Miko Branch On Natural Hair Care, Building Her Business & Continuing Her Sister'S Legacy

You'Re watching The Breakfast Club, more than everybody, is dej envy, Angela Yee Shalom in the guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got some special guests in the building. We have Stacey Tisdale our residential financial advisor and helps people get that money and save money, and we also have Miko branch. Welcome. Thank you to the people who Miko branches and her family's brand and the fact that you put you on a billboard and not because I don't have here. Yes, thank you. I'M Miko branch, I'm the co-founder and CEO of miss jessie's, the natural hair care company that I started and created with my sister titi branch. We built our business from scratch, no loans, no angel investors, but we did have partnership. We had god-given talent and together we built our business brick by brick, I'm originally from Queens, but I built my business in Brooklyn, so I go half and half half of my life in Queens, the other half a little cheaper, so yeah. I am excited to have both Miko here and Stacy here, because we are doing wealth Wednesdays at the juice bar, and I appreciate you because Miko actually flew in so she could be here with us. We regret that you actually left Brooklyn, no he's home as always home, never left Brooklyn, always there and so inspired by your story. Cuz. Even when I was a lot younger, I remember going to Ricky's and trying to find stuff, because I do have naturally curly hair and saying: where can I get some product for my curly hair? It was hard to find anything. I know now in the marketplace. There'S a lot more products, but miss jessie's was really the first one. I remember the curly pudding and the meringue that I used to use because I couldn't find anything from my hair. So talk about what made you develop. Miss Jesse, who was Miss Jesse, miss Jesse, is my grandmother on my father's side and titi, and I named our business for curly kinky wavy hair after our grandmother and the reason why we did that she was our first real role model and this woman was the First, CEO we'd ever seen she ruled our family, her kitchen table, so when it came time for tea tea and I to create a business that had all the principles that really represented miss jessie's, we honored her with naming it miss Jessie. But Angela, you know we started our business out of necessity. I was a single parent. I was raising my son in my brownstone in the bedford-stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and Mike is just no longer keep my straight hair styled straight. My son splashed, all around my hair, went east west north south and at the time you know I just couldn't manage it. We had a small handful of clients and it's a conversation in that conversation was our opportunity very quickly. Tt and I took to our kitchen table, we mix stuff up like curly pudding from scratch. How did you get that idea, because I mean I think about it now like? How would I even begin to make a hair product? Thank you now, they're, making a slime. You know what it was God, because titi and I we're not chemists, you guys, go forth, we didn't go to school for it, but we were good hairstylist and we realized that this is our opportunity. We quickly became experts in curly, kinky, wavy, hair, nothing on the market like miss jessie's in the early 2000. So we did what our grandmother did. If there wasn't something in the market, she makes it from scratch. That'S what we did. We put a little bit of this with a little bit of that and finally came up with something and we tested it on our customer. They loved it. That'S when PayPal was big, we mixed product till we couldn't mix it anymore and that's what was the original concoction little blue magic hair grease with some because a lot of the products there was always something that we didn't like you know. Blue magic might have been too greasy, it might have been too blue. It might have been too thick, so we needed to make it be what we wanted it to be so that took us. You know a lot of just creativity at our kitchen table. We came up with something that works now. What I love about business is you see a necessity for something, because there was nothing in that marketplace for you, so you created something that you felt your customers would appreciate and something that you were appreciated. But how do you grow from using it just on your customers to actually having it in retail? Well, you know what angela TT and i two girls from brooklyn at the time making this product we were doing good work and we were creating a market at the time. Many women, I didn't even realize they had curly hair, particularly the woman, with a tighter coil curl. So it was such a challenge for tt night to create this market, but with the help of the internet and with the help of each person telling the next person, we were able to create a buzz. And finally, it was a retailers like Target who called us and at the time that was unheard of because many you know vendors. We try to get in front of people like Target Walmart Walgreens, but with the good work they called us. That'S amazing. I feel like I'm so biased, cuz. I'Ve read the book, I know the whole story and me and you have spoken on many occasions, so I'm asking