- 2 years ago
Nobody likes losing things they love. When then 7-year-old GaBBY and her mom Rozalynn realized that GaBBY’s favorite barrettes were disappearing faster than they could be replaced, they invented the first and patented Double-Face Double Snap Barrette.
In 7 years, their family-owned company grew beyond measure into a global brand, Confidence by Gabby Goodwin.
Now they offer GaBBY Bows, a full line of plant-based wash-and-style products, lifestyle goods, business mentorship programs, and own and operate a retail store and girls' salon.
Their commitment remains the same: boost confidence, build community, and revolutionize beauty for growing girls and the moms who love them best.
In 7 years, their family-owned company grew beyond measure into a global brand, Confidence by Gabby Goodwin.
Now they offer GaBBY Bows, a full line of plant-based wash-and-style products, lifestyle goods, business mentorship programs, and own and operate a retail store and girls' salon.
Their commitment remains the same: boost confidence, build community, and revolutionize beauty for growing girls and the moms who love them best.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 - Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode
00:02 of Shop Essence Live.
00:04 I am your host, Noni Donovan,
00:06 and this show is in partnership with the New Voices family,
00:09 where we bring you two new Black-owned businesses
00:12 to shop with us every single week.
00:15 Today, we have such amazing businesses
00:18 to bring you this week.
00:20 Now, first up, this girl is the personification
00:25 of a girl boss.
00:27 She is the epitome of Black girl magic.
00:30 She started her first business at seven years old.
00:32 Does anybody remember what they were doing at seven?
00:34 'Cause this girl was taking over the world.
00:36 I want everybody to welcome Gabby Goodwin to the show.
00:41 - Hi!
00:42 - Hi!
00:43 - Hi, everybody. - First of all.
00:44 - Thank you so much.
00:45 - Oh my gosh, I was chatting it up with your mom
00:47 before the show, and I was just like,
00:48 I cannot imagine the amount of pride that she has.
00:52 This young lady, she's running to the show
00:55 straight from like, what was it?
00:56 Dance class in school?
00:58 - Yeah, I was doing musical rehearsals.
01:01 Yeah, we're here.
01:02 - Musical rehearsal.
01:03 She is unstoppable, and I can't wait for you guys
01:06 to hear this story.
01:07 So Gabby, let 'em know.
01:10 So you are the inventor of Gabby Bows,
01:12 and you have this incredible product line
01:14 called Confidence by Gabby Goodwin.
01:17 So just tell us, how did this all start?
01:20 How did you get here?
01:21 - So, hi, everybody.
01:23 I'm Gabby Goodwin.
01:25 I am the 16-year-old CEO of Confidence
01:28 and the inventor of Gabby Bows.
01:30 And this started when I was seven years old.
01:34 And I started the business at that age,
01:36 but when I was younger, my mom would spend,
01:38 you know, 15, 20 minutes doing my hair every morning,
01:42 would drop me off at school looking all pretty and nice,
01:45 and then pick me up and find that half of my bows were gone
01:49 and that my hair was a complete mess.
01:50 And I'm sure a lot of people that are watching this
01:53 can relate to that, whether you were the mom,
01:55 whether you were the daughter in that situation.
01:59 So with me, I didn't wanna keep getting in trouble
02:02 for losing my barrettes,
02:03 and my mom was also really frustrated.
02:05 So she went on, I guess what was formerly known as Twitter,
02:08 I guess, X now, and talked about and ranted
02:12 about how my barrettes did not stay in my hair.
02:16 And after her and many other moms were just talking
02:18 about how terrible these barrettes were,
02:20 our pastor actually jumped into the conversation
02:23 and said, "It sounds like a mark you need to break into."
02:26 And so my mom told me, I was about five years old,
02:29 and I didn't really know what entrepreneurship was,
02:31 but I did know that I wanted to inspire people,
02:33 and especially girls who look like me.
02:35 And I saw this product and eventual business
02:38 as a way to do that.
02:39 So I nagged my mom into at least creating a barrette,
02:43 and that turned into a business two years later,
02:46 as I said, when I was seven years old in 2014.
02:49 So we've been in business for nine years now,
02:51 and it's been great.
02:53 We have, as you can see, the hair products,
02:55 the barrettes, and then also hair products.
02:57 I am standing in our headquarters currently right now,
03:01 where we not only do a lot of business actions here,
03:05 but we also have our own salon as well,
03:07 Girls Salon here in Columbia, South Carolina.
