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Call all the kings! We’re spotlighting Black-owned brands that protect Black men’s manes with satin linings.
Source: Coronation of the King / Coronation of the King
Darrell Spencer is the visionary CEO/founder of King’s Crowning, a premium hair and beauty brand designed specifically for African American men by African American men.
According to the official bio, King’s Crowning was born when Spencer noticed a void in the hair care industry for products specifically for black men. After learning that there was no alternative to the traditional bonnets typically worn by women to protect black men’s hair, he went to work and created his signature product. crown.
After disrupting the $100 billion hair and beauty industry, Spencer has grown her brand to over eight figures and tells BOSSIP more about her business.
Below, Darrell Spencer talks about King’s Crowning, entrepreneurship, and the importance of protecting Black men’s manes.
Please tell us about your background and what led you to join the Black hair care business.
So I reflected on how I found the courage and boldness to start my own brand and enter this beauty field. I have many years of experience working in the digital advertising field. So, during my time in corporate America, I worked for some of the biggest technology companies. I worked at Facebook, I worked at Google, I worked at LinkedIn, I worked at Pinterest. I worked for all companies in the field of digital advertising. So, I’ve worked with many top brands and companies to help them advertise on Google Platform, Facebook Platform, and LinkedIn. I did it for years and helped many companies and brands generate millions of dollars. And this is what I think. I help all of them earn more sales and revenue through advertising. Why shouldn’t you do it yourself? ”
I learned a lot working in that field, working in big tech and digital advertising, so I decided to put that to use. A few years later, in 2020, I had been growing my hair out for a while, and when I woke up in the morning, it was all over the place. She didn’t want to wear the bonnet because she knew what would happen, right? Bonnets are gendered and marketed to women. That’s why I didn’t want to wear a bonnet. So I’m thinking, “There must be a product that looks like a bonnet but is marketed to men.” Could not be located. So I searched everywhere, including Google and Facebook, to find all kinds of products. But at the time, there wasn’t a practical product for men that could promote healthy hair and protect it even when worn overnight, so I created it.
I first launched my very first product called The Crown. This is a cap with an adjustable satin lining. Now, this is very important. Because at the time I rolled out this product, there were no types of products that were legally marketed to men. I was one of the first to do so because the men weren’t wearing hoods, and I actually had to figure out how to market this product. That’s what it was. So to really make this happen, we had to figure out a really strategic marketing angle. To my surprise, I wasn’t the only black person or person of color who really needed a product like this.
We rolled it out and did just under 1 million in our first year of operation and well over 1 million in our second year of operation. Now we have made him millions of dollars in one year and become a multi-million dollar company. He said it all started out of his own need. It was a personal need, a personal need. I needed a product I could sleep with to protect my hair. I wanted to get up, take off my clothes and go to work. I was tired of the long a** process, so that’s how it started. He then leveraged his digital marketing background at these big tech companies to really push his own business forward. We then also invested heavily in paid advertising for our business.
Source: Coronation of the King / Coronation of the King
Crown is your company’s representative product. Please tell us how it works. It has an adjustable band on the back to prevent it from slipping down while you sleep.
absolutely. There are two products at the moment. Our signature product is The Crown, and our second product is the Satin-lined Turban. In the case of the crown, what is essentially unique is the fact that it is adjustable, the lining is satin, fine satin, and it has an adjustable strap. So whether you have a big or small head, you can adjust the cap and crown to fit the sides of your head. This is very unique because I know that when men and women sleep with their bonnets on, they almost always fall off overnight. It may not be safe. I wanted to create a feature that would allow the product to stay firmly on my head, so my hair wouldn’t be damaged or fall out when I woke up in the morning. Yes, this is a very unique feature of ours that allows you to make it as loose or as tight as you want overnight.
What other products does your brand offer?
Yes, so we started with The Crown, and The Crown was wonderfully successful, but The Crown was marketed towards men with afros, curls, and longer hair. Then we got to the point where we were doing really well and the guys with waves were like, “Hey, we’re doing really well. We love King’s Crowning, but what products are available?” So we rolled out satin-lined baseball caps, satin-lined brimless hats, satin-lined hoodies, and satin-lined turbans. And the next thing we knew, we just had a lot of satin-lined products. Because we’re here for a reason…and I started this brand because I want men to never sacrifice the health of their hair for style. So I wanted to create stylish products for men, but also had in mind how to keep their hair healthy. That piece was satin. So, his second product for us that has honestly gotten a lot of sales is a satin lined turban. It is satin lined and the headwrap is pre-tied. It’s basically satin on the inside, but it’s wrapped like a turban and already tied. We’ve been doing that for a few years, but they’ve also disappeared from stores.
Black male-owned products are very rare in the beauty industry, so what was the reaction like?
Honestly, it was amazing. Because, like you said, there’s a problem with outsiders coming into the market and dominating the market and making products that are made for us, other than you. They don’t look like us. I think the reason so many people love me and my brand is because I understand the pain they go through because I’ve been through it myself. I created these products because, honestly, they are my own problems and I know the solutions they are suitable for. That’s why I was able to empathize with this and create this product.
I try to be as visible as possible with this brand. That’s why I appear in many advertisements. You’ll see me on a lot of Reels, a lot of TikToks. Because I think it’s important to show that there is representation for you in this brand, right? A black man made it, and black men know your struggle, and that’s why I actually made it. That’s why we created all these products. Overall, the acceptance has been overwhelming because honestly, they’re so grateful that there are black men who thought about products and problems like this and created solutions like this.
Do you have any advice for people who want to become entrepreneurs?
One thing I would say is start within your network. You only know what you know, so ask questions and start within your network. One of the things I’ve done is look within my network, people who are close to me, and see if there are people who have started the brand, or similar brands, or smaller brands, and what their It was about picking brains and investigating. Let’s be honest, it’s such a cliché, but your network is truly your net worth. I support that idea because there are a lot of people who have run companies before me and I go to them for knowledge and notes on how to do it and how to release products. Ta. They gave me a lot of jewelry.
So to be honest, if you have an idea or a concept, first look within your network to see if there are people doing something similar and take the time, even if it’s just an hour, to share their wisdom. Narrow it down and learn what they do. Know their mistakes, learn from them, and move forward from there. Because I think sometimes we’re so afraid to ask that we push ourselves further away from the finish line because we’re afraid to ask. we are very proud. But pride kills many things. Pride kills joy, pride kills success. So I think if you can get out of your head, you need to get out of your head and put your ego aside and ask questions. I think it can further advance your entrepreneurial career.
Finally, let us know where we can follow you and King’s Crowning.
People can use me as a resource as I provide tips for success in all areas related to entrepreneurship and e-commerce. You can find me personally on Instagram @df_spencer. You can find the brand on IG @kings_crowning and shop at KingsCrowning.com.
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