questions cuz. I already know all this information, but I know the average person might not know all of this, but four - and I think this is a great story on growing your business too quickly and then having to regroup yeah. So tt and I were are blessed to have a two chair salon in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn, also known as downtown Brooklyn, and we experienced success and with that success we built just too fast. We move two blocks and in Brooklyn two blocks makes all the difference. Two blocks on the other side of Atlantic Avenue could mean you know or make-or-break situation. We ended up losing our business because we just didn't have the clientele Angela we didn't have. We didn't have a plan. We just moved too quickly ended up losing our business. Thank God. We bought a brownstone in bed-stuy in 1999 and was that brownstone was two hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. Now is that they were over millions names, you know and because we were able to, you know have that piece of property. We were able to refuge there, just lick our wounds, create another master plan and that's where we created. You know this approach to Kerley kinking way be here, because the mortgage was due and also I needed to provide for my son. So when that you know my hair going crazy at bath time with my son, I realized that you know what we have to get on this quickly. How did you know to buy a brownstone like because that's something I wish I would have done away earlier when I had money to do it. But what had that in your head, like we got ta, buy something so because teaching I experienced success very early on. We had to pay, we had to break Uncle Sam off more, like almost half of our money, TT and I went into business, and it just didn't occur to us that we had a third partner. She thought it was just me and her, but when tax time came, we realize that we had. We had to give the IRS $ 17,000. Yes, and you know they usually owed us money. You know tax time, but with the success of business I quickly and TT quickly understood if we want to stay in business. We have to understand that we have a third partner - and I said to my sister coz TT was a smarter one. In my mind, between the two of us I said tt: do we always have to pay this amount of money? She said as much, but if you make a certain amount of money, you always have to break off a certain amount for the IRS. So I so isn't there such thing where if you buy a property, then you can write some of that stuff off and she said absolutely we didn't have the money to buy downtown. I had gone to bed stuy at a block party. I went to go visit. My girlfriend and I'd never seen brownstones like this, and it was actually on Hancock Street and that's actually where we ended up buying on that block and it was uncharted territory no Starbucks. Nobody walking dogs, you know, was all black and we were able to buy this brownstone. They were asking 245. We got it for 215. Amazing yeah, as you just did all it is like you just learned by experience like no formal training, no, nothing yeah and guessing yeah yeah, no formal training, but I think you know how to tea - and I came up - was the best experience for us because had Tea tea and I went to business school. I don't think we would have thought outside the box in the way that we did. You know our success actually came from our failures. Have we not failed? We wouldn't have had the pressure to create something out of nothing. Just talking about that, how you didn't go there, traditional business route, business school business plan, like most entrepreneurs, think they have to do yeah. We didn't. We didn't go that that route, but what we did have of was we had a strong father. My father came out of the civil rights era and he thought it was really important for tt9 to be free in our minds to be in charge. You know of our own destiny, so we did have you know a training, but our training came from the inside. In our household, so you know that kind of took you know, took priority over us going to business school and my dad really thought you know. I'M learning from your lessons was, you know, a key way to building a business, particularly as an entrepreneur and that's what so many. I know we're celebrating black women entrepreneurs this Women's History Month, but so many black women. When you look at their stories, they didn't go. That traditional route, because things like access to funding, we were just talking about black women, get 36,000 dollars on average and venture funding, whereas white males get 1.2 million. But despite all of that I mean the number of businesses created by women like Miko by black women. Up four hundred and sixty percent over the last 20 years, and what I love about it. Black women are majority owners in over one and a half million businesses in the United States. They have, I think, forty five billion in payroll, but also in sales. But what 7.7 in payroll, so they are actually creating jobs. So it's amazing, despite all the setbacks well they've been able to accomplish, which is why we're the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the world now did you sell miss jessie's or these two own? A part of it he owned full, so miss jessie's is 100 % owned by me. Yeah. That'S