Dedicated to supporting Black female entrepreneurship, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE created The Build Your Legacy Contest to invest in Black women business owners who are contributing to the positive economic impact, right where they live. This contest kicked off once again on March 1 and received more than four hundred applicants sharing their stories. Pine-Sol and ESSENCE narrowed the entries down to three finalists and opened the voting up to the public.
The votes are in, and we are thrilled to announce that Niani Tolbert, Founder of Hire Black Now, is the Grand Prize Winner! She will receive $100,000 for her business and six months of coaching with the Build Legacy Contest business coach, Nicole Walters!
As we were so inspired by all three of our finalists, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE are excited to also award our two runners-up, Kia Hope Shine, Founder of Ur-Way Cleaning Service, and Pamela Shaddock, Founder of Coils To Locs, with funding for their businesses, and coaching with Nicole Walters!
Click the video below to check out the winner announcement.
Pine-Sol and ESSENCE are proud to empower Black female entrepreneurs. Please meet our winners!
Niani Tolbert, Founder of Hire Black Now
What started as a simple LinkedIn post to help 19 Black womxn with resume review sessions on Juneteenth quickly evolved into an initiative serving a network of 5,500 people and counting. “Black womxn already face systemic obstacles at getting jobs, and with the job market now more competitive than ever, we are providing support to those who often get overlooked,” says Niani. “We are on a mission to get 10,000 Black womxn hired!”
Hire Black Now offers exclusive events, resources and an invite-only member portal designed for the career advancement of Black womxn and their supporters. So, if this sounds like your tribe, why not join the movement now? Follow #HireBlack and check them out on Instagram—they are waiting for you!
Pamela Shaddock, President and Co-Founder of Coils to Locs
In 2015, Pamela’s sister, Dianne Austin, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The chemotherapy cocktail prescribed by her doctor would cause Dianne to lose all of her hair, along with eyebrows and lashes. “She wanted to keep some semblance of normalcy, which meant finding a wig that looked like her natural hair. She was given a wig prescription and I tried to find an afro-textured wig that she could purchase with her health insurance (reimbursement), but that was not as easy as it sounds,” said Pamela. As a result, Coils to Locs was born.
“We are a supplier of afro-textured synthetic wig styles for Black women or any woman with textured hair experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment,” says Pamela. “Our business addresses a healthcare disparity for cancer patients of color, given the current lack of access to afro-textured wigs that are covered by health insurance through a medical prescription at cancer center hospitals.” If you have lost your hair for medical reasons, or you are faced with non-medical related alopecia, check out Coils to Locs wigs on Instagram and on coilstolocs.com.
Kia Hope Shine, Owner and Founder of Ur-Way Cleaning Service, LLC
Coming from a long lineage of housekeepers, janitors, and superintendents, Kia watched her family work hard over the years and that inspired her to create a legacy. Ur-Way Cleaning Service offers high-quality, detail oriented, eco-friendly, and customized cleaning styles to suit each client’s individual needs. “Legacy is about creating an impact, creating a vision that no one could foresee,” says Kia. “During the pandemic, I could see that our services were really needed. People need things to be sanitized. I was able to provide safety and security to let people know they are safe in their work or residential space.”
This small cleaning company brings a personal touch to each space they clean—small, mid, and large commercial companies and residences in the NYC area. “One of our goals is to provide employment for people who are homeless or have disabilities,” Kia says. “These people are often turned away, and I wanted to give those individuals a chance and an opportunity.” Check out the company’s full story and services online: urwaycleaningservice.com