Recently rolling out spoke with Candace Mitchell Harris, the founder and CEO of Myavana, as part of our Tech Talk series.
What is your background?
I am a computer scientist and entrepreneur. My first company, Myavana, which is a beauty technology company, provides a personalized hair care experience using AI technology and hair analysis. I am also a consultant.
What was that timeline for you in terms of having the idea for Myavana, really starting to do the research, and being where you are today?
Within the first 18 months, we had our first prototype out in the market, real users, real customers, and so I always tell people, don’t spend too much time on the first version of your product because it’s gonna change. So all the money that you’re putting into it, don’t wait too long until it’s actually in the customer’s hands and you can get real feedback.
I’ve gotten to 10 years because I just have kept figuring it out, and you wanna get to a point where you have a model that’s working. You have a product team that’s consistently building and meeting the needs of your users and customers. And the revenue is covering the bills. … I feel like that whole process is a good 10 years. They say it takes 10 years to become an overnight success.
Talk about the importance of that community building and collaboration with other Black women in the space.
It literally took me back to being that Black female student in college when I was feeling like I didn’t belong. And so if I’m now in a similar room, what can I do so that I’m not feeling this way anymore? But really, how can I share the opportunity? I think that’s the biggest thing we need in the Black community, is to share opportunities.
Talk about the inspiration for your book, The Shift. What’s the book about?
Shift really is like a pivot from operating this way to operating that way, and because in our own strength, like we try to figure things out, and sometimes our emotions [and] our egos [are] in it, and it clouds our judgment. Then we start going down a path that was not intended for us, and that’s where all the friction happens.
So in the book, I break down the seven shifts that God showed me, and what was interesting is it was all inner transformation.
If somebody has a startup and wants to work with you, how can they start that process?
You can go to Cvmworldwide.com, which is my consulting company. I work with some entrepreneurs and I really specialize in helping you develop a business blueprint that will create a trajectory for revenue, growth, sustainability and everything that’s involved with that.