03:10 So being able to really wrap our business
03:12 around the whole haircare experience
03:14 and making sure that girls feel confident
03:16 the way that they are.
03:18 First of all, first of all,
03:21 I mean, first of all, parents, please listen to your kids.
03:25 Listen to your kids.
03:28 They, when they're that young,
03:29 they have such an imagination and hats off to mom,
03:33 hats off to mama.
03:34 I know she's backstage around the camera,
03:36 but you had a vision and to have that support,
03:41 to have your pastor say that,
03:43 "This seems like a market you need to get into."
03:45 So many times we come across people that's like,
03:47 "Oh, you can't do that.
03:48 What do you know about that?"
03:49 And it's just like to have that support system.
03:52 Oh, I am so, so happy.
03:54 So what I'd love to do is,
03:58 I don't know if people really grasp
04:00 all the multiple problems that you have solved with this.
04:05 I remember as a little girl,
04:07 I would have my fly little corn rolls and braids
04:10 that my mom used to do,
04:11 and be running around all day.
04:13 First of all, half of the braids,
04:15 I don't know where they ended up
04:16 'cause they never stayed in.
04:18 And then you would take a picture
04:20 and it'd be turned around to the other side
04:22 and you just see a little flap.
04:23 You don't even see the design,
04:24 but she has solved so much of that.
04:27 Can you just go through kind of the mechanics of
04:29 the Gabby Bow?
04:31 - Yes.
04:32 So this is the Gabby Bow,
04:34 the double face, double snap barrette.
04:36 So first off, as she said,
04:38 you can see that it has two faces.
04:40 You could always see the normal design
04:43 as she was talking about,
04:44 you know, it'll always turn around and you see that strip.
04:47 You wouldn't be able to actually see the face.
04:49 That was one of my grandma's like biggest pet peeves.
04:52 So we really made sure that we incorporated her
04:55 and her pet peeves into this product,
04:58 making sure that she was happy as well.
05:00 But you can also, as you can see,
05:02 see two spaces and also inside of those,
05:07 there is teeth and craters to trap the hair
05:09 so it doesn't fall out.
05:12 As you can see, there is a strip in the middle
05:14 so you can be able to clasp it together.
05:17 So you wrap the hair around that center strip
05:19 and then snap one and close
05:22 and snap the other and close like a Z or an N
05:26 and it doesn't come out.
05:27 - It's there.
05:28 - It's there.
05:30 - No matter what happens,
05:32 no matter what happens,
05:33 you still move your back.
05:34 - This way we have girls playing on the playground,
05:37 dancing, swimming, doing taekwondo,
05:40 all the things and the barrettes still stay in.
05:42 - I love you said taekwondo.
05:44 My five-year-old just came from taekwondo.
05:45 I'm about to fill her head with these.
05:47 (laughing)
05:49 - But still looking cute while doing that as well.
05:51 - Look at this, you guys.
05:52 It's the same mirror design on both sides.
05:56 First of all, you have so many colors.
05:59 You have so many designs.
06:01 Can you just tell them how many colors,
06:04 what variety of designs that are available on your website?
06:07 - So we have 15 colors
06:10 and these barrettes are patented,
06:12 fully ours as well.
06:14 So we have that.
06:15 And then we also have three designs.
06:17 Our designs are named after what moms and dads
06:19 call the little girls.
06:20 So we have little lady, which is the ladybug,
06:23 sweet pea, which is the sweet pea flower.
06:26 All right, can you show the ladybug?
06:27 There you go.
06:28 And then this is a sweet pea flower.
06:30 And then daddy's girl, which is a bow tie,
06:33 named after my dad, who was Mike Goodwin,
06:35 who was known as the bow tie comedian.
06:37 So we made that centered around kind of my life
06:41 and my personal story as well.
06:43 But we have 15 colors, three colors in the little lady,
06:46 red, light pink, and light purple.
06:48 We have five colors in the sweet pea,
06:50 that is white, turquoise, clear, black, and hot pink,
06:54 which is my favorite.
06:55 And then we have seven colors in the daddy's girl
06:59 selection and collection as well,
07:02 which is silver, gold, orange,
07:06 navy blue, dark purple, orange, and yellow.
07:11 Well, not orange and yellow, green and yellow.
07:13 There we go.
07:14 So we have all 15 colors.
