I had the pleasure of attending The RISE Empowerment Tour courtesy of beauty box brand COCOTique. The RISE Empowerment Tour started off as an idea between two young entrepreneurs Rochelle Graham, beauty vlogger and CEO of natural haircare line Alikay Naturals, and Angela Walker, owner of N Natural Hair Studio, The Naturalista Hair Show, co-founder of The Natural Hair Nstitute and The Natural Hair Industry Convention (both of Caribbean descent). Executing the tour in five major cities with assistance from fellow beauty/fashion CEOs on their city. For the New York Stop there was Dana Hill of Cocotique, Tonya Rapley of My Fab Finance, Karen Tappin of Karen’s Body Beautiful and hosted by Nicole of Naptural Nicole.
RISE Empowerment Tour is a business platform that is on a mission to help female entrepreneurs and small business owners find the resources needed to build their brand in the competitive fashion, beauty and wellness space, while giving them an opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience. Multi-influential women of color are a highly networked, motivated and influential group of successful women who will not hesitate to recommend another company, brand, service and prospect if they believe it offers value.
Each speaker focused on the pillars of the RISE, Reach & Repeat, Inspire, Sisterhood and Elevate, which I would definitely like to embody as I continue to grow my brand. I Here are my favorite takeaways from each of the ladies:
Practice building intergenerational wealth – Tonya Rapley of My Fab Finance
I’ve always thought about this from a personal level, in the back of my mind, but I never really had a thoughtful plan as to how I was going to achieve. Time to start thinking about how I’m going to put this into fruition.
“I love what I do because I love people.” – Karen Tappin of Karen’s Body Beautiful
Karen reminded me why I love what I do, I love people. Having a genuine love for interacting with people is my personal strength and I need to keep that in mind at all times as a reminder of why I start ideas, projects and make career moves in the first place.
The importance of personal/professional balance – Dana Hill of Cocotique
This is self explanatory, but always a good reminder to appreciate my hectic life. As busy as it gets I know that I have a great support system with my family and friends and should make time to spend with them. I treasure to great moments I have with people.
Trust your initial instincts regarding your goals, even when no one else understands – Angela Walker of N Natural Hair Studio
Angela had a classic story of a Caribbean family upbringing. She told her parents she wanted to do hair as her career path and advised against it on multiple occasions. It wasn’t until she decided to pursue haircare on her own terms that she opened her own salon within a year and has flourished doing something she’s always loved. Everyone is not going to understand why I do what I do, but it’s important for me to understand and pursue those dream and ideas anyway.
“It (the journey) doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s my truth” – Rochelle Graham of Alikay Naturals
Rochelle’s unapologetic personality was refreshing, especially in a setting like this we all felt the need to be formal and she was able to bring a different energy to the room. Standing in her truth of success and mistakes, she took the criticism and let it fuel her to focus on her own path. remaining focused on my own journey is important for achieving my goals.
Karen Tappin of Karen’s Body Beautiful
Mikelah
Mikelah is a Caribbean Culture expert, curating the bridge between the Caribbean and its diaspora. A CUNY Baruch College graduate with a BBA in Marketing. With previous experience with Caribbean lifestyle brands such as VP Records, Tempo TV and JAMROCK Magazine. Currently serving as a digital marketing maven by day, while continuing to collaborate with Caribbean brands.
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