No investors. No fancy labs. Just a Brooklyn kitchen, a passion for natural products, and the belief that women deserved better.

Lisa Price didn’t start Carol’s Daughter to make millions. She started it because no one else was making products that worked for her skin and hair.

The beauty aisles were full of lotions that left her skin dry by noon and hair products packed with chemicals that did more harm than good.

Nothing catered to textured hair. Nothing smelled like the oils and butters she loved.

Lisa wanted products that felt rich, smelled indulgent, and actually nourished her hair and skin—without the synthetic additives.

So, she made them herself.

I came across Lisa’s story years ago, but recently, I dove deeper, did some research and investigating, and pulled together the threads of how she turned a side project into a category-defining business.

Here’s what I found:

It started with a few essential oils.

In the early ‘90s, Lisa worked in TV production. She spent long days on set, but at night, her Brooklyn kitchen transformed into a mini-lab.

She wasn’t trying to launch a business. She was just making body butters and hair oils because nothing in stores worked for her.

Lisa mixed, experimented, and tested recipes on herself.

Her mother, Carol, was the one who nudged her toward selling. She told Lisa to bring her products to a local flea market. Lisa hesitated, but eventually gave it a try.

By the end of the day, she had sold out

But turning passion into a full-blown business? That took time.

For years, Lisa juggled Carol’s Daughter as a side hustle. She:

• Mixed products by hand at her kitchen table.

• Sold at fairs and festivals across New York.

• Built a loyal customer base, one jar at a time.

Her customers weren’t buying products—they were buying trust.

Carol’s Daughter was one of the first brands focused specifically on natural hair care for Black women, at a time when most mainstream brands ignored that market.

Lisa wasn’t just selling products. She was filling a gap no one else saw.

Growth wasn’t glamorous.

Lisa reinvested every dollar she earned, bought ingredients in bulk, and packed orders in her living room. There was no big marketing budget—just word-of-mouth and the strength of her products.

As word spread, celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith, Erykah Badu, and Halle Berry became loyal customers, drawn to the authenticity and effectiveness of her creations.

But the real turning point came in 2002.

Lisa was invited to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

One segment was all it took.

Her website crashed within minutes of the episode airing. Orders poured in faster than she could fill them.

Carol’s Daughter wasn’t just a small indie brand anymore. It was on the national stage.

Scaling up brought new challenges.

Meeting the surging demand required more than just kitchen batches. Lisa had to:

• Secure larger manufacturing facilities.

• Maintain product quality at scale.

• Navigate the complexities of retail distribution.

In 2005, she attracted investors, including Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Jay-Z, providing the capital needed for expansion.

Despite these advancements, Lisa faced skepticism from traditional retailers who doubted the market for natural products aimed at women of color.

Undeterred, she continued to champion her brand's mission, eventually securing shelf space in major retailers like Target and Sephora.

Over the next decade, the brand grew into a powerhouse.

Lisa opened stores, partnered with retailers, and built Carol’s Daughter into one of the first Black-owned beauty brands to break into the mainstream.

By 2014, the brand was generating millions in revenue and had caught the attention of L’Oréal.

Lisa sold the company, but stayed on to ensure Carol’s Daughter kept its identity.

I admire Lisa’s story because it’s proof that starting small isn’t a disadvantage—it’s an advantage.

No fancy degrees. No startup capital. Just consistency, community, and a product that spoke for itself.

If you’ve been sitting on an idea, wondering if it’s worth pursuing, remember this:

Lisa Price started with a few jars of body butter at her kitchen table.

And look where that led.

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