“The Next Black Millionaires” Stars Kazmaleje’s LaToya Stirrup And Undefined’s Dorian Morris On The Power Of The F Word

Participating in Unilever-owned SheaMoisture’s The Next Black Millionaire program, the power of the F word, focus, was impressed upon Kazmaleje founder LaToya Stirrup and Undefined Beauty founder Dorian Morris.

“Oftentimes, as small brands, we feel like there are so many things that we’re trying to stay ahead of. We’re trying to stay in front of the competition, we’re trying to keep new things in front of buyers in order to stay top of mind,” says Stirrup. “A lot of us want to get into retail and then go full chain, but that is a huge undertaking. It’s OK to take your time, especially in retail, because you want to make sure that you can sustain and grow as the brand grows.”

Morris admits she’s frequently “trying to boil the ocean” and is striving to move away from that tendency to tackle manageable pools. She says, “I will create and launch a product without having a full marketing strategy just because I feel so much passion behind solving problems.”

Stirrup and Morris are stars of The Roku Channel docuseries “The Next Black Millionaires,” spots they secured by being chosen out of hundreds of applicants to participate in the program of the same name. In addition to those starring spots, they won mentoring from New Voices Foundation, a $100,000 grant and placement on Target endcaps, which are currently featuring their brands. 

Kazmaleje has allocated the grant to product innovation and marketing. The hair tools brand launched a tool cleaner kit last year. Undefined is pouring the money into inventory, supply chain, marketing, retail support and product development. Its latest product releases, R&R Hydro Jelly Face and Eye Serum and R&R Sun Crème SPF 50 Moisturizing Sunscreen, were funded by the cash infusion received from The Next Black Millionaire. Overall, Kazmaleje has drawn roughly $400,000 in grants, including from Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize. Undefined has garnered about $200,000 in grants.

“SheaMoisture stepped up and really put their money where their mouth is in terms of providing unparalleled access,” says Morris. Stirrup agrees, noting, “The dollars are, of course, great, but that access to C-suite executives inside of a corporation like Unilever is where the gold is.”

On top of the money and C-suite access, the Target endcap is a huge perk for the brands. Undefined entered Target last year, but the endcap provides it exposure it hadn’t gotten previously. “I’m in the natural skincare category and not everybody’s walking down that aisle, and so this is the first time in about 605 stores where I am on that endcap,” says Morris. “Everyone that’s walking the main aisle is going to see it, and hopefully they’ll fall in love with the story, pick up a product or two. This is a very important window, the next two months, to really see what off shelf placement can do to drive my business.”

For founders interested in The Next Black Millionaire or programs like it, Stirrup explains most ask similar questions and advises them to erect a system to answer them. “Have a Word document or an Excel sheet, whatever works best for you, where you keep your answers,” she recommends. “If you have this content stored somewhere already, then you can copy and paste and modify as needed.”

And for those fearful about applying for programs, Stirrup encourages them to do so even if they don’t think they’re qualified. She says, “You have to sometimes move through that fear and take that step because it’s what’s important and what’s needed for you as well as your business to grow.” Below, Morris and Stirrup let us in on more takeaways from their involvement in The Next Black Millionaire program.

Founder SUPPORT

Brands prioritize relationships with suppliers and investors, rightfully so, but Morris and Stirrup stress that fostering relationships with fellow founders can be exceedingly fruitful. “We’re constantly information sharing and learning from each other,” says Morris. For example, she shared the name of the third-party logistics company Undefined uses with Stirrup, and now both Undefined and Kazmalaje depend on the same warehouse. “It’s all about this one plus one equals five when small brands come together,” says Morris.

Concurring with Morris, Stirrup mentions she, Morris and Scotch Boyz founder Neil Hudson, a third The Next Black Millionaire winner, fill each other in on beneficial expos, events and partnerships. For a recent collaboration, Stirrup partnered with Printed Pattern People, a brand from Brooklyn designers Claudia Brown and Jessie Whipple Vickery, on a hair tool pouch. She looks forward to collaborating with more brands to create products in the future.

Stirrup says, “Oftentimes, entrepreneurs or business owners feel like it’s always about competing against someone else, but we could actually go further when we work together.” 

CANDID PitchING

One of Stirrup’s main lessons from pitch competitions is to be transparent when telling her founder story. Kazmaleje was developed out of personal needs. After going natural in 2008 and figuring out the conditioners and styling products that were best for their curls, Stirrup and her sisters LaTasha and LaTrice still experienced significant breakage during the detangling process—and devised Kazmaleje’s hair tools to resolve it.

In pitches, Stirrup says, “If it comes across like marketing or too sales-y and not genuine and heartfelt, then that will read. Emotions come through your words, so you really have to put that emotion into how you pitch your business, how you talk about your business in the application and be very authentic with your responses.”

Stirrup emphasizes that program judges want to get to know founders. She says, “If you have a wall up and you’re keeping yourself out of the story of your business, then it’s hard for them to connect because all they have at that point is your pitch video, if you have to submit one, and then the actual typed application.”

Morris describes appearing on “The Next Black Millionaires” docuseries as anxiety-provoking. Categorizing herself as an “outgoing introvert,” she’s not sure if she would’ve applied for the program if she’d been aware in advance that the docuseries was part of it. Now that she’s on the series, she hopes that viewers connect with the highs and lows of her entrepreneurial journey. Some of which include running a business as a solo founder, how to be scrappy to compete with larger corporations and building a team. She says, “What I’ve learned through the process is that vulnerability is a strength.”

Stirrup and Morris hope to leverage the show to gain customers for their brands. The Target endcap could be a critical sales booster. Photos of Stirrup and Morris are displayed with their products in the endcaps so customers can understand that they’re behind the brands. Stirrup says, “Research shows that consumers are more inclined to buy when they know the founder or they identify with the founder because they want to support him or her.”

The Importance of Mission 

Morris underscores the three brands selected to participate in The Next Black Millionaire program are purpose-driven companies, meaning their business models aren’t solely about driving profit. At Undefined, Morris is attempting to democratize clean skincare, and Kazmaleje aims to make wash day less of a headache for consumers with textured hair. Undefined also strives to practice conscious capitalism by choosing BIPOC-, LGBTQIA+- and female-owned companies to partner with in its supply chain.

Morris highlights that SheaMoisture and New Voices Founder, Richelieu Dennis, has made the mission of lifting up Black founders and consumers central to his business goals. She says, “It was this whole mindset that you can do good and do well at the same time and really leveraging what he called community commerce.”

She continues that brands applying to The Next Black Millionaire program should “think about how your business impacts the broader community or society as a whole and what you are doing within your business model to give back. It’s not just about you as an individual brand or even you as an individual founder, it’s what impact you are able to make via your business.”