Founder and CEO of Honey Beez Natural Hair Care, Brandi Biviens is a serial entrepreneur who was born and raised in Richmond, VA to a single mother whom she credits her “go get her” spirit from. After helping her daughter with a science project not wanting to waste the unused ingredients she accidentally created her best selling product Honey Beez Crown Me Ultra Moisturizing Honey Butter.
The wife and mother of two is building Honey Beez Natural Hair Care from the ground up capitalizing on wins and learning from the NO’s. Her products had achieved much success with their number one selling Honey Beez Crown Me Ultra Moisturizing Hair Butter.
I had the opportunity to speak with Brandi recently about trying to stay relevant in today’s market when there is no shortage of hair care products and trying to balance entrepreneurial, motherhood, and grieving her mother’s death.
First of all, let me offer you my condolences on the passing of your mother. How have you been?
Thank you. You know it’s been a struggle trying to maintain my grief. I definitely have days where I don’t want to get out the bed then I have days where the sky is the limit and I just want to make my mom proud. It’s a whirlwind. If it wasn’t for My Lord and Savior and all the people praying for me and myself constantly praying asking God for strength and direction I probably would be somewhere in a deep depression. I like to think I’m a great problem solver but what I have learned is some problems you can’t solve and this is one of them.
Can you share the inspiration behind starting Honey Beez Natural Hair Care and what motivated you to enter the hair care industry?
I created my first product accidentally while trying to help my daughter with her science project. She was trying to show what happens when oil and water mix or something like that and we had leftover ingredients. So we were looking at other youtube science projects or experiments on her IPad and a video came up on body butter. I decided for us to try and make it with her leftover ingredients from her experiment and what I didn’t know at the time it would turn out to be my highest-selling product our Crown Me Ultra Moisturizing Honey Butter.
What motivated your decision to specialize in creating products tailored for 4C hair textures?
As a young girl, I struggled with having thick 4C hair. It affected my self-esteem as well as my confidence at the time. The products on the shelf did not resolve the hair issues that I was experiencing. Although they seem to work for my sister’s hair type I didn’t receive the same results. Fast Forwarding to my adult years I had to purchase multiple products due to the different hair textures my daughters had which became expensive. I began creating products for my daughter’s hair but I wanted to create a product that resolved thick hair issues but wasn’t too heavy for curly hair textures as well.
How does your company’s mission and values align with the products you offer to your customers?
Honey Beez Natural Hair Care’s mission and values are at the heart of everything we do at Honey Beez Natural Hair Care. Our mission is to provide our customers with the highest quality natural hair care products that empower them to embrace their natural beauty and confidently express themselves. Our core values revolve around authenticity, inclusivity, and sustainability.
Could you talk about the unique aspects of your hair care products that set them apart from others in the market?
Honey Beez Natural Hair Care believes in being true to oneself, and our products reflect this belief. Our formulations are crafted with carefully selected natural ingredients that honor the diverse textures and needs of different textured hair types focusing on the thicker hair types. We avoid harmful chemicals and unnecessary additives, staying authentic to our commitment to healthy hair care.
Could you offer some advice to a future female entrepreneur looking to start her own business?
Have thick skin! Understand not everyone is going to like your product and it’s okay. That lesson will teach you about your target audience and how to identify the correct consumers for your product. Recognize going into the business industry there will be a lot of No’s. But you only need one YES for your big break! Stay focused on the positive!
How do you handle all the No’s?
I respectfully ask for feedback as to why they said no and once I understand their thought pattern or their reasoning I try and learn from it whether that’s adjusting my product or rethinking my marketing strategy. I try to ensure I turn every NO into a learning experience.
Allow me to conclude this interview by expressing how genuinely delightful our conversation has been. I am so appreciative of how open you are with your current grieving struggles and your optimism to move forward. I also want to tell you that I absolutely love your products my sister and I argue over which collection is better the 4C Love Collection or the Crown Me Ultra Moisturizing Collection. I pray that God brings you some peace and that the next time we speak you will be on ALL retail shelves! Thank you so much for this opportunity.
For more information about Honey Beez Natural Hair Care visit wwwHoneyBeezHairCare.com.