She’s Happy Hair CEO Warren Broadax always dreamed of owning his own business, but never imagined that he’d end up in the Black hair care industry. The story of how She’s Happy Hair began is a testament to Broadnax’s entrepreneurial eye.
Broadnax was working as a firefighter when his now-business partner Marcus Bowers approached him with an opportunity to sell quality virgin hair. The pair invested $900 and began selling the hair out of their trunks on the weekends, which ultimately spawned into She’s Happy Hair.
As the former Navy veteran began researching the Black hair care industry, he noticed a discrepancy in how Black consumers were treated.
“Virgin hair is expensive and customers weren’t being given the attention or care they deserved,” he told Travel Noire, explaining that, “Many Black beauty stores are owned by people outside of the community who cannot answer questions about their products and are often rude. When someone is spending an average of $200-300 on your products, they deserve to be treated with respect and to feel good about their purchases. So it became my mission to create a company where customers felt appreciated and valued.”
This commitment has served Broadnax well, as She’s Happy Hair is now the top virgin hair supplier in the United States, with multiple locations and an online store that ships worldwide. With six storefronts across Texas and in Detroit, the brand recently expanded to Atlanta and signed a deal to open its stores in Wal-Mart locations across the nation. The company also created its own natural hair care products, ranging from Moroccan Argan oil to biotin supplements, shampoos, and conditioners.
This recent success has allowed Broadnax to explore another field of interest: philanthropy. Raised by a hard-working single mother, it has always been important to Broadnax to support his local communities. In 2017, Broadnax launched the She’s Happy Foundation to increase his community involvement. The non-profit has organized back-to-school drives that provided haircuts and backpacks to children in need, as well as holiday toy and clothing drives. Broadnax hopes to do more speaking engagements at grade schools to share some of the lessons he’s learned along the way.
“Growing up my mom would always speak highly of the Black men who owned their own businesses,” Broadnax recalls. “It’s one of the reasons that becoming an entrepreneur was so important to me. Now that I’ve created some success for myself, I want to make sure that kids growing up have role models and support so that they can also achieve that dream.”
As if his plate wasn’t already full, Broadnax is currently writing a book titled “Winners Win” that shares his story in more detail along with his personal philosophies for success. The book is expected to be released in 2020.