00:00Hello, I'm James Eli, one of the Vice Presidents of Customer Development at Johnson & Johnson
00:10Consumer Health. I'm excited to be a part of this event and the focus of creating a more diverse
00:15and inclusive skincare industry. It is such an honor to have an opportunity to engage with a
00:20group of talented and innovative Black female entrepreneurs who have made it their mission
00:24to serve the skin and hair care needs of Black consumers. You know, I can tell you from personal
00:30experience, it's challenging to find the right product to meet the unique skincare challenges
00:34that I face as a Black person. And while it doesn't look like I have hair, I've spent a lot of time
00:39looking for the right products to help me manage the challenges of shaving or hair removal that
00:44Black men face. Our melanated skin and wide range of hair textures have unique needs, and we're all
00:50hungry for unique products specifically designed to help us look and feel our best. So thank you for
00:56stepping in to design best-in-class, highly efficacious offerings to meet the skin and hair
01:00care needs of the Black consumer. What makes for a winning pitch? A few things. Can you clearly
01:06articulate the unmet need of the consumer that you're trying to serve? In meeting that unmet need,
01:12what will make your product or service stand out amongst what's becoming a growing field of products?
01:17Have you thought through your route to market and how you'll provide access to that offer?
01:23And most important, what benefit will your product deliver to its users or what positive skin or hair
01:30outcomes should they expect? My advice, put yourself in the mind of a shopper who's looking for the product
01:37best suited for the job they're trying to do, whether that's to be their most attractive, boost their
01:43confidence, or manage something that is felt unmanageable. Make sure her voice comes through.
01:50We're all excited to hear your pitches during the upcoming Aveeno Startup Accelerator competition.
01:55Tell your friends and family to join us at essence.com slash Aveeno to see you in action.
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