Why I Sold My Black-Owned Beauty Brand To A Fortune 500 Company | Executive Exchange

On the latest episode of Executive Exchange, Mielle CEO Monique Rodriguez sits down with host Ruth Umoh to discuss how her company started with the tragedy that sparked her entrepreneurial journey, the haircare-wise acquisition by a Fortune 50 company, and her reaction to criticism over selling a black-owned brand to a non-black parent company. After experiencing the loss of her son due to complications at birth, Monique experienced postpartum depression and no longer was invested in her full-time job as a home health nurse at the time. She had started working on a side hustle that turned into Mielle Organics. It was a risk that she knew she had to take because she didn't want to risk anyone's life working as a nurse. On May 23, 2014, Mielle launched with one product and never turned back. Since launching, they've always made a sale. And in 2023, the company was acquired by Procter & Gamble that expanded Mielle's reach to customers. It also allowed them to scale their nonprofit, Mielle Cares, to fund additional economic opportunities for Black and Brown communities. 00:00 - Mielle Teaser 00:27 - Intro 00:56 - Monique Rodriguez's Founding Story 03:18 - Suffering A Heartfelt Loss 05:02 - Starting A Side Hustle 06:45 - Growth From Day 1 08:47 - 2 Crucible Moments In Mielle History 11:21 - Reaching Out For Outside Investment 14:23 - Standing Out From The Competition 15:28 - Berkshire Partners Investment 17:15 - Educating The Community On Business Capital 18:33 - P&G Acquisition 21:26 - Landing The Deal With P&G 22:50 - Mielle's Growth Metrics 23:17 - Driving The Vision Forward 24:12 - Monique's Legacy With The Company 25:25 - Innovation At Mielle 26:39 - Launching Her Own Investment Firm 27:18 - Leadership Style 27:30 - Stressing On New Ideas 27:39 - Mielle's Culture 29:00 - Skills And Traits Necessary At Mielle 30:22 - Utilizing RN Skills At Mielle 32:16 - Favorite Current Product 33:03 - Outro Subscribe to Fortune - http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... Fortune Magazine is a global leader in business journalism with 55 million monthly page views and a readership of nearly 32 million, with major franchises including the Fortune 500 and the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. The new Fortune video channel dives into personal stories from business owners and entrepreneurs becoming successful in business and sharing their tips to help you reach your goals. Website: http://fortune.com/ Facebook:   / fortunemagazine   Twitter:   / fortunemagazine   TikTok:   / fortune   #mielleorganics #executiveexchange #fortune