PHOTO COURTESY OF CURLS BEAUTY BRANDS
Who?
Mahisha Dellinger, CURLS Beauty Brands CEO and host of OWN’s Mind Your Business with Mahisha
Where?
North Texas
What?
After surviving her upbringing on the rough streets of South Sacramento, California, Dellinger turned a creative idea into a $50 million beauty company, Curls, a family of organic hair care products targeted for women embracing their natural textures. When she caught the eye of Oprah Winfrey, this mother of four landed her own TV show, Mind Your Business with Mahisha, in which she is taking on a whole new challenge: helping other female entrepreneurs live out their dreams and take their small businesses to greater heights.
When I’m not working on my business, I de-stress by…
watching mindless TV. I also love all of the OWN programming. Chad Loves Michelle is my new favorite. It’s about a Christian, interracial couple looking to become one. They face the same challenges we faced when we were first married. I like to see how they navigate this difficult road.
When I need inspiration, I…
pray. Or I doodle. I like to brainstorm. And I love to travel.
I always smile when I…
am with my kids. Or when I am drinking wine! When I am drinking wine with my kids. Ha! Wait… that probably won’t read as I had hoped.
The book I love most is…
the Bible. It keeps me humble and motivated at the same time. My faith helps me keep all of the temporal things of the world in check. It helps me to keep perspective of what is important and what isn’t; for me it’s God first, family second, business third.
I work to improve myself by…
trying to be more patient. I have to be patient enough to take the time away from work to work out.
To avoid distractions, I…
turn my phone off and close my office door. My best lifehack is protecting my time, my peace and my heart. I cannot afford to have any distractions.
Women who have an entrepreneurial dream should know…
that time is your most precious commodity, so use it wisely! I protect my time by saying no to requests and events that are not a part of my strategic journey. I cannot be everywhere. I cannot attend every function. I cannot entertain every business opportunity presented. I must stay focused.
My personal “aha” moment came when I…
realized I didn’t need that ideal corporate job or a rich man to thrive. I could create the wealth I wanted all on my own!
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine.