We Asked 5 Black Moms On What It’s Like To Run A Business (& A Family)

As the daughter of an illustrious Black woman, if there's one thing I know Black moms do, it's work hard. I'm not here to diminish the efforts of other mothers, but I am well-versed in the kickassery that is Black motherhood (as an admirer, not an actual mom). On top of the "sex talk", Black moms give tough police brutality sit-downs; they take the brunt of anti-Blackness whenever possible so their children don't have to; and, per the CDC, they face the fact that their maternal mortality rate is 2.9 times higher than the rest of the country. When I think of the strength of Black motherhood, I'm reminded of the time my mom prevented my predominately white fourth grade class from singing a Black Minstrelsy song in our monthly assembly. Or the time she cussed out my YMCA counselor for having my fellow campers nickname me, a 6-year-old with dreadlocks, "Buckwheat" in reference the film The Little Rascals. Or the time... you get the point. Despite the never-ending list of racist maternal danger that orbits their craniums on the daily, Black mothers even find time to run their own businesses (and make it look easy).

In honor of Mother's Day 2022, allow me to introduce you to five Black-mother-owned businesses: Canvas Beauty, LYS Beauty, Moonshot Snacks, Nude Barre, and The Doux and their respective founders: Stormi Steele, Tisha Thompson, Julia Collins, Erin Carpenter, and Maya Smith. If June 2020 taught us anything, it's that e-commerce has a hankering for giving Black-led retailers more work, less profits, and double the trouble — combine that with raising Black children in America, and we're left profoundly curious as to how they these women stay afloat. Below, through real stories, I illuminate the woes of pregnancy, the joys of creating life, and the astounding professional achievements of these deserving Black mothers.

About The Biz:
Alabama-based company, Canvas Beauty — aka "Retail's new IT Brand" — began enhancing its customers' natural "canvases" with haircare sets, body butters, facial oils, and more (available at many stores like Target) back in 2018. But, Steele's brand transcends vanity. It's not enough to just look good, Canvas Beauty strives to heighten the power we possess via effective beauty regimens. Steele's The Pink Kit features all six of her signature hair care products and is the perfect introduction to her restorative formulas.

About The Family:
Steele is the mother to 7-month-old Chess Peace Beasley and although he's new to the industry, he's one of her driving forces day to day. "I have a 7-month-old baby boy so he doesn’t have a hand in the business just yet," Steele told Refinery29. "However he’s my biggest joy and is what keeps me going on the daily. I actually came back to work just two weeks after having him because the life of a mom and a business owner keeps you extra busy. I’d definitely say Chess, although just a baby, gives me all the emotional support I need both with my business and in life. We’ve achieved such great things since the brand launch in 2018, but we still felt something was missing in our family — our beautiful son!"

About The Journey:
Dropping out of college to pursue hair care worked out in Steele's favor. "I knew there was a major gap in the market and so I made it my life’s mission to develop a product that would transform the hair and lives of ladies who looked like me and my future children," she said. "While I didn’t have my baby boy at the time of this vision and embarking on this journey to entrepreneurship, I always had the thought of my future family in the back of my mind. I want my son to grow up and use these products and feel empowered by his hair and being a strong Black man."

Steele's journey to motherhood was "one of the most difficult experiences of [her] life," after battling with endometriosis, a disorder that causes tissue that lines the uterus to grow on the outside and increases the likelihood of infertility. "My doctor advised me that in order to pursue my dream of having a family, I should try In vitro fertilization," Steele said. "I was super nervous about giving birth, the maternal mortality rate was always top of mind. I actually had a really tough delivery. I experienced shoulder dystocia with my son and ended up hemorrhaging and losing a lot of blood and had to get a blood transfusion. I'm so thankful for my amazing doctors for keeping my stress levels down."

About The Biz:
Strict formula standards, inclusive shade ranges, and clean beauty are at the forefront of Atlanta-based makeup brand, LYS Beauty. On site you'll find Thompson's collection of rave-reviewed and award-winning products (also available at Sephora) including the best-selling Triple Fix Serum Foundation and the Triple Fix Full Coverage Brightening Concealer — both available in 25+ shades. Since opening, the brand continues to dismantle the clean beauty industry's Eurocentric bias one luxe makeup bag staple at a time and doesn't plan to stop any time soon.

About The Family:
While some moms had their children in the midst of their businesses' success, Thompson launched LYS Beauty in honor of her two sons: 11-year-old CJ and 9-year-old Christian. "The entire reason I decided to start my own business was because of my family," she said. "I wanted to be a more present mother and have the true flexibility to be a part of their lives in a more intentional way. As a Senior Executive I traveled a lot and it left me having to rely on my husband and other resources to look after my kids — and, although it does take a village I wasn't okay with missing baseball games and not making dinner for them."

About The Journey:
Thompson considers herself lucky to have had two healthy pregnancies, but was still shaken by the alarming statistics. She expressed, "It haunts me to know the realities that Black women in America face during what should be one of the most joyful times of their lives. It's important to bring awareness to this issue that is running rampant in our community, and give Black women the peace of mind and protection that we so desperately deserve during such a vulnerable time."

