Miss Jessie's is a memoir and business guide rich with inspirational life lessons and unique business advice from Miko Branch, the Chief Executive Officer of the dynamic Miss Jessie’s, the company that revolutionized the hair care industry.
When Miko Branch and her sister Titi were children, their grandmother, Miss Jessie, taught them independence and showed them the value of being a “do it yourself” woman, all the while whipping up homemade hair concoctions at her kitchen table. As co-founders of Miss Jessie's, Miko reveals how she and Titi applied those lessons to create a successful business from scratch. This family memoir written by Miko provides a wealth of practical business advice and handy hair tips, and is told in her funny and relatable voice - it’s a remarkable story. She takes us on a journey from her childhood learning independence as a latchkey kid in Jamaica, Queens, to building a highly regarded company with her sister in their shared home salon in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Miko reflects on her hard-won insights working for her autocratic, iron-fisted father, and how the self-sufficiency she learned in childhood helped her blossom as a single mother with bills to pay, a child to raise, and a dream to pursue. She speaks honestly of her mistakes and successes, and of her role as an industry leader, negotiating multi-million dollar deals while at the same time restoring the self-esteem of natural and curly haired women. Charming and enlightening, this book is chock full of entertaining stories and invaluable instruction that can be applied to any business.
Author Quotes
My sister and I did not train or go to school to build a multimillion dollar company from scratch. We don’t have MBAs, and we didn’t get bank loans or find angel investors. What we had was the seed of an idea, an entrepreneurial fire in our bellies, and a solid foundation of family and influences to learn from and observe.
There’s a message here for every individual who doesn’t feel that he or she has the opportunity to be successful, whether that person is young, a single mother, working-class and coming up without advantages - we did it, so can you!
About the author
Miko Branch is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie’s LLC. She is celebrated for transforming the hair care industry by establishing an entirely new category of products specifically for natural and curly hair. She was featured on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily, Beauty Inc., as a trailblazer and Ebony listed her as one of its Power 100 Innovators and Influencers. She has also been honored by New York University and Delta Sigma Theta. Miss Jessie’s has been featured in O, Oprah’s Magazine, Teen Vogue, Redbook, Essence, Cosmo Latina, and other magazines. She lives in New York.
Website http://missjessies.com
Why LoA loves it….
At LoA, we love the power of storytelling, especially when women entrepreneurs are sharing their very personal and candid stories of how they started up in business and the challenges they faced along the way. In Miko Branch’s book she shares her very personal story of her entrepreneurial journey, offering real lessons learned from her own experiences, and solid advice for others to follow. Her writing style is easily accessible and relatable, and readers will be taken on an uplifting journey through the trials and tribulations of building a business and brand in the competitive world of hair care. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa