{"id":5112,"date":"2022-07-04T06:44:12","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T06:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/?p=5112"},"modified":"2022-07-04T06:44:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T06:44:12","slug":"beauty-entrepreneur-dandra-montaque-on-the-harsh-reality-of-fundraising-for-women-of-color-in-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/beauty-entrepreneur-dandra-montaque-on-the-harsh-reality-of-fundraising-for-women-of-color-in-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty Entrepreneur D\u2019Andra Montaque on the Harsh Reality of Fundraising for Women of Color in Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a systemic shift in consumer behavior favored towards the online experience. Whether it\u2019s a new dress for a workplace gathering or new computer parts, nearly anything can be bought within a few clicks. In a modern, busy world, people will pay for what\u2019s most efficient.\u00a0 Companies have worked diligently in the past decade to make the consumer online experience as frictionless as possible. The Amazon model pinpointed the root of humans\u2019 desire for instant gratification, offering same-day delivery at the cost of their prime membership.<\/span><\/p>\n

The upward trend for customization<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another trend that\u2019s been observed is the preference for customization. AR technology has made it possible for people to \u201ctry\u201d on, let\u2019s say a shade of foundation, or an eyeshadow color using an app on their phones. Due to the closure of makeup store Sephora amidst the pandemic, the company implemented a Facebook AR ad, resulting in increased online store purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, customization is not equally accessible or useful for every demographic. In the beauty market, there aren\u2019t nearly as many products customized for people of color, as there are lightening creams and serums for people with fairer skin. As when it comes to hair products, the number is driven down even further. Women and men who have textured hair face the challenge of not having products that work for them, and in some cases, cause more damage to their hair in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite advertisements these days doused in the allure of diversity and equal representation, the applicability of beauty products has always been generically tailored for the majority of the population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
With permission, D’Andra Montaque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We spoke with D\u2019Andra Montaque, who has for the past four years been steadily building her flagship e-commerce brand <\/span>Empress Mane,<\/span><\/a> which specializes in hair products for people of color coupled with the same-day delivery concept. Hailing from one of the densest cities in Canada, D\u2019Andra began to realize a pertinent problem that was affecting many women of color across the greater Toronto region.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a consumer of hair products, I\u2019ve spent a lot of time and money buying the wrong kinds of products. It became very expensive and exhausting. These were the experiences many people were having, as I later learned. That was the biggest pain point I realized,\u201d D\u2019Andra remarks.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The next step for D\u2019Andra is to develop an app that\u2019s an extension of the e-commerce store. She realized in order to scale this product and really tap into the $400 million beauty market for people of color (Canadian estimates), there was a necessity for the technology to come into play.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the challenges associated with that are ample. The major one: is funding.<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you think is the biggest challenge for you in scaling this app?<\/b><\/p>\n

As someone who\u2019s been through many pitch meetings through competitions, D\u2019Andra knows firsthand the types of barriers someone like her faces, as not only a woman but \u201cto niche it down further, a black woman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

D\u2019Andra affirms, \u201cfunding in the VC industry is not a great experience for women of color. Caucasian males can walk into a VC meeting with just a concept not ironed out and get millions in funding for just ideation. Whereas in the case of black women, they\u2019ll go in with a business model that\u2019s already been launched and tested and be able to show the projections, yet unfortunately still don\u2019t receive the levels of funding compared to the most funded groups.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do you think this happens?<\/b><\/p>\n

Partly, I think it\u2019s just that people have blind spots. They have blind spots from the way they were raised and being in communities where racial issues were not very pertinent or known. A lot of people are simply, unaware.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m grateful that there\u2019s data that shows the hair industry amongst Black people is $1.3 billion in the US\u2014 there\u2019s no data here in Canada, but if we take a third of the US population, it\u2019s around $400 million in the Canadian market.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before D\u2019Andra conceptualized the app and began her long process of pitching and raising awareness for her brand, she was focused on creating <\/span>Empress Mane <\/span><\/i>out of nothing. There was barely any research on purchasing habits of people of color, such that in the early days of the brand\u2019s development, D\u2019Andra was heavily involved in conducting her own market research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you walk us through the research process for starting your company?<\/b><\/p>\n

Prior to 2020, it was very difficult to find data on spending in Canada, but now it\u2019s easier because the Canadian government is currently investing to create data specific to people of color and Black communities. We need this to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I started in 2018, it was quite tough but I had support from an entrepreneurship program <\/span>Bizstart<\/span><\/a>, which is a 6-month incubator. It helped me create a better market research report, and primarily I used data from Statistics Ca<\/span>nada, Nielsen, and Statista. <\/span>Pitchbetter<\/span><\/a> also has more stats on women of color.<\/span><\/p>\n

Could you give me an example of a research question?<\/b><\/p>\n

One thing that became a priority for me was guaranteeing same-day delivery. I knew that especially when it came to beauty products, people would appreciate receiving them the day of.<\/span><\/p>\n

A research question would be: What do you want the pricing structure for same-day delivery to look like for you?<\/span><\/p>\n

I distributed a survey to define a time that people usually got home from school or work (after 6pm). The demographic was primarily students and working professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

It got very hectic some days because it was only me\u2014 \u201cbefore becoming an entrepreneur, you\u2019re a solopreneur.\u201d You\u2019re the operations manager, the customer service agent and the fulfillment person, you\u2019re kind of everything. However, I understood the importance of same-day delivery (ie. Instacart, Ubereats) and how important beauty is for women of color, and how their experiences are a lot harder because there are no stores catered to people with textured hair. It was about creating a shopping experience that included them.<\/span><\/p>\n

When did you know you wanted to become an entrepreneur?<\/b><\/p>\n

To be honest, I\u2019ve kind of always wanted to be an entrepreneur, I just didn\u2019t know it. Growing up, I watched the Disney movie, A Bug\u2019s Life. In the premise of that movie, the main character is an inventor. Watching that I\u2019ve kind of realized I loved making things, creating things, and throughout life, I\u2019ve always done that\u2014 and some of them were tangible, most of them not. For example, intangible things like creating communities and environments for people to be authentically who they are. I\u2019ve never realized that was what I was doing until as I started getting older, people started telling me \u201cYou\u2019re a boss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I think college is when I realized that entrepreneurship was definitely up my alley and after I graduated, I realized this is definitely where I should take a leap, and I did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you have any initial believers or support systems?<\/b><\/p>\n

I was raised by immigrant parents from Jamaica who worked very hard, trying to take care of and provide for me. They really nurtured and instilled the belief that I could accomplish anything\u00a0 I wanted. \u201cYou can do even more, we\u2019re doing all this so you have the ability to go after your dreams.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result of seeing them work so hard as a child, I developed a work ethic. They inspired me to work from a very young age.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along the way, I was always encouraged by teachers, mentors, colleagues, and bosses to pursue greater opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be honest, all the support I had, the only support that I needed was from myself. No matter how much people told me things, it was up to me to take action\u2014and that\u2019s what entrepreneurship is all about. People can tell you all they want,\u00a0 but unless you decide to step forward, and take the leap, nothing is going to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you think women feel more pressure to adapt or change their behaviors in order to succeed in the world of business?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0I think that more than anything women struggle with knowing what to do. Part of this is because of that mentality of \u201cyou\u2019re damned if you do, and you\u2019re damned if you don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019s always a space where we\u2019re not doing enough or we\u2019re doing too much.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s very tricky because of that. I encourage women to just be authentically themselves, because at the end of the day if people are going to criticize you regardless of what you do, you might as well just be yourself. At least you can say I did my best and I remained true to who I am throughout the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe love does exist in the world of business. The world of business has a lot of respectability politics, but, for example, when you get down to the relationships\u00a0 CEOs and VPs have with each other, it\u2019s not very \u201cprofessional\u201d. But you have to be in that space to see how it is. If you get a moment to be in the same room with the CEO and the VP you\u00a0 work with, they\u2019re good friends\u2014goofing and laughing about sports; having a good time. I would like to see certain respectability politics come to an end, and more compassion to exist in business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Especially in this current environment, where people are working 2 to 3 jobs to stay afloat, we need to find ways to give them grace and compassion and find ways to be human. Create an environment where care exists and collectively, the job gets done.<\/span><\/p>\n

