Carol's Daughter

From the humblest of beginnings in her own kitchen, Lisa Price launched her all natural beauty line, Carol’s Daughter. Spurred by her frustration at not being able to find beauty products that met her needs, Lisa began creating her trademark lotions and body butters. Initially, she made products just for friends and family. When word spread and demand grew, she slowly started to sell her products outside of her inner circle. Fast-forward 15 years – Carol’s Daughter includes over 300 products for face, hair, body and home - allowing for endless product combinations and possibilities.

Poised to make over $30 million in revenue this year and with celebrity backers such as Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay-Z, Lisa is taking the beauty industry by storm. Despite her massive success, Lisa still refers to her loyal clients as “friends of the family.”

We recently had the privilege of chatting with Lisa.

What made you take the incredible leap to start Carol’s Daughter?
Actually my mother suggested I sell the products that I had been making in my kitchen. So I started very slowly doing just that. I began selling at a flea market and the phenomenal response there lead to additional markets and then friends asking for more and past clients were coming back to me with their empty jars asking if I could create more. All of this convinced me that I could do it.

Was there a moment when you felt like you could finally breathe and say, ok, I’ve made it?
Yes, and no. You have moments where you achieve something, for example, being on Oprah was a dream, and I lived it. You learn to exhale and then relish your accomplishment for a moment… but then you have to get back to work. Also, another big accomplishment was when we opened the first store and then the flagship store in Harlem was another phenomenal moment. You don’t relax and say, “we’ve made it,” it’s a series of steps and you enjoy each one of them.

What is one mistake that you made when starting out with Carol’s Daughter, that you could share?
I guess the only thing I regret is not trusting my own instincts. When you have consultants sometimes you second guess your own feelings and go with the industry professionals. There were times when I second guessed myself, and I wished I hadn’t. Sometimes you’re hearing the professional, logical explanation, but your gut is saying “no… I don’t think we should do it that way” and it turns out that the nagging feeling is usually there for a reason.
Click to shop: Carol's Daughter Ecstasy Collection