2021 in Review

While the year isn’t over, it’s around the time that I start reflecting on lessons and achievements I’ve had throughout the year. Most of the time, the lessons are quickly learned and changes implemented immediately. Achievements are quickly celebrated with a “YAY!” because life is, well, busy.

Here is a fun recap of our 2021:

During the first quarter of the year, we had our first ever Customer Appreciation Day in January! It was so fun honoring all of you who support People of Color with your hard-earned coins. I wanted to celebrate you all for your continued support. In February, we launched our exclusive 15-color collection with Mario Tricoci—which was conceived shortly after our Good Morning America interview went live. In March, I was scrambling to make sure shipments were on time and correct with our manufacturer in order to send out our polishes to Ipsy and Urban Outfitters. 

Moving into the second  quarter of the year, we officially launched our Por la Cultura spring/summer collection in April—which was co-curated by our brand supporters, Josephine and Cas! In May, we celebrated our 2nd birthday for People of Color (born: May 17, 2019) with a Polish & Sip event I hosted via Zoom with about 20 of you! It’s one of my favorite events and I can’t wait to host another. In June, we had a Summer Sale and then we took a much needed summer break—both mentally and physically.

The start of the third quarter in July was fairly quiet, with regular day-to-day operations happening. In August, we participated in a pop-up with Vegan District in Long Beach. It was our first since March 2019 due to the pandemic. It was so much fun getting back into the streets, to interact and sell polish directly to the people again, 😄. My husband also accompanied me to Chicago for a business trip to meet the Tricoci team in person at one of their beautiful salons. We also scoped out a big expo that I’d like the brand to attend in 2022. In September, People of Color did another fun live drop with our friends at Supergreat. Plus, with health at the forefront of our minds since the pandemic, I wanted to find a way to share information about how plants are used for healing and wellness. This was the inspiration behind our fall/winter collection, Native Wellness. It was inspired by five plants used by Indigenous people for health and wellness, and sharing the stories behind how the plants are used. 

To end the year, during the fourth quarter we launched our B Aware campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. I wanted to do something in memory of my grandmother, who our family lost to breast cancer in 2007. It was on my heart since last year, but I just didn’t have the funds to bring it to fruition. Thankfully, this year we were able to bring it to life and partnered with the Young Survival Coalition to bring a series of Survivor Stories, in addition to our donation from sales of Valley Girl. We started November with a fun giveaway with Prados Beauty to celebrate Native Heritage Month, and we’ll be participating in some local markets as well. Our year will end with our annual Year End Sale as we will close again for our yearly winter break to refresh, rejuvenate, and reflect!

Whether you’ve been with us during this whole journey of 2021, or are just joining us, I thank you so much for your support of our brand. You are part of our tribe. People of Color. You are us. We are you.

Jacque