Tackling Entrepreneurship as Women in Inland Empire

Entrepreneurship Vs. COVID-19

By Josaline Cuesta, Senior California Program Manager / Southern California Outreach Manager, Small Business Majority

Growing up as children of a mixed-race household, Kinsey Egan-McGee and her sister Brenna Leslie knew that they were different from other members of their predominantly white neighborhood. They felt cut off from a community that understood the nuances of managing things like care for textured hair. 

Unable to travel to their local hair salon during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this disconnection, but it also spotlighted an opportunity for women like Kinsey and Brenna to create their own platform that would invite virtual conversation, creativity, and knowledge sharing about textured hair care, while also keeping people socially distanced. They recognized that millions of women, like myself, were struggling to stay connected with their hair community during this time.  

“Claim Your Roots, LLC” – a virtual hair education platform – was born from a drive to build a virtual community of women and girls with textured hair. Although they had very limited knowledge on how to become entrepreneurs, the sisters were compelled to start a business that solves a common problem for women who looked like them. Their drive pushed them beyond just Googling “How to Start a Business” to actively pursue fundraising opportunities, such as crowdfunding for start-up costs and attending virtual networking events.

Kinsey acknowledges that thinking about entrepreneurship was a challenge at first because women of color don’t often see themselves represented as business owners or given that path as an option early in life. 

“It’s important for young women of color to feel seen and aware that entrepreneurship is a probable avenue for them,” said Kinsey. “After college, I wasn’t exposed to resources or people who told me that being a small business owner was a possibility. I didn’t clearly understand what was involved or what to do. But I know now that given access to the right resources will help so many people broaden their horizons and build their resiliency. Women, especially women of color, will experience so many barriers and challenges to becoming successful. However, I’m proud that my sister and I can be examples of women who didn’t count themselves out of the entrepreneurial world. We were able to utilize all the opportunities given to push forward and create a space for more small business owners to thrive.”

Claim Your Roots is a great example of innovative women in the Inland Empire pursuing entrepreneurship despite limited resources. We are excited about its launch in the first quarter of 2022 and look forward to expanding in the future.