Crystal White is an inspirational lady. She started her business @herdailycrown in 2020 during the pandemic, creating a brand that is not only fresh and exciting but which focuses on women in the BAME community whilst offering something new and different to people of other cultures. Crystal has become one of Belina’s FLEX Employers, adopting the FLEX approach that promotes family-friendly policies.
Crystal said “When I heard about the FLEX programme I felt it was a natural fit for my organisation and I wanted to learn more about how to be a family-friendly employer. Though my business is a start-up it is constantly growing and so I need to think about how I can offer the best opportunities for any staff I employ in the future. Women are very much at the centre of @herdailycrown and so it is important that I can make it easier and better for women to be able to work by adopting these simple approaches that make all the difference.”
Helping women in their daily life is a key driver for Crystal and @herdailycrown was borne out of her own long-term frustrations with her hair journey. Society unfortunately paints a picture of what beautiful hair looks like, which is not always possible or achievable and Crystal wanted to find a solution that would help other women like her to tackle the issues she was facing. Crystal said; “I grew up around a lot of black women that didn’t tend to voice their frustrations about their hair but I always felt my hair wasn’t the right texture and length that society deemed to be beautiful. At the same time I didn’t want to have to bend to typical westernised standards of beauty by straightening my hair or wearing it long. For a long time it caused me to feel frustrated but then in 2020 during lockdown and I no longer had a full time job, I decided to take the matter into my own hands. I wanted to create a community where these issues could be resolved through an alternative form of protective styling that was fashionable, affordable and easy to accomplish. What’s more, I wanted to make it available to all women, whatever their background and culture.
The ethos behind @herdailycrown was to offer a selection of headwraps that can be worn with all different types of clothing that enables women to dispense with the daily hair styling ritual that can often lead to lots of hair breakage and damage. I also wanted to ensure it was accessible to everyone and at a price they could afford.”
Crystal had no prior experience of setting up or running her own business but she had a clear plan of what she wanted to achieve. Through doing her own research, watching videos on YouTube and searching Google, she was able to learn how to build her own website and launch her business on the social media platform Instagram. Crystal explained “After doing a lot of research I decided that Instagram was the best place for me to start. I have built up 1000 followers on Instagram and not only has it brought in most of my customers, it has provided me with the means to publicise customer feedback and reach out to different influencers to collaborate with. This has been a really great promotional tool for me, working with women who are enjoying using my products in exchange for high quality content. I call these women my Ambassadors and they are not only customers, they are the people who are helping me to drive my business forward, build a social network for my website and help to establish my brand.”
Crystal’s self-created website has enabled her to advertise her portfolio of products to her growing customer-base. From the first day of setting up a Shopify Account it pays for itself and by cross-promoting her website with her Instagram account she is able to get her products in front of her target audience quickly, effectively and affordably and now has over 300 email subscribers.
Crystal said; “Through @herdailycrown I am encouraging all women who wear headwraps to find ways to feel beautiful by allowing them to style their hair with finesse, colour and self expression, improving the way women see and feel about themselves. My business has created a way for women to have that option of a quick, simple and fashionable way to wear their natural hair.
Although we deliberately celebrate BAME, black and ethnic women’s natural beauty and hair, we are all-inclusive and we encourage women of all races and gender to use the product. Our range of headwraps are all one size and currently we offer 10 different colours encompassing both bold and neutral colours that work with any outfit from fashionable wear to everyday outfits and glamwear for a big night out. The headwraps are lightweight and can be styled in many different ways; from headbands that partly cover your hair to a full coverage wrap. Not only are they the perfect solution to a bad hair day, they allow you to mix and match your look, accessorise an outfit and add a new twist to your style all whilst protecting your hair from damage caused by overstyling, straightening your hair or wearing hair bands, wigs and weaves.”
By becoming a FLEX Employer, @herdailycrown is sending a strong message to women that they understand the everyday struggles and issues that women face and are committed to promoting more equal sharing of work and childcare between men and women so that both can fulfil their potential at work. On completion of her FLEX Training Crystal was able to receive a £200 training grant which she will be investing to further grow her business.
To find out more, including how-to tutorials on how to wear the headwraps, follow @herdailycrown on Instagram and check out the website at www.herdailycrown.com for offers and discounts. GET 10% OFF all products sitewide using code CROWN1
If you are interested in becoming a @herdailycrown Ambassador please contact Crystal at support@herdailycrown.com.
If you are interested in learning more about the FLEX programme and how to become a FLEX employer contact Liz.Sewell@belinagrow.co.uk or visit the FLEX website at flexfamilyfriendly.org