Monique Rodriguez is turning a new leaf. Rodriguez is the founder of organic and natural haircare line Mielle Organics, which she founded in 2014. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, her company achieved early success scaling from her garage into major retailers, including Target, Walmart, and CVS, among others. By 2021, the company had been worth over $100 million. Although this achievement stands as a remarkable milestone for Rodriguez, her path to securing investments hasn’t always been paved with ease and success. Inc. Magazine reports she bootstrapped her business for the first seven years and then shifted her attention to securing capital. However, in the process she was met with rejections and unexpected changes to term sheets. In fact, a group of investors once presented her with a $2 million deal for 40% stake in the company, which she turned down. “I knew in my spirit that they were not the right investors, but I felt that because I wanted to continue to grow my business, I...

Founders each have their own testimonies for why they believe their companies have found great success. Mielle Organics Founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez’s answer is complex yet still quite simple: Faith.

Monique Rodriguez founded Mielle Organics in 2014 and has since created highly sought-after products for natural, healthy hair. As reported by AfroTech, Mielle Organics is now worth over $100 million, and Rodriguez has been able to grow her successful business on her own terms.

It’s one thing to break into the beauty industry, but another thing to come in and shift it. Founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez has built an empire within the space through Mielle Organics, an organic and natural haircare line created to produce healthier results for your hair. She is rightfully a pioneer in the haircare game, taking her line of products from being sold from her garage to barely staying on the shelves in giant retailers including Target, Walmart, CVS, and more. “My kids have been able to witness their mother, a Black woman, have a dream and go from their kitchen to big-box retailers, something that has changed my family’s life and for me that’s fulfilling,” said Rodriguez in an interview with AfroTech. To date, Mielle Organics is worth more than $100 million, drawing in a hefty $14 million in 2021, despite being in the midst of a pandemic. The company continues to soar to new heights with new products that keep the same energy that the company had when it was first...