Book review
If you have ever wondered how to take the giant leap to becoming an entrepreneur, no matter what your background, your experience, or your funds, entrepreneur and author, Rochelle Graham-Campbell, founder of Alikay Naturals has some insights. In her new book, 90 Days to CEO: A Guide to Avoid Business Pitfalls and Unlock the Secrets of Entrepreneurship, she shares her journey and her experience.
Like so many others, Rochelle Graham-Campbell was a broke college student working multiple jobs to make ends meet. From working at a local nursing home and delivering newspapers to waitressing at Olive Garden by night, her entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well. After Rochelle's "big chop" in 2008, it was this same spirit that led her to make and sell her own natural haircare products when the market let her down. From a tiny bathroom in her college apartment, Rochelle began filming her haircare journey, soon becoming one of the pioneers of natural hair vlogging on YouTube. Prompted by dozens of women inspired by her hair growth, Rochelle realized her calling. With just $100 in tips from a night of waitressing, she bought the first set of bottles and ingredients to formulate her own products. These kitchen concoctions soon became Alikay Naturals, Rochelle's solution to beauty without compromise. From humble beginnings, Alikay has blossomed into a wildly successful bootstrapped business now sold in Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Kroger, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and top beauty supply stores and salons across twenty-two countries. Now in her tenth year of business, Rochelle shares her journey from server to beauty founder and breaks down the mindset behind her success. Covering the hustle, self-care, and purpose beyond profit, 90 Days to C.E.O is a comprehensive no-BS guide to starting and running a successful business.
About the Author
Rochelle Graham-Campbell is the C.E.O and Co-Founder of Alikay Naturals, the affordable solution to beauty without compromise. Beauty without compromise means products that are inclusive of all hair types, textures, and needs, and that do what they say they will. With a decade of experience on her back, Rochelle is a true innovator who takes the same D.I.Y approach with business as she has with her hair. In addition to being the brain behind one of the fastest-growing haircare brands on the market, Rochelle is also one of just six originators of natural hair vlogging on YouTube. Through sharing her tips and techniques for styling kinky hair, Rochelle has grown her channel-blackonyx77-to over 17 million views and 110,000 loyal and engaged subscribers. It was on this platform that Rochelle conceived and shared one of the most famous and widely used techniques for natural haircare-the L.O.C. Method(TM). Through this and countless other techniques, Rochelle has dedicated herself to expanding the education around natural haircare and promoting self-love at every stage of one's journey. In addition to Alikay Naturals and her YouTube channel, Rochelle is also the C.E.O of Rochelle Graham Business University(TM), an educational platform and community hub for aspiring entrepreneurs; as well as Fabulously Unique Natural Hair and Beauty Expo(TM). Rochelle co-founded Alikay Naturals with her husband, Demond Campbell, and together the couple has two children, her son, Landon Levi, and daughter, Serenity Sapphire.
Why LoA loves it….
So many aspirant women entrepreneurs have the ideas for a business, but they lack both the confidence and the means to often turn that idea into reality. Well, here is a good dose of ‘can do’ from a successful US entrepreneur who went from humble beginnings to creating one of the fastest growing natural haircare brands in the US. Rochelle Graham-Campbell tells it like it is and her journey and advice will be an inspiration to so many others that are looking to follow in her footsteps. Well worth a read if you need some motivation to take that idea and run with it. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa