Funlayo Alabi talked about the “emotional, mental and physical” work it takes to start your own business at the first event of the fall 2016 Fireside Chat Entrepreneur series.
And Alabi knows well the work it takes. In 2009, she co-founded Shea Radiance, an all-natural luxury line of skin- and hair-care products made with shea butter sourced directly from West Africa, with her husband.
In 2012, the brand was picked up by Target, but scaling too quickly almost cost Alabi her business.
It was ultimately the commitment she made to the women harvesting and shea in Africa that inspired her to pull out of Target, re-brand the products and begin afresh. Shea Radiance is growing once more, offering 14 products that can be found in hundreds of natural food stores across the eastern coast of the U.S. and online.
The Fireside Chat Entrepreneur Series is open to all campus and is sponsored by minor in entrepreneurship and Student Launch Pad.