such a challenge! You know it's such a hard thing to do at ET, and I created our business with no money. That'S another very challenging thing to do with partnership, and just with perseverance, we were able to create something out of nothing, but staying in business is where the real challenge is right. Now a lot of you know our competitors, they've partnered up they've, actually been sold to a lot of the larger companies and God bless them, but I am still running my business. I go into work every day. The day to day operations is all determined by me. It'S a lot of work, but it's it's a labor of love. I never wanted to sell um, you know for any entrepreneur. I recommend you know you consider selling that's our form of retirement. You know, as I you know, get older. It'S something. I'Ve certainly considered, but right now teaching I created such a beautiful business such a manageable business. That is something that I can run so right now. I think I'm good it's just so interesting to me to I would feel like more black women would want to be in their hair business because they spend so much money on hair. So why not be in the business of waves and everything selling weaves wigs? You know you're so right, many of us, particularly women, Akali, we're we're very creative, we're good at many things, there's so many tea. The amigos out here. Many of us are good at here. Many of us are good at makeup. We'Re good at we're great caretakers with great cooks, so you know we encourage teeth II and I wrote a book to encourage women. If we can do it, you can do it too mm-hmm and it's um. So many people are driven to entrepreneurship because of their passions. For black women, a lot of them are there because their corporate experience didn't work out, like I think, if you look at black Asian and Latino women combined, they only make up 3 % of c-suite positions, and black women in the corporate world always point out how They'Re not getting help they're not getting support from their managers; they have much higher incidence of things like sexual harassment in the workplace. So it's kind of what's so great about Miko story in all of us is that we've kind of turned inside instead of looking outside. For validation and the message that we really want to get across is the black women control enough power, wealth and economics to create their own economy, so to speak. Now you mentioned a tea tea, a lot, and you know we lost tea tea about a year ago. How has it been working without her, because that would been your partner since you were a young kid and now it all falls on you to keep the traditional Kimiko, make sure that she shouts out every single like time or is there business that they started together? So tea tea is always a part of miss jessie's yeah, shout out to my sister titi branch tears in my eyes. Thinking about her. You know we built this wonderful business together and she puts so much work into miss jessie's. That was like our business venture, but really you know titi put a lot of work into me. I'M the baby sister titi is the older sister and she took a lot of time. Just grooming me, schooling, me teaching me so in you know, moments like this in her absence and she passed away in 2014, titi trained me and raised me so while she's not here in the physical I'm able to thank you so much on me. I'M able to really hold it down and that partnership served me well, not only in business. Not only am I able to provide for my family and my son, but I'm also able to carry her legacy on titi. You know she passed. We lost her, but you know titi was a fine example of leadership. She was a fearless woman. She was a wonderful example for many, and you know it's up to me if it's, if it were left up to me, I'd make sure that everyone knows about this. Great woman, TT branch in another - that's another reason you probably wouldn't sell, because you don't know if she would want you to or now well. You know T probably would want me to sell, because TT was always looking out for me: Co teeth. He knows that. I'M actually getting older and in my age, and she would want me to enjoy you know this is my time on this earth. You know working is a wonderful thing and I think, being an entrepreneur and particularly blacks in business. It can be somewhat of a new phenomenon, but me and TT have been grinding since we were kids. You know from our very first lemonade and kool-aid stand to making miss jessie's curly pudding, we've been at it for a long time, so I do get tired sometimes, and I really do believe that all the efforts and all the labor that we put into our business That could be my retirement all right and I just actually was on a piano with Miko the other day at Google, and one thing you talked about is balancing your work life with your personal life, which has been challenging as well. So talk about that. It'S like running a business and then making sure that you personally are taken care of yes, so after my sister died in 2014, I realized the importance of life, and God gave me this life to be able to enjoy it. I work hard and after TT died. I realized that I need to make happiness and my well-being a priority. So one of the things that I do is I try to spend time on being happy during the building of my business Angela. I never