We recently connected with Audrina Henry and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Audrina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
PRETYYLITTLEBADDIE started six years ago in 2018. It took courage faith and a little bit some sativa to do what I really love. I always been into hair since middle school. High school I would wear my hair in these different crazy hairstyles to express myself. When college came around that’s when a old friend gave me the idea to start a hair company. Even though she wanted it to be her business and I make the wigs for her but I just thought that’s stupid and took a big risk left campus and moved into my first apartment at 18. With $1000 to my name I had to do something really. It was either get a 9-5 and finish college or get a job with the family trucking business. I decided to work with my family business and still go to college secretly. While working for them I saved half of that money to to pay my last three semesters of college to graduate. Juggling three 9-5 jobs, running a business, and still going to school almost broke me in half! But six years later I graduated with two degrees in business and journalism and three certificates and now I’m officially a self made millionaire with 800+ products sold, over half a million in profits and PLB being international reaching Alaska to the UK.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m Audrina some people know me as Dri. I’m very much an introvert that has extrovert dreams *laughs*. I have a huge passion for the things I love to do such as hair, fashion, fitness, and traveling. I gained a following on social media cause that’s how I show my personality the most on there but in person I’m quiet and shy. Damn near in the corner but I’m quick to say hi so don’t hesitate to say hi! Prettylittlebaddie describes me. I’m pretty. I’m little aka petite. I consider myself a baddie now it’s so many definitions of a baddie but my definition of a baddie is someone who is a boss and hustler who is independent and confident. A baddie is someone who can walk into the room and literally light it up, have people turn heads and look at you like OMG a masterpiece.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
When I first started PLB i had $500 to my name and that was going towards my first apartment so I made ends meet and went to the local beauty supply store and bought store bought hair and promoted the hair like it was mine till I got a audience who supported me with the preorders then I finally got my first inventory. My boyfriend at the time always told me fake it till you make it. I literally took that to heart.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
My third year into my business it was around the pandemic and im just finally getting the income to buy inventory instead of drop shipping. I reached out to local hair companies to help me get some help but it didn’t go anywhere so I took that into consideration that you can’t help everybody cause they aren’t going to help you. So after not successfully finding the needed sources I almost went out of business and almost giving my business a bad reputation but the product I was shipping out. I learned to do better research and to learn that to invest in yourself money is a big factor and as well keep your new ideas to yourself cause not everyone is there to support. More to take.
Contact Info:
- Website: shopplbhairco.com
- Instagram: shopplbhairco