07:17 It's a lot, but you have all the colors that you need
07:20 to be able to match with anything,
07:22 especially when it comes to like white, clear, black.
07:25 Those are like the essentials.
07:27 So being able to get all of those as well,
07:29 we do have a discount code.
07:30 - Yup, Elma discount code.
07:31 - This is like getting your gears flowing, all of your ideas.
07:36 So we do have a code Essence on our website
07:40 for 25% off.
07:41 So as you're hearing about these,
07:43 all these barrettes and all these colors and designs,
07:48 the code is Essence, that's E-S-S-E-N-C.
07:53 For 25% off your entire order.
07:56 So yes.
07:57 - Oh my gosh.
07:59 I love these.
08:00 And let me tell you guys, it is early enough.
08:03 You need some stocking stuffers for your nieces and nephews,
08:06 for your kids.
08:08 When I tell you this is such a great gift,
08:10 you will not only be gifting that little girl
08:13 in your life that loves her barrettes,
08:16 you'll be gifting the mamas, okay?
08:17 You'll be gifting, give the mama something
08:20 because we're gonna be so happy
08:22 that our child's hair is intact as it was when they left.
08:25 And in pictures, their bows won't be backwards.
08:28 This is so genius.
08:31 - Genius.
08:31 - So if you're watching on Pinterest,
08:34 we have all the products tagged right here.
08:36 The proceeds on Shop Essence Live when you shop with us,
08:40 you're going straight to these black owned businesses.
08:42 So make sure you guys support Gabby.
08:43 She gave y'all a discount.
08:45 Tell them the discount again.
08:46 - Essence, so it's the code word Essence, E-S-S-E-N-C-E.
08:52 - All right.
08:54 That's not it.
08:56 Y'all are crazy.
08:57 Yes.
08:58 Oh, GabbyBose.com.
08:59 You can see the full array there.
09:01 Now you guys, that's not it.
09:03 You would think that was it.
09:04 She just done changed the bow game.
09:05 You would think she stopped there, but she ain't stopped there.
09:09 We have a whole line, which before the show,
09:12 I did my son's hair with,
09:14 and I was telling your mom, this smells like dessert.
09:17 (laughs)
09:20 So let's go through one by one
09:21 and really break down the different products.
09:24 Now, talk a little bit about, okay, you had the bows, right?
09:28 And that was something, real life problem.
09:32 When was the decision to actually expand into hair products?
09:37 How did that come about?
09:38 - Yeah, so we always had loyal customers
09:42 who love the barrettes,
09:44 but they were always talking about different problems
09:46 that they would have with their child's hair.
09:48 Whether that be their scalp is itchy or it needs moisture,
09:52 the hair needs moisture,
09:53 tangling is a mess for everybody involved,
09:57 and they just needed different products.
10:00 And we have been promoting different products
10:02 and using other people's products,
10:03 but we thought there isn't really a specific hair care brand
10:08 that is specifically targeting girls,
10:10 making products just for girls,
10:12 that is also plant-based
10:14 and doesn't have any bad ingredients
10:16 that will eventually damage your hair or your scalp.
10:19 So being able to kind of think about that in here
10:22 and listen to our customers' needs and wants,
10:25 we were able to formulate this six product hair care line,
10:29 which starts with the shampoo and conditioner.
10:33 So we have our replenishing shampoo
10:37 and then our wash out conditioner.
10:40 So this can be used for the wash day process,
10:42 getting the hair washed and clean.
10:45 And then we also have three styling products.
10:48 So that is our scalp pomade,
10:52 which is an alternative to grease.
10:54 So grease that people may have used in the past
10:57 has a lot of harmful chemicals that can damage your scalp.
11:01 So we wanted to create something
11:03 that you can still use as that kind of product,
11:06 but still be able to actually benefit the scalp
11:10 and not detriment it.
11:11 So we have that.
11:12 - Yes, hold on, pause, pause, Gabby, pause.
11:15 'Cause I gotta talk about this pomade grease.
11:19 Like the pleasant surprise that I got
11:21 when you put your hand in,
11:22 'cause you know sometimes we'll get grease
11:25 and it's very heavy.
11:27 It's very sticky, it's very heavy.
11:30 And you don't necessarily wanna put something on your,
11:32 I'm very much into scalp health nowadays.
11:35 You don't wanna put anything on your scalp
11:38 that's gonna clog your scalp pores
11:40 and prevent your hair from growing.
11:41 So this is really so good.