really had time for silly things or fun. Things like having a boyfriend, you know those are one of the things that I just really couldn't, invest in or or just really partaken, because we were so busy. But I was fortunate enough to reunite with my first boyfriend and my first kiss. We met in Queens he's here with me today and you know just shout out to Queens, because so much talent came out of Queens TV and I grew up during the time where we saw salt and pepper. We saw Russell Simmons, we saw LL. So much talent came out of Queens, aren't turning into commerce. So by the time it was our turn up. We understood that we can do it because we saw these role models. Not only were there, you know, miko and titi are making miss jessie's, but actually my boyfriend who's here with me today. This wonderful gentleman right here on my first kiss at 13, wrote a very, very great movie called belly. We'Re able to shout each other out big. Each other up and just encourage each other he's my he's my cheer section, I'm your cheerleader and you know in tikis absence. I believe that she's put wonderful people in my path to hold me down, so I could just stay happy, healthy and, and that's so important, a lot of things that we don't talk about when it comes to entrepreneurship. Is the anxiety the stress of it. You have you know not spending as much time with your family. A lot of entrepreneurs, like you guys were in this situation or investing so much of their personal finances, they're worried about the financial security of the people that are around them. So it's really a testament. What you've done and that there's so many people out there did you trust it was easy to trust him after you've come up and people know you got money, they know you own this company. Was it easy to trust this new man in your life? Like maybe he's just trying to get my pockets yeah, so you know that's a good point. You know like with the internet and meeting all kind of weirdos online and you don't know who's, who it's really nice, to know that you were raised with someone that you knew from way back when you know he happened to be my first kiss. You know we knew each other as baby part of Queens, even I'm from Jamaica Queens in Flushing, Queens, okay from Queens Village, you from Queens, okay, he's from Hollis st. Joe coming in that's what would scream with a PS 34 st. children, st. Paschal embarrassed. He likes to say how it's cruel, but, but anyway, grew up in Queens and shout out to Queens always wanted to erode belly right. So your inspiration for DMX killing the minister at the end was that based off Malcolm X situation, how to use the honey I was a government hit, but they use brothers from the nation from the nation we um. We also wanted to use Farrakhan. That'S an inspiration and Farrakhan was going to get it until Farrakhan said. Don'T don't make that happen? You know we were talking about the New World Order that was going to be set in place from 2000. We read through couple of good books. You know that behold the pale horse, yes yeah, yeah yeah Wow, I don't know nothing, I'm stupid. We appreciate you guys for coming in and I just want it. Yes and last but not least, I just want to wrap it up by saying the amico and TT were very instrumental and when we first started here on The Breakfast Club, you know early on saying I met her on a pant. I met them both on a piano and wanting me to do to miss jessie's campaign, which was huge for me to be on Billboard's. I remember there was one in Brooklyn in particular on Flatbush Avenue and I would eat at a restaurant right across the street at the burrito bar and I would be able to see my billboard in the background, which was a big deal. But Miko and TC was like look. You got to make sure that you brand yourself and do something for yourself, and they were so incredible to me when I was just new coming here to I heart and not really having a lot of support. They were like really the first people that were very supportive of me as far as making sure I got my voice heard and got seen and was part of their campaign. So I'll always thank Miko. So much for that. We'Ve always stayed in contact ever since then, and I'm still use pillow self, curls, okay and shout out to you Angela, because you know TT and I try to spread the good word to other female entrepreneurs. But you lead by example. You know you went and you really branded yourself and you and you understood that you are a brand and I'm also really proud of you and you opening up your shop in the bedford-stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, creating jobs, creating health and well for people in our neighborhood. I think that that is a wonderful contribution you made and I'm so proud of what you're doing well, the three of us will all be at wealth, Wednesdays, at juices for life at 277, Malcolm X, Boulevard in Brooklyn and we'll be talking about entrepreneurship and as Women's History Month and we'll be celebrating Miko branch as well. We have more stories like Miko's and Angela's. If you go to mind my name, mediacom you'll have all information for all the female entrepreneurs out there to lay the foundation that they need to create to be sitting here with us. You have Miko branched, see Tisdale, it's The Breakfast Club good morning.