Seeing how dedicated LYS Beauty is to its "multicultural approach" to the industry, it's no surprise her children play a big role in Thompson's success. They have a say in packaging designs, which TikTok trends to jump on, sampling products, and more. "I will never forget the precious moments of me getting my first final production samples and my boys helping me unbox them," Thomspon expressed. "They even helped me make my first PR and influencer boxes. They are mommy's little helpers for sure!"

About The Biz:
Refinery29 is no stranger to Julia Collins and her climate-friendly crackers that hit the scene in December 2020. In fact, I had the pleasure of tasting (and getting hooked on) all of Moonshot Snacks' three flavors — Rosemary Garlic, Margherita Pizza, and Sourdough Sea Salt — featured in the brand's Variety Pack. Every plant-based, Non-GMO, carbon-neutral cracker in each 100% recycled cardboard box are made from regeneratively grown ingredients and I can personally attest to fresh, crunchiness found in each bite.

About The Family:
"Becoming [Mosi's] mom was the genesis for Moonshot," Collins told Refinery29. "When he was born, I became obsessed with tackling climate change." The current state of the environment comes up in the majority of talks of the future and deservedly so. After spending nearly her entire career in the food industry, Collins found it only natural to navigate toward eco-conscious activism to protect 4-year-old Mosi and her 7-month-old baby, Olu.

And, like many of the founders, running a business and a family required some sacrifices for Collins. "I recently turned down a very big speaking opportunity to be present for my son’s first dance recital," she mentioned. "The hardest part is often getting to a point of mental clarity and also emotional conviction about the decision...It’s important to me not just to be physically present for those moments with my kids, but to be fully present and available to feel the joy of being with them." 

About The Journey:
As Collins put it, the "barrage of concerning data" around Black pregnancy and current climate crisis is disheartening, but she refused to let it break her. "...It is an act of radical optimism and activism to have a child and to raise that child to love our planet," she said. "I’m so proud to have two beautiful sons that I know will carry on my work of caring for our home planet."

About The Biz:
For the longest time "nude" in the fashion and beauty world referred to pinkish, beige, and maybe a medium tan colorway. This phenomenon was extremely apparent in Erin Carpenter's life as a Black professional dancer forced to powder and dye her own tights or "deal with the embarrassing ashy legs look." After enduring such blatant racism in the industry, she founded the go-to destination for quality, shade inclusive tights, Nude Barre in New York circa 2009. Now, not only can you find durable tights of 12 skin tones on site, customers can get their hands on cult-favorite panties, bralettes, camisoles, and more essential basics.

About The Family:
Carpenter has two adorable daughters in her life: a fresh, 7-week-old baby named Kori and 3-year-old Mikel. Although they are too young to partake in helping the business, they do occasionally appear in promo videos and Carpenter, "[hopes] that [her] daughters will have representation of the beautiful skin tones that they have," with all kinds of products. So much so, she created a Nude Barre children's line with this in mind.

The balancing act of motherhood and entrepreneurship was a learning experience for her. "I generally try to create boundaries around family time versus work time," she told Refinery29. "Motherhood pushed me to do that. I always want my kids to feel that I am present with them."

About The Journey:
In terms of pregnancy, Carpenter insisted on having a doula, a professional labor helper who provides physical and emotional support, as she was point blank, "afraid of dying." Thankfully, she survived both births and now handles both her business and her babies.

A single click on the retailer's "Our Story" tab and you'll find everything you need to know about Carpenter's struggles, courageousness, and mind-boggling perseverance in the industry. "I started Nude Barre based on my experience not finding nude intimates and hosiery that represented my skin," she said. "I hope that my company completely shifts the idea that nude is beige. I hope that my daughters will have representation of the beautiful skin tones that they have. I created a children's line so that they can experience that sooner than later."

About The Biz: If clever names, affordable prices, and heaps of rave reviews aren't enough to sell you on all-things-hair-care brand The Doux, then we don't know what will. Smith founded her business in 2010 and officially put her curl-defining products on the market in 2012. The Doux's claim to fame and major bestseller, the Mousse Def Texture Foam (also available at Target), is always a smart add-to-cart, but we've also got our eye on the brand's sweet new launch Bee Girl. In short, shop The Doux and you're guaranteed a life of good hair days.

About The Family:
If it wasn't obvious, Maya Smith has a lot on her plate — specifically, five boys ranging from ages 11 to 19. Although the majority of her family came about during her time as a hairdresser, Smith had her youngest son as she and her husband were prepping The Doux's debut.

She told Refinery29, "There have been moments when I’ve been faced with the challenge of prioritizing the needs of my family over the advancement of my business, but in a family business, those needs often go hand-in-hand. I’m a family-first kind of mom, but I’m also clear that some of my business decisions need to be prioritized to benefit our family in the long run."

About The Journey:
"I experienced the reality of the risk during my first pregnancy," Smith divulged. "My first son’s birth was traumatic, and I believe that the complications would have been prevented if I had received care in a different area or been a part of another ethnic group. I think it’s important to point out that in many cases the disparities surrounding Black maternal care are systematic, not genetic."

Even after such adversity, Smith and her husband raised a talented family and took full advantage of her extensive knowledge as a hairstylist to build out a business in which her boys play an integral role. "They attend trade shows, ship orders, and work on our creative team. Working at The Doux has created hundreds of opportunities for us to connect as a family."