How Mahisha Dellinger Became A Multimillion-dollar Beauty Maven

Mahisha Dellinger is the founder of natural haircare brand, CURLS. She started from making homemade formulas in her garage to having over 40 products in sold in store nationally. Growing up, life for her wasn't always the easiest, but she used that drive to become a multimillionaire in the haircare business.

“My background wasn’t one that most would want to be born into,” Dellinger admits. “But now I feel like it helped build and mold this strong person that has the most amount of grit, determination, perseverance, resistance.”

In an article with Black Enterprise, Mahisha shared what it took to achieve her level of success:

Plan, Plan, Plan

Dellinger had a full-time job in corporate America in which she relied on. She said for the longest time she had to balance doing her job as well as CURLS. Her full-time income went to her family and the money from CURLS; she reinvested back into the business. Before taking that huge risk, Dellinger advises: “Know where you’re going. Have a strategy. Make sure you know the market in and out.”

Start Smart

The jump to retail is “a scary world. It can take the shirt off your back if it doesn’t work. We were one of the original four brands that the buyer brought in to test this natural hair market,” Dellinger says of her initial test run at 105 Target stores. “We were underground back then; we weren’t on shelves yet. It was a small start though, and it was smart.”

Keep Evolving

“You have to continue to evolve, or you will dissolve. You have to innovate, or you will evaporate. I continue to think ahead: What’s coming next? Also, it’s a gamble because you may develop or deliver something that isn’t well received. However, it’s one of those things you have to do, staying ahead of the curve. You don’t want to see a flat line—ever.”

Dellinger will be a featured speaker at this year’s Women of Power Summit being held at the Mirage, Las Vegas, Feb. 28–March 3.