As with lots of professional hairstylists, Jesseca Harris-Dupart has been styling hair because she was a child. However, her journey and grit are what make her stand apart from the rest, and it’s why her haircare brand name Kaleidoscope Hair Products is now a multi-million dollar service.
Let’s begin with the beginning. Dupart started styling her loved ones as a kid. Then, when she was a teen, she had three pregnancies and was eventually tossed out of her home. On her own with kids to take care of, she ended up being ignited with aspiration and studied to become a certified cosmetologist. For over a decade, she hustled as a freelance stylist till she opened her first beauty salon in New Orleans in 2013. Nevertheless, the celebration was short-term as the beauty parlor burned down. And while some people may give up, Dupart continued and reopened in 2014. This time, with a hair line of product of her own.
“I’m the type of person who when hardship hits me, I take 2 actions back and state, ‘Okay, if this is taken from me then something greater must be out there. There need to be a much better something I’m supposed to be in, so let me determine what this is and keep pushing forward and pressing through,'” she tells InStyle over Zoom.
Her effort and positive state of mind settled. Now, Kaleidoscope Hair Products are cost Target, Sally Beauty, CVS, and Walmart– and the brand name has ended up being a multi-million dollar service. Here, Dupart showed us why she started the brand name, how she returns, and her best service advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
What inspired you to start Kaleidoscope Hair items?
One of my clients cheated on me and went to various hair stylist, and when she came back, she had an area missing in her head. I had actually grown her hair pretty long, but this stylist put in a ponytail with bobby pins that scratched her scalp.
Where did the brand come from?
I am definitely fascinated by colors, and the kaleidoscope is the toy you put to your eye and see a million colors and shapes. Even our site is iluvcolors.com– I simply like an array of colors. If someone asked me what my preferred color is, I ‘d say a rainbow.
You and Kaleidoscope Hair give back a lot. Why was it crucial to you to do so?
I never will take anything for given. I feel like God’s put me in all sort of scenarios– and I have a very blessed and lucky life. So, I have a responsibility and a commitment to put it back into the world.
In a method, I feel like I’m self-centered in my providing because I get fulfillment out of seeing individuals smile and seeing people’s responses. Why do all of this, why achieve all of this, why do you even go this far if you’re not going to put back into the world, or at least attempt to do something dynamic?
This year, I’m breaking the Guinness record again. We’ve given a lot of hair grow items to an organization, the Center for Black Equity, that can assist the LGBTQ+. They’re in our neighborhood– people who transition– and when they go through their process, a great deal of them experience loss of hair.
What’s the most gratifying part about owning your company?
Reaching the masses, being very transparent about my story with the general public, and letting people know that if I can do it then anybody can. I’m very singing about having teenager pregnancies, having three children, being put out of your house, and simply moving on and figuring it out. I didn’t go to college, I didn’t study things to make me effective, so if I could do it, anyone can.
A few years earlier, I did a trip and 17,000 to 18,000 people came out, and they concerned me with these terrific stories. “Hey, you changed my family’s life. I was able to do this. I’m the first individual in my family to do this.” “Hey, I made a million dollars. Thank you so much.” And those example. Even though it’s not straight connected to Kaleidoscope Hair products, it’s inspired by Kaleidoscope due to the fact that my journey is what I’m able to reveal to the world.
What advice do you have for aiming charm managers?
Stop reaching out to individuals for recommendations, for inspiration. If God gave you the concept, you are the only person that has your eyesight and that’s going to comprehend the craziness in your head. Some people might have had a bad experience trying to pursue something, like going after their dreams, so they might be attempting to protect you by telling you not to do it.