the same issue.
So instead of just Giving upand just saying, oh well, it's
okay, I wanted to create dollarsthat other girls can see
themselves in and feel beautiful.
And At first I mean, it wasn'teasy.
(04:03):
So my mom, I kept on buggingher, saying what are we gonna
start my business?
Mom, what happened to mybusiness?
And at first she didn't take meseriously.
So it was a lot of bugging herand pestering and she saw that I
was serious and that I wantedto do this.
So when I was seven, four yearsago, we got started.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Mm-hmm.
And how did you, how did youguys get started?
Did you contact themanufacturer?
Did you?
Were you in the stores, lookingat other places to figure out
like this is what I want thedoll to look like.
You know what, and what was theprocess for you?
You say you were hands-on, sowhat does that mean?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
so first we had to do a whole lot of research because
my mom, prior to that, had noexperience with dolls and.
I had no experience other thanplaying with them, so we had to
do a lot of research.
I found a manufacturer and Iworked hand-in-hand with the
designer telling them oh, I wantthe dolls here to look like
(05:01):
this.
Oh, making sure that all thefeatures really stood out and
really agreed with my vision.
So it was a lot of Back andforth, sketching out the design,
then shown it to themanufacturer and then getting
our samples and Just a wholeprocess of just telling them
what we like, what we didn'tlike and going back and forth
(05:24):
with that.
I think, it was super excitingfor me To be able to be a CEO
and be able to tell Someone whatI wanted, and they got it for
me At seven years old that was alot, but that was really
exciting.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
That was the exciting part.
It's like I can tell peoplewhat to do.
You know that's really cool.
So, in the process of youcreating the doll, what did you
find the most challenging or themost the hardest part of the of
that whole process?
What did you or did you noteven look at it as being very
difficult for you?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I think that I mean the whole process was
challenging, I think, gettingstarted because there was we
didn't really know anybody atthe beginning who need, who
could give us advice about it.
So it's a lot of trying andactually Our first iteration of
dolls that we started gettingdolls that were defective, so
(06:20):
they some of their Body partswere like smashed in and that
was really scary and See gooddolls and then see dolls that
were not good.
So it was a lot of trial anderror and I think just Now
having a community of people sowe're part of different industry
(06:43):
based organizations like womenand toys so
having that Resource, havingresources and having people that
can tell us and give us advice,was really kind of the hardest
part.
And then we launched rightbefore COVID.
So when COVID hit, that wasreally hard because at first I
(07:04):
Was doing a lot of shows, so youwent to a lot of vendor markets
and that was exciting for me toget on my shell and actually
talk to customers and see girlsRunning up to the dolls and
saying, oh, she looks like me.
So I had to take a huge breakfrom that when we started doing
everything online.
So I wasn't able to reallyconnect with my customers a lot,
(07:25):
but I tried to do lives andother things that really helped
me.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
I think that's really good what you said, that the
fact of connecting with yourcustomers, I think for you is
really, is really importantbecause of the fact that you are
a young CEO of your company andyou want to inspire people.
So I mean, I understand you canstill do that via live, but I I
do know that having them beable to talk to you in person is
(07:50):
something that's much moreimpactful.
I believe, yes, now what theywere there, people that you
inspired you Along the way alongthis journey.
I should say you know, or didyou have people who inspired you
before you decided I wanted tostart a doll company?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Wow, I think there are a lot of people that inspire
me every single day.
My mom, for one.
She was so strong and I am justso happy that she took a chance
on me and started helping outwith the business, because I
couldn't have done it withouther.
My grandma is another personthat inspires me.
She writes books like me.
(08:27):
She's very inspiring.
Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey,Serena Williams I think there
are a lot of just powerful blackwomen that I see every day that
really inspire me, show me whatis possible and help me to be
able to keep on going.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
To keep on going, and I think that's so important to
have people that you can look upto, to know that you know and
to know their stories.
That's why I think you sharingwhat it is that you do is so
important, because people needto know the stories behind these
products right, and behindthese dolls.
It's not just I want to do adoll.
It's like I want to do a dollbecause it represents who I am
and I wanted to be able to helpother young women feel proud and
(09:09):
beautiful the way that they are, the way they come into the
world.
You know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yes, exactly that is so important for me.
I mean, I'm all about inspiringyoung girls feel confident in
themselves, to love who they are, and so being able to share my
story and saying, oh no, it'snot just because I wanted to
make money.