11:44 Okay, keep going, keep going, sorry.
11:46 - So it's lightweight, as she's talking about,
11:48 lightweight, doesn't feel like you have any grease on you.
11:51 Also, we have the heart attangling and conditioning milk.
11:54 This is what moms call the liquid gold.
11:56 So if you have those detangling problems,
11:59 tender-headed girls, boys, this is the product for you.
12:04 This can also serve as a leave-in conditioner.
12:06 So we have that washout,
12:08 but then we also have the leave-in conditioner as well.
12:11 So this can help reduce detangling time in half,
12:16 practically.
12:17 - Dang, look.
12:18 - We've heard so many stories of girls
12:21 who hated detangling and hated the process,
12:24 but that after using our products,
12:25 have been able to go and grow used to the product process
12:29 and actually enjoy detangling,
12:31 because I know that's probably the most stressful part
12:34 of wash day.
12:36 - It is the stress of wash day, 100%.
12:41 So when you say,
12:42 so if you use this as a leave-in conditioner,
12:44 what if you wanted to use it as a detangling?
12:47 Can you put it on dry hair?
12:49 How do you recommend that people use this to detangle?
12:52 - Yes, so you can put it on dry hair.
12:55 People can use water as well,
12:58 and then add it on after you wash the hair as well,
13:01 'cause I know a lot of people are,
13:03 I like when my hair is already wet,
13:05 and you can already apply the product.
13:07 So however it works for you, your child,
13:11 but yeah, you can use this on dry hair, wet hair as well.
13:15 So being able to kind of use it interchangeably as well
13:18 for that reason.
13:19 And then also the final styling product
13:22 is our moisturizing style cream.
13:24 So this is what you can use to do your braids,
13:27 your twists, cornrows, protective styles,
13:31 anything like that.
13:32 You can be able to use this cream.
13:34 It helps you keep the moisture in your hair
13:37 and the moisture stays for at least two,
13:40 two and a half weeks at a time.
13:43 So being able to use this definitely helps a lot
13:46 when it comes to the shine of your hair,
13:48 the moisture of your hair,
13:49 the kind of new look that it still might have
13:52 after the two and a half weeks.
13:54 So with those styling products,
13:56 I know many people have probably heard of the lock method.
13:59 You can be able to use our products with that as well.
14:02 So the liquid can be the moisturizing,
14:04 or not the, the de-tangling conditioning milk.
14:06 The oil can be the scalp pomade,
14:08 and then the cream is our moisturizing style cream.
14:12 So I use this, I use that a lot for my twists
14:15 when I do them.
14:16 I'm sure a lot of other people do that as well,
14:20 but you can be able to do that,
14:22 twist braids, anything like that.
14:24 Keep the moisture in, very lightweight.
14:26 - See how it's disappeared?
14:28 - Like, disappeared.
14:30 It just went away.
14:32 - We know about the styling products
14:34 that you put in your hair and makes your hair crunchy,
14:36 and you got that white film that you gotta walk around with
14:39 until your hair dries, and then you gotta crunch it up.
14:42 This is so incredible.
14:43 It does the job.
14:44 It defines your curls, and it disappears.
14:47 - It disappears.
14:49 So, very lightweight, helps your hair,
14:51 doesn't hurt your hair,
14:53 and it helps continue to keep that moisture in as well.
14:57 And then to finish it off,
14:59 we have our revitalizing spray.
15:02 So this is what you can use when you have a little frizz,
15:05 when you see when it's getting cold, like a little bright.
15:08 Gotta make sure that it stays fresh.
15:11 So, you can be able to use this to refresh any style
15:13 that you may have in.
15:15 Also, if you wanna be able to detangle the hair
15:18 in between washes, you don't wanna wash your hair
15:21 and then have to redo it,
15:23 you can be able to use this product to detangle the hair
15:25 and redo the hair without washing.
15:28 So, being able to alleviate that time and stress,
15:33 to be able to use this product,
15:35 help the hair become, revitalize that moisture
15:39 in the products that you already used
15:41 a week prior or two weeks prior,
15:44 so that you can be able to get back into that style
15:47 and make it look as fresh as possible.
15:50 So that is our six product haircare line.
15:55 As she said, it smells like dessert.
15:56 We have our scented in orange cream scent,
15:59 which smells just like a creamsicle.
16:01 So, we do advise you, yes, it smells edible, it's not,
16:06 but it smells just like a creamsicle popsicle.
