We were lucky to catch up with Yanna Lowe recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yanna, appreciate you joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

When you start a business, expecting your family and friends to support you is normal. However, your family and friends’ support (profit-wise) will not grow your business on its own. I always tell people that success comes from strangers who support you in more ways than your family and friends ever will. When I first started Curl Flip®, my business took off with the support of my peers, close friends, and family. I was thankful, motivated, and optimistic by their heavy support alone. However, the support dies down from those closest to you after a while. My business’s success and elevation didn’t happen until I grew my social media following and exposed my business to millions of strangers: every day, a new customer (stranger) purchases from my business, not family and friends.

I’ve seen so many up-and-coming entrepreneurs vent about the lack of support from the people closest to them, and while I can understand and relate, I always remind them that success is in strangers. You cannot force people to support your business, nor can you feel entitled to their support. Just keep going, and you’ll find thousands (if not millions) of strangers who genuinely support you and love your business.

Yanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started Curl Flip® in May 2020 amid COVID-19. The idea of Curl Flip came to me when I could not find the products or tools I needed for my natural and protective hair care journey. I noticed a significant gap in the market for certain products that I relied on daily. They were either poorly made, harmful to my hair type, uncomfortable, or simply nonexistent. So, I made it my mission to create high-quality products that provide proper protection while being comfortable to wear or use.

The product that helped my business take off is my minimal to no-slip or tension Head Wraps. I began wearing head wraps in 2013, and I noticed that they were often uncomfortable. I would experience tension headaches almost immediately, or the wraps would not stay in place. By creating a head wrap with a minimal to no slip or tension feature, I addressed an issue within the head wrap and natural hair community. Thousands of my customers have praised Curl Flip’s wraps as some of the best and most comfortable wraps that they own. Following the success of my head wraps, I have produced other amazing products that share the same qualities, such as my Scrunchie Puff Adjustable Hair Ties.

I take pride in providing high-quality products to my customers and, creating them with intention while keeping them affordable.

Curl Flip is growing to become your one-stop shop for protective hair care.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my social media presence by highlighting my brand effectively. Providing tutorials and explaining to my viewers why my products are essential helped me grow my social following rapidly. It was important to ensure my customers understood how to use my products and recognized their amazing features. The features alone helped me stand out from the rest. I went from 68 followers on TikTok to 40,000 in less than two months when I started.

Consistency is key. Post daily, especially at the beginning, to build up your algorithm. Be genuine and authentic; don’t try to mimic your favorite creators. Be yourself and find your voice. Quality is essential, whether in-camera clarity, content, or voiceovers and music.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being honest and genuine has helped me build my reputation. I recognized the quality that my products feature and highlighted them truthfully. I would give recommendations to people and inform them when a product wasn’t necessary for them. When my customers received their products, they could attest to all the great things I had said about them, which leads them to leave an honest review of their experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.CurlFlip.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Curl_Flip
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CurlFlip
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@curlflip_

Image Credits

First Image (purple head wrap) Photo taken by Jamar Church, Church Productions