It's because I found a need andI wanted to solve that.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Yeah, yeah, so powerful it really is.
So I know that you're expandingon your brand.
So what else do you?
Oh, first of all, how manydolls do you have?
And what did you expand on?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Probably we have three dolls.
So different shades, differentskin tones.
That was very important becausethe black skin tone.
There are so many shades.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
I wanted to make sure we're representing everybody.
I also have puzzles, like Imentioned, so just finding
different ways to connect withgirls and spread my message of
confidence.
Books are another way, so Iwrite books.
I have three books currently.
So I'm just finding differentways to inspire, to connect with
girls and to hopefully makethem know that they are
(10:15):
beautiful and they matter.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah Well, I mean, you definitely do an amazing job
in that.
I love the way that you speak.
I love the way that yourepresent yourself, you know,
not just in the business, butalso, you know, just as a young
woman.
I think that's really, reallypowerful.
You know, I'm a boy mom.
I don't have two boys, you know.
So I didn't have theopportunity to have a little
(10:37):
girl.
But I will tell you, being amom, I know your mom must be so
proud of everything that you'redoing.
I do remember one interview.
She said that you inspire hertoo, and I can understand why.
But again, you're still a veryyoung person.
And how do you find time foryou to be that young person in
everything that you do, becauserunning a business is very
(10:57):
challenging even for the oldpeople like me.
And how do you find the time tojust be an 11 year old?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Well, definitely.
My mom makes sure, and I makesure, that I am an 11 year old,
so I play tennis, I run track, Ido theater, I play the piano.
So I think it's all about goingwith the flow and prioritizing
different things.
At certain times, like lastyear, I gave a TEDx talk.
And at that time I had to take abreak from some theater
(11:26):
rehearsals and some tennis andpiano lessons to be able to
focus and memorize it.
But every day my mom and I makesure that I have fun, that I be
a kid, that I hang out with myfriends.
But it's definitely aboutprioritizing and just going with
the flow.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, that's very cool.
I was going to get to that TEDtalk in a minute, but since you
mentioned it, I would love toyou to share about how did that
come about for you, and did youchoose the topic that you were
going to talk about?
Or was it something that youdiscussed with your mom, or did
they say, hey, you should talkabout this?
How did that come about for you?
Speaker 2 (12:03):
So I was given the opportunity to give a TEDx talk
last year, november 4th.
That was really exciting for me.
I was 10 years old at the timeand I knew that the topic of the
event was SOAR.
It was actually the very firstTEDx Atlanta Women event, so it
was about how women really soar.
So I wanted to make sure that Italked about my story and I was
(12:26):
there to share my mission andprovided some tips and tricks
and things for young girls totake away and help them be more
confident in themselves.
I am currently the youngestblack girl to ever give a TEDx
talk, so it was a lot ofpressure, definitely, but I
think just remembering mymission and remembering
(12:50):
everything that I've been ableto do and everything that was
going to come out of this talkdefinitely kept me going.
So I got to write this speech,figure out what I was going to
write about, write this speech.
Then I had to memorize it fully.
So every day, car rides, atschool, I was constantly saying
it.
I mean to the point where evenmy mom knew my talk because I
(13:13):
sat around her so many times.
So it was a long process andthere was a lot of things to do
in a short amount of time, but Iam very excited about how it
turned out.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Yes, it was beautiful .
It really was beautiful.
I watched it.
I thought it was just sopowerful and just so great to
see you there.
One of the things I think thatyou said that was really
important was that the fact thatyou know it was overwhelming,
and I'm sure at some point youfelt a little nervous, but you
remembered the mission of whyyou were doing it.
Yes, and I think that gets youthrough so many challenges that
(13:51):
you probably ran across, becausethe bottom line is the mission
and the representation thatthese dollars were created for.
So I think once you know yourmission, you know again it's not
just all about you.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yes.
So I think that every singlechallenge that I've come by,
every single time I feel down inthe dumps or I feel like I
don't want to keep going.
I think about my mission, Ithink about the girls that I'm
helping and inspiring, and thatjust keeps me going.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Yeah, and I think, like you said, because you still
also think about you being an11 year old and I don't take
that lightly, you know, becauseyou do, even though you have a
mission it is a challenge andit's a lot to ask for from
yourself as well, you know,being a CEO of a company that's
expanding and growing and a lotof people look up to you, and so
(14:43):
you have a lot of that on yourshoulders too.