16:10 And then we also do have unscented products
16:12 for those who may have sensitive disabilities
16:14 and things of that nature as well.
16:16 - This is good.
16:17 And I don't wanna skip over,
16:19 when you were talking about how you came up with this line
16:21 and you said there wasn't anything for young girls
16:24 on the market that was plant-based.
16:26 And I know a lot of people are like,
16:28 "Well, when I go to Beauty Supply,
16:29 "I see all these products for young girls
16:31 "and they got the little girl on the box."
16:32 So, I have fallen prey to that marketing
16:35 where it looks organic, it looks.
16:37 They have the sunflowers on it and the olive oil pits on it.
16:42 And I did the research and realized
16:44 that those products were just as harmful as the products
16:48 that they were marketing towards adults.
16:50 They just repackaged it and put a child on it.
16:52 So, I want parents to really pay attention
16:55 and know that this is such an incredible line,
16:59 plant-based, smells so good, but gets the job done, y'all.
17:04 And we're not putting anything harmful in our baby's hair.
17:07 - I feel like we can use it too.
17:08 - And you don't have to use it a lot.
17:09 Well, which helps that you don't have to use
17:13 a lot of it over time.
17:14 So, being able to keep new products
17:18 for a good amount of time rather than having to use
17:20 a product over and over again and having to buy it again.
17:24 So, we have that, I guess, luxury as well,
17:26 where it's so lightweight that you don't have to use
17:28 too much to the point that you have to continue
17:31 to keep and keep and keep.
17:33 I guess not wasting money,
17:35 but spending money on those products as well.
17:38 - An entrepreneur that's trying to save you money.
17:40 Y'all better, (laughs)
17:42 y'all better appreciate that we're right here.
17:45 Promo code Essence.
17:46 So, before I let you go,
17:49 you are a part of the New Voices family
17:51 who were in partnership here at Shop Essence Live.
17:54 Can you talk about what it's been like
17:55 being a part of that community?
17:57 - Yeah, so the New Voices family
17:59 has definitely been a great family towards us.
18:02 So much support in that group,
18:04 whether it be through providing grants
18:07 or just being able to provide knowledge and classes.
18:10 And as I said, just support overall.
18:13 We were able to have our own kind of section and space
18:16 at the Essence Fest in 2022
18:20 because they provided that space for us.
18:22 So, super excited.
18:23 It was my first time being there.
18:25 So, just being able to see how huge it was.
18:28 I've always heard about it,
18:29 but just being able to be in New Orleans for the first time,
18:32 be at Essence Fest for the first time
18:34 because they were able to provide space for us
18:36 was something that was super important
18:38 and super, super, really dope.
18:41 So, being able to be there, have that support,
18:44 being able to be around a lot of other businesses like us,
18:47 as well, Black-owned businesses, women-owned businesses,
18:50 is something that's so important.
18:51 So, being able to be in that space,
18:53 being able to see other people doing other amazing things
18:57 and being able to kind of back off of them
18:59 and learn from them is something that's so important,
19:02 especially when you're in business.
19:03 So, being able to be a part of the New Horses family
19:06 has been great for us,
19:07 and we're super thankful for everything
19:09 that they've been able to do for us, as well.
19:11 - So good.
19:11 And, you know, I am just overwhelmingly blown away by you,
19:16 your ambition, your story, everything you've accomplished.
19:19 If you accomplish this at 17, the next five years,
19:23 I mean, my goodness.
19:25 So, very, very proud of you on behalf of Essence
19:28 and Shop Essence Live.
19:29 Gabby, thank you so much for being on the show.
19:32 You guys are such a big support, Gabby.
19:34 We have the products here if you're watching on Pinterest.
19:36 If you're watching on Essence.com,
19:38 we have the products there.
19:39 Go to her website.
19:41 Tell us the website again.
19:43 - GabbyBose.com.
19:44 That is G-A-B-B-Y-B-O-W-S.com.
19:49 - Take me back to being a kid.
19:50 I used to love doing this.
19:51 (laughing)
19:52 Well, thank you so much for being a part of the show.
19:54 Remember, great stocking stuffer,
19:56 or just buy it for your kids.
19:57 Do yourself a favor, okay?
19:59 She made this foolproof for us.
20:01 Thank you so much, Gabby.
20:04 - Thank you so much for having me.
20:05 - Absolutely.
20:07 (upbeat music)
20:09 you
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