As Kelly looks ahead, she hopes to secure her patent for the product. This would place her in a small category of Black women to achieve this feat. In addition, the founder hopes to secure a few store partnerships by 2023 and employ the youth with hopes of revitalizing their interests in entrepreneurship.

“As an entrepreneur with a successful business, I want to be able to employ a lot of young people and people like myself,” Kelly shared. “I want to be able to give someone a job where they can grow within the company and pursue other things like their own business or have someone like myself who can say, ‘This is how you can take your education or your career to the next level.’ That would ultimately be the goal for The Hair Shield, to affect my community on a whole other level like that I can’t do as a judge.”

Shequitta Kelly

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