But the fact that you are still, that you understand I still
have to remain who I am Rightand know who you are as a person
, I think says a lot about theway your mother raised you as
well, and that's a beautifulthing.
What is the most like, I guessheartwarming, I guess feedback
(15:04):
that you receive from younggirls who connect with you when
they see you and your dolls.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I mean every single young girl I meet they always
tell me oh, she's so beautiful.
And even actually last Friday Idid a talk.
So after my TEDx I continued myspeaking journey.
So I love speaking to young andold, different audiences.
So I was invited to come outand speak at a school.
(15:31):
I was invited to read my bookto some of the little kids and
actually talk to some of theolder kids, and all the kids
were like oh, this is sobeautiful, I love your doll.
And I help them say affirmation.
So say things like I'mbeautiful, I'm confident.
And I think they really believein themselves.
After that, I think every younggirl that was to me and says,
(15:56):
oh, you're beautiful, oh I lovethis.
This really resonated with me.
One little girl.
I showed her my TEDx talk at anevent and I asked her if she
enjoyed it.
She was like, yes, this wasvery powerful and she gave me a
hug and I think, just as Imentioned, things like these,
moments like these just keep megoing and hold a special place
(16:20):
in my heart.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Oh, that's so sweet, zoe.
That is so beautiful, sopowerful.
You know, when we did our big,beautiful dolls the first plus
size fashion doll and I thinkthose things are important
because the reason that we didthat was the same reason that
you do what you do, because noteverybody looks the same.
Some people are plus size, somepeople are not, some people are
(16:43):
darker, some people are lighter, hair is shorter, hair is
curlier, hair is longer.
So having representation, Ithink, is just always so
important, especially in theworld of dolls, because dolls
open up such great imagination,you know, for young girls and
boys to play with and to comeinto their own and find out who
they are.
So I just say kudos so much toyou for seeing that and
(17:08):
understanding that and knowingthat that should be a part of
your life and a part of yourmission, you know, because I
think I think it's really,really powerful what you're
doing out there with these dolls.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Thank you so much.
I truly agree.
I mean helping young girls andyoung kids come into their own,
discover their passions.
I'm actually launching a newline of plush dolls.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Oh nice.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
For the holidays oh that's so cool I love that.
So they have different passions.
One of them loves art and alsoloves reading, one loves science
, and so just showing girls thepossibilities and showing them
that they can be anything thatthey want to be, and showing
them that representation is sopowerful.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Yes, yes, very.
You're definitely going to beforced to be reckoned with
because, first of all, they'renot very many African Americans.
You know, I've been in the dollworld for many years now and
they're not very many AfricanAmericans that own their own
doll company.
You're, in a month or a handfulof amazing people who have
(18:12):
established companies thatcreate their own dolls and
manufacture their own dolls theway that you want them to be
done.
I really appreciate that and I,you know, just welcome you into
the doll world and into the darkcommunity for doing that,
because because it, you know, italso helps to you know, it also
gives opportunities to otherpeople to, at some point, your
(18:34):
business will grow to a pointwhere you're really going to be
able to employ way more peopleand, to, you know, help other
people move on in their ownmissions and their own desires,
and you know their own designs.
So I'm excited about that.
So you were saying you're goinginto plush dolls.
So let me ask you I know youdid an initiative, a program
(18:57):
called gift to doll program.
I believe that's what it'scalled.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
So it is actually our giving back.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
So we give this all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So we give a doll for every doll that is purchased.
So I get to go into differentcommunities, different shelters
like the Atlaya and Shodanshelter run a mission and give
those girls a doll and sometimesdon't read to the little kids.
So I think that it's soimportant that every girl in the
world has a doll that they cansee themselves in and feel
(19:27):
beautiful, so not only peoplewhose parents can afford it or
have asset access to it.
It's important for all girls tohave one.
So that is definitely veryimportant to me.
I mean, I've always given back,even when I was three years old
with my mom handing outsandwiches to people on the
street.
So I think that that is soimportant to me and I'm really
(19:50):
glad that I have found a way tobe able to incorporate that into
my company.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
That's great.
Yes, is that going to be withthe plus, the plus styles as
well, or?
Speaker 2 (19:59):
just the story.
Every dog, every dog.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Okay, beautiful, oh my goodness.
Okay, wow, that's really reallypowerful that you're doing that
.
So what advice would you give?
You know an aspiringentrepreneur, especially a young
entrepreneur.
You know when they decide, oh,I want to start a business
because you know the process nowand you know what it takes.
