00:00...entrepreneurial prowess, Essence and Pinesol have partnered for the second year to release
00:05the Build Your Legacy contest, a $100,000 grant awarded to one Black female entrepreneur
00:11to support her business, as well as six months of business coaching with Nicole Walters.
00:16The entries are in, and now it's time to introduce you to our finalists.
00:20Meet Pamela Shattuck of Coils to Locks.
00:23My name is Pamela Shattuck.
00:25I am president and co-founder of Coils to Locks.
00:29The Coils to Locks mission is to disrupt a healthcare disparity that disproportionately
00:34affects Black women who are suffering chemotherapy or other medical-related hair loss.
00:41My sister Diane Austin, and she is CEO and co-founder of Coils to Locks, her doctor gave her a wig
00:47prescription to go and find a wig at a cancer center boutique or a medical salon.
00:53And she wasn't able to find a wig that resembled the hair that she lost.
00:57She was wearing her hair natural, in its kinky, coily, curly state.
01:01We quickly saw that this was a healthcare disparity in the cancer care space.
01:07And if women did not want to wear their hair straight, she didn't have any options.
01:11And we want to support and help other women who are going through this and be able to get
01:18the kind of wig that they deserve.
01:20Coils to Locks is part of what would be the beauty industry.
01:23It's a billion-dollar industry where Black people have huge purchasing power, but haven't always
01:31reaped the benefits of the profits and the wealth of that.
01:34And be able to disrupt that paradigm and leave a legacy that will be impactful for our community.
01:41So providing jobs and providing access and resources in various ways, going through the
01:47entry process and becoming finalists, you know, just being able to take a deeper dive
01:52on what legacy means to us as individuals from a business standpoint, it's all been a gift.
01:59When we found out that we were the top three finalists, it's such a validation of what we're
02:06doing.
02:06All of that feels like success.
02:09Nicole Walters, as we know, is quite an impressive woman.
02:14And Diane and I are looking forward to everything that she has to offer, obviously, in terms of
02:21building our mindset around being entrepreneur.
02:24If we were to win $100,000 or go through the process with Nicole Walters, we'd be able to
02:30start to hire independent contractors that can help us scale.
02:34Business strategy person, independent contractors that could help us with sales and marketing,
02:40social media, business development.
02:43We also are looking to add augmented reality to the website, and this will allow women to
02:48try on wigs virtually and enhance their purchasing process.
02:52Coils to Locks is making a huge splash in the medical hair loss industry.
02:57And if you want to see us continue to make a social impact where Black women and other
03:02women with highly textured hair can have access to the wigs that they deserve, then you should
03:07vote for us so that we can continue to make that social impact in our community.
03:11You've heard from Pamela Shattuck.
03:13Now it's time that we hear from you.
03:15Please vote for the entrepreneur that you think should win $100,000 at essence.com slash your legacy.
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