I am feeling so grateful for the support of the Delta Institute and the Salem Baptist Church. As you may know, the Delta Institute's BOOST Funding Night and the Salem Baptist Church ARISE program awarded support to the Octavia' Natural Hair Care Experience mission! It is truly an honor to receive support from two game changing organizations.
Because I believe in both organizations, I feel compelled to send an update on my progress. I am happy to report:
Today was a good day!
Early this morning. I had my first meeting with the Village of Hazel Crest's manager. Even though no details were confirmed, I am pleased to report it was great meeting. I look forward to collaboratively working with the Village of Hazel Crest in the near future
in the meantime, there is still plenty of work for me to do. In order to realize the full vision of Octavia's Natural Hair Care Experience, I must continue to fundraise for the salon's 2016 goals:
1) acquire the vacant (brownfield) gas station
2) launch the salon's retail products. (check out my latest hand-crafted soap cupcakes on my online store; just click the link in the navigation bar.)
3) build relationships within the Chicago Southland community.
To keep the momentum going, my next stop is the Joliet Chapter Shark Tank event; the competition will be held on Saturday, January 23rd. So these days, I am working to effectively communicate a sound investment strategy, locking client's hair and making hand-crafted soaps. And on Sunday, I will meet with a Girl Scout leader to discussworking with her Girl Scouts on confirming their Sustainability badge. Yes, I am keeping my eye on the prize, a natural hair care salon with an urban farm and green technology.
To learn more about the salon's mission and vision, browse around the website and show support by liking this post. And if you have any Shark Tank strategy tips, please share in the comments section.