As a young girl, Zoe Oli of Atlanta struggled with her self-esteem. At six, she questioned why her hair wasn’t straight like her white classmates.
Heartbroken, Zoe’s mom, Evana Oli, bought a Black doll, hoping it would help her daughter feel better about herself. But it only left Zoe with more questions. She wanted to know why the doll had dark skin but straight hair, and she wanted to do something about it.
One year later, Zoe launched Beautiful Curly Me, a line of melanated dolls with natural hairstyles. The company has since expanded to include books, puzzles and hair care products geared towards young girls of color. And Zoe is doing even more good with her dolls, donating a doll to an underserved girl with every purchase. According to CNBC, Beautiful Curly Me raked in six-figure revenue in 2022.
Zoe’s mom is proud of her now-12-year-old daughter’s entrepreneurial spirit, but wants to make sure she still gets to be a tween, enjoying extracurricular activities and time with friends. She left her job to help her daughter manage the day-to-day responsibilities of her business, and only allows Zoe to attend meetings or work on corporate strategy when her schoolwork is done. And it’s working, Zoe is a straight-A student.
“My job as [Zoe’s] support system is to just help her bring her [dreams] to life, making sure she’s not burning herself out or overstretching,” Evana told CNBC.
Zoe is paying it forward with her non profit, Youth Mean Business, which offers mentorship and networking opportunities for young business owners ages 11 to 17.
“She’s very passionate,” Evana told CNBC. “She’s always thinking of the next thing and I just love that energy.”