We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacqueline Carrington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jacqueline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

People of Color is a non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free nail polish brand made to complement the various shades of brown skin as the first thought, not an afterthought. The brand was launched in May 2019, after I was inspired by my daughter’s interest in nail polish. It rekindled my interest as well, which made me think back to my childhood, where I skipped wearing nail polish due to playing basketball and never seeing the colors shown on brown hands (particularly in marketing and advertising).

I wanted to create a nail polish brand that celebrated and represented people of color from all over the world by telling their stories through nail polish collections. Our brand makes “nail polish for People of Color and those who live in color”, because we all live in a world of color!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a wife, mom of 3, and the founder/CEO of People of Color. I live in Southern California with my family (plus 3 cats) and enjoy going to the beach, festivals, working out, and traveling. Prior to launching People of Color in May 2019, I worked as a Property Manager for 6 years in the real estate industry and prior to that, worked in the hotel industry for 6 years. I graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science in Lodging and Resort Management. My dream has always been to work for myself and People of Color is now my dream come true!

I never envisioned myself creating a business in the beauty industry as I never really partook in it as a consumer growing up, especially with nail polish. With my daughter’s interest at a young age, I noticed an opportunity in the market to create a brand that not only celebrated people of color from all over the world, but to use nail polish collections as a way to tell our stories too.

I am most proud of never giving up on this business and seeing it through to its current and future potential. I’ve tried so many business ideas prior to launching People of Color, and when things didn’t grow fast enough to my liking, it was on to whatever next idea I had. Growing this business from idea to reality has been one of the most fun and hardest things I’ve ever done. However, our customers and community that we’ve built and seeing the impact our mission makes it all worth it.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The initial capital for my business came from my last paychecks during working before I went out on maternity leave with our 3rd child. I knew my time was limited in not only getting the business up and running, but also in the funds I’d have available to allocate towards launching. My initial investment was $1000, and it was the most I’d ever put in to start a business. I like to call myself the queen of low-cost start up ideas, and for me at this time, $1000 was a big investment!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Our brand reputation is built on authenticity, representation, and service. In an industry (beauty/nails) that is very saturated, it’s important to differentiate yourself. Our brand story, our why, our mission is what goes before us in anything that we do. It’s our first impression and our quality of products and service makes the lasting impression.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.peopleofcolorbeauty.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peopleofcolorbeauty/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleofcolorbeauty
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-carrington-poc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsvitOHw5Lz9xWHiKow9Tuw