Shawna Stepp-Jones founded Spundle, a tech business aiming to help Black women in beauty. As a founder, she’s looking to help other women on their journey in the business and create safer beauty products for them.
Stepp-Jones spoke with rolling out about being a founder and what female founders should be aware of.
Why did you want to become a founder?
I became a founder because I am a hardware engineer from West Baltimore. I [was] exposed to the lack of innovation in our communities and different overlooked industries, and I wanted to create a solution. I [tried] to start innovating in a space that has often been overlooked and underserved.
What are you doing as a founder?
As a founder, I am solving the problem of the [need for more] innovation in the beauty tech space. There [needs to be more] innovation in dry wigs and weaves. Conveniently, this is a $10.1 billion market. However, we do not have the styling tools to maintain these wig units that women, celebrities, and cancer patients [spend] thousands of dollars on. We’re innovating for wig and weave wearers and those who [must] wear wigs due to medical conditions.
What should female founders be aware of?
Female founders should be aware of three things: capital, the market, and how [you will] build and grow your team. As Black women, we often want to do everything in business, and this is a place where you have to learn to delegate and motivate others to be involved in your vision, to see your vision, and to believe in your vision.
What should funders financing businesses be aware of?
They should be aware of the market [and be mindful] of the hurdles. If you are a Black woman or are from a minority, they should be [mindful] of those invisible hurdles, and I believe they should be aware of the opportunity to grow in this space.
