WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2020
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD
21BB
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
New Start-Up Features Tool for Detangling Natural Hair BY JANEY TATE
When the Stirrup sisters went natural they realized combing and detangling their hair was a less-than-fun experience because of the hair styling tools they were forced to use. As more people opted to use their fingers to detangle their tresses instead of combs and brushes, the three Stirrup sisters thought to create a hair tool that would mimic the human finger while also improving the traditional comb and brush to cut down on styling time. “The magic of our hair tool is the design of the teeth,” said LaToya Stirrup, who was also recognized as one of Legacy magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2018. “With our hair tool, the detangling is faster and there is not nearly as much shedding.” As a result of the innovation by LaToya, LaTasha and LaTrice Stirrup, the KurlsPlus Detanlgers were launched in 2019 as their first line of patentpending hair tools under their new beauty and lifestyle company, Kazmaleje. “In a sea of hair care products, we were the only hair tools,” LaToya Stirrup said. “There is security in knowing that I have a product that works.” The KurlsPlus three set by Kazmaleje, a Black-owned In 2019, Kazmaleje (pronounced Cosmology), beauty brand. submitted for QVC and HSN’s “The Big Find” both networks to find and promote competition, a joint venture by small businesses. Out of nearly
LaToya, LaTrice, and LaTasha Stirrup, sisters and co-founders of the Kazmaleje Beauty brand.
700 applicants, Kazmaleje was chosen as one of the 75 finalists. The co-founders traveled to St. Petersburg to pitch their business to the network and were eventually chosen to showcase their hair tools on QVC and HSN online. In June of this year, they premiered live on HSN. “In only one year on the market, now we’re on HSN,” Stirrup said. “It’s been a fantastic experience.” She said since launching their company, they have not done a major marketing push but have
seen an increase in sales just from word of mouth. To date, the company has sold more than 11,000 hair tools and doesn’t plan on stopping until everyone knows their name. For entrepreneurs who want to follow in their footsteps, Stirrup advises, “When you take a project management approach to launch a product it allows you to take your big idea and turn it into manageable steps that keep you moving toward your goal.” n