I encourage CEOs to look at the people who are leaving\u2014 these are talented individuals\u00a0 that bring a lot of value to your company, provide a lot of insight, and do their work very well.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to keep your best talent, the ones that will help your company accomplish great goals and likely become extremely successful, think about their environment and the way they feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the next step for you? How do you plan on getting from A to B?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m very good at networking and fortunate to be in an environment where I\u2019m surrounded by many aspiring entrepreneurs and successful role models. I\u2019m currently a tenant at <\/span>HXOUSE<\/span><\/a>, a creative incubator for entrepreneurs and creative individuals founded by the artist, the Weeknd, and Creative Director, La Mar Taylor.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to connect with people that can connect me to others that might be interested in funding my company. And connecting with like-minded individuals is more likely to lead me to like-minded investors.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m banking on the hope that with me pushing forward will eventually get me to that yes. And\u00a0 sometimes even the first yes, is not the one you say yes to. The truth is, due to lack of funding, we often don\u2019t get the best deals either.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s something I really want to consider, especially for my community\u2014we have a lot of work to do because we\u2019re trying to build our generational wealth and equity. This means we have to be wise when we step into the world of business and learn from those that have already been successful\u2014 and find ways to push that envelope.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I really encourage other founders to do their research and connect with people that have experience so you can say yes to deals that are actually beneficial to you and your company.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you receive something favorable, that\u2019s actually a very sound investment for your company, you also ensure that other VCs know that if I’m going to invest in this person and this community, I have to make sure that I’m coming in with the right mentality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Working in this space and PR you learn a lot about IP (Intellectual Property) and how quickly it can be yours one second and gone the next. You have to be very careful about what you sign on for, literally. Sometimes you realize that what you sign up for is not what you actually signed up for and I had to learn that the hard way. In some ways, I’m glad because those were learning opportunities. Now, I know better.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a creator, what are your thoughts on pursuing untraditional education methods?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m an advocate for educating yourself on your own terms. Many tech companies these days don\u2019t hire people with degrees or diplomas. If you want to build a skill set, there are ways to do so without going to traditional schools for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I went to school for PR at Humber College in Ontario and then I went to the Ontario Tech University for digital communication and design. I ended up dropping out my first year to pursue my business. I had a guidance counselor say to me that school will always be there but the opportunity to build a business will not. She really inspired me to focus full-time on my business.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, I never stopped my education, I\u2019m really big on that. I didn\u2019t necessarily continue down the technical route but I took the non-traditional route. I did the Bizstart program, then following that, Business in the Streets, which is another type of business Bootcamp that helped me scale my business. I also did UforChange and learned coding and graphic design. Most recently, I made it past three rounds to the top 20 for the HXOUSE No More Dreams program. I got the opportunity to be in the accelerator where I learned many useful things like pitching, and archiving work, as well as getting to network with people who do amazing work in the industry, such as Vanessa Craft, the previous editor of Elle, and now the Director of Partnerships at Tiktok Canada, who also happens to be a woman of color.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are so many non-traditional ways to learn. I’m currently looking to do a part-time course on UX\/UI Design at Juno College.<\/span><\/p>\n

The journey to providing a desirable service for minority communities is nothing short of challenging. However, with the motivation to represent and bring more prosperity and opportunities to her community, D\u2019Andra is steadily building up her arsenal of skills to win game-changing collaborations in the VC world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her hope is that she\u2019ll find someone that shares a similar vision and sees the potential in this largely untapped beauty market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a systemic shift in consumer behavior favored towards the online experience. Whether it\u2019s a new dress for a workplace gathering or new computer parts, nearly anything can be bought within a few clicks. In a modern, busy world, people will pay for what\u2019s most efficient.\u00a0 Companies have worked diligently in the past decade […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"The Rise of Customization in Beauty Products: Empowering People of Color in the Online Market","_seopress_titles_desc":"Discover how Empress Mane is breaking barriers by offering personalized hair products for people of color, addressing the lack of inclusivity in the beauty industry. Shop now!","_seopress_robots_index":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1040],"tags":[1180,1181,1005],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5112"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5112"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5184,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5112\/revisions\/5184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessner.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}