I mean, first of all, not justfinding a manufacturer, but
(20:21):
monetarily.
I mean I don't know if we canhave that type of conversation,
but you know, having the kind ofmoney that you need to create
the things that you want can bevery challenging.
So what kind of advice wouldyou give to other aspiring
entrepreneurs who want to make apositive difference in the
world?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Just get started.
I know, spend a lot of time forfascinating and thinking, oh,
this is not the right time, Imay not have enough funds, but
just get started.
I like to say don't wait forthe perfect way to just surf.
I mean, I've never surfed, butI think it's important to
remember because there's nevergoing to be a right time if
(21:00):
you're waiting for that time.
So just get started and, as ayoung entrepreneur, remember
that there are always people outthere who are willing to
support you, willing to help you, that there are always
organizations different industryorganizations that have
resources and mentors that canhelp you and have been through
the same things that you'regoing through.
(21:21):
And then, just, anytime youhave challenges, anytime there
are hard times, remember yourmission, remember what you stand
for and it will keep you going.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yeah, I love that.
What did you say about thesurfing?
Say that again.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I love that.
Don't wait for the perfect wave, just surf.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
And it's true, don't just don't wait.
You know you have to, becauseit's never going to be the
perfect time.
You know the perfect time iswhen you just do it right.
It's just when you just do it.
I think that's powerful.
I think once you get oldersometimes because you've been
through a lot you have theseideas that you can't do certain
things because you've seencertain things happening.
You just get stuck into thatmotive.
Oh well, you know that happenedthen, instead of just saying
(22:04):
I'm just going to keep moving.
So I think when you're younger,you have a better opportunity,
right, because they haven'treally happened to you yet.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yes, definitely utilize your youngness.
I think as you grow older youhave different worries, you have
different problems and thingsthat can hold you back as an
adult.
So when you're young and youhave parents and you have people
that support you and will fundand help you with your ideas,
just go for it.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Yeah, that's so true, wow.
Well, I mean I'm going to say Iabsolutely love this interview
and I probably could talk to youfor about 20, you know at least
20 more hours, but I do knowyou have school and you have
other things that you have toget to.
But you know, I really do wantto thank you for being in the
doll world.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
You know I talked to a lot of.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Oh, you're so welcome and I'm so glad you guys found
the time, because I know you'reso busy out there just doing
amazing things.
And before we go, where canpeople find your amazing
beautiful dolls and find outmore about you and what you're
doing in the future?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
So you can visit our website, beautifulcurlymecom.
You can follow us on Instagram,facebook, big talk, pinterest,
twitter, at beautifulandthreads,at beautifulcurlyme, and then,
yeah, you can stay connectedthose ways.
We're also in if you're lookingto purchase a doll or book.
We're also in some Macy'slocations in New York and
(23:30):
Atlanta and California.
Oh nice, so yes, and I want tosay thank you so much, ms
Georgia, for inviting me.
I had a great time.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Well, thank you so much.
I had a wonderful time with youtoo, zoe.
I really appreciate you takingthe time to come on in the doll
world with me.
I hope you have a wonderful dayand I'm sure we'll be talking
again once your business getsbigger.
I'd love to have you back onthe show, probably next year,
just to see where you're at, youknow, just to see what you're
doing out there in the world,because you're going to be
making some amazing thingshappen and inspiring some, you
(24:00):
know, not just young women, buteverybody out there, because
they see your growth and theyknow the type of person that you
are, and you're very focusedand you have a mission to help
people be represented and whothey are through dolls.
So we really appreciate that.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for being on In theDoll World.
I'll talk to you guys later.
(24:20):
Bye, hello everybody.
Thank you so much for listeningto In the Doll World.
I hope you enjoyed the show.
Please don't forget to sharethe podcast with other doll
enthusiasts such as yourself.
They can find us at Facebook,instagram and Twitter at In the
Doll World.
The show can also be downloadedon all apps with podcasts or
streamed To see videos of ourinterviews.
(24:41):
Please visit our In the DollWorld YouTube channel.
And don't forget, in the DollWorld is also on Alexa.
Just ask Alexa to open DollWorld.
Did you know that you can nowleave a voicemail or give us a
review?
We would love to hear from youor suggest a guest for the show.
You can do all that by visitingwwwInTheDollWorldcom and, until
(25:03):
next week, add a little playinto your life by collecting a
doll, sharing a doll or giving adoll a home.
And again, thank you forlistening to In the Doll World.
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