I can’t believe it’s been three years since we launched People of Color! It’s our 3rd birthday, y’all! What a journey it’s been watching and working to make this brand grow from idea to celebrating three years of existence. It’s truly amazing what can happen when you have a vision, believe in it, and see it come to life.
When People of Color first launched on May 17, 2019, we had about 200 followers on Instagram and I was working hard to post and promote prior to launch day. Can you believe we didn’t get our first online sale until May 31, 2019?! It was the purchase of California Sunflower from our SoCal Vibes collection. We had launched with 10 colors representing and celebrating Southern California living, where I grew up.
It’s funny because the very first customer happened to be local to me in Southern California. When I found out she owned her own business as well, we became business besties. We both were at launching points of our brands and it’s always great to have someone to bounce ideas off, learn and grow together in business. We are still friends to this day!
Business grew slowly…very slowly online, and I decided to do my first local pop-up in September 2019 at ComeUp Markets in Los Angeles, to step outside of my comfort zone and see if I could grow sales by selling in person. I had a blast and doing pop-ups in the Greater Los Angeles area became an integral part of growing, networking, and building our brand’s community. We were also growing sales online and our Instagram community too. I also took a leap of faith and quit my job as a Property Manager on October 29, 2019 to pursue People of Color full-time.
Everything started to change for People of Color when the pandemic hit and workplaces and businesses started to shut down. I was almost certain that I’d need to find a job when the biggest market I’d signed up for to date, Vegan Street Fair, in March 2020 was canceled. I had no idea how I was going to get the bills paid. As more and more people shifted to being at home, our website traffic and sales started to grow. Our Instagram was steadily growing as well. I would have never thought this was going to be the catalyst of my business “taking off”.
In August 2020, we launched online with Urban Outfitters, and then months later became the first nail polish brand ever to be carried in all of their US and Canada stores when they decided to carry our Queen collection. We also launched online with Kohl’s in November 2020 as part of their Curated by Kohl’s program, featuring new and scaling brands.
The first year in business was pivotal to allowing us to be here today, celebrating our 3rd birthday. Each year for our business birthday, we celebrate by hosting a Polish & Sip via Zoom to polish our nails together, chat, sip on a beverage of choice, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s my personal way of saying thank you for all of the love and support you’ve shown us.
Without your continued support, none of this would be possible! Our brand is so blessed to have you as a part of our tribe. What year did you discover People of Color? Let us know in the comments below!