Jorja Plummer, a South Florida native, is currently in the works of making her very own black-owned empire at only 19 years old. Now, Jorja has launched her hair boutique which is one of many stops for this young, black and beautiful entrepreneur. Throughout this interview, Jorja addresses issues in the black community and the obstacles in starting a business as it relates to her personal experience.
Her Campus (HC): What led you to start a business?
Jorja Plummer (JP): My journey began in 2019 with me experimenting with bleaching and different color dyes on my hair. This is where I found my love for coloring. I can recall in 2020 when quarantine first started this idea of dying wigs; I had taken one of my old black wigs and attempted to make a red one. The color was there, but the lace was stained so bad I had to wear a headband. Looking back at that picture I just think “what is that?” And it reminds me of how far I’ve come as a colorist and my abilities.
The idea of coloring hair had been sitting in my head for a while (no pun intended); however, still being a student and focusing on my studies I had placed that idea on the back burner.
It was not until later when my mom kicked me out of the house that I really decided to put thought into the idea and put a plan into action. A plan beyond simply coloring hair, but also selling it. I sat there and thought, I have nothing to lose and the world to gain. And that was the beginning of JorjaVenise.
HC: Did you encounter any hindrances along the way?
JP: For sure! I had gotten the LLC and everything that comes alongside it, and that is when I found out that you really need money to start a business. Let me say that again, you really need money to start a business. There are certain things that you need to do a certain way and all these things require a certain amount of funds.
I was a broke college student, and refund checks were pretty much supporting me. So, when I started running out of money, I started selling my stuff: iPad, shoes, etc. and I even got a job because I just wanted this to succeed. There was no family support at the time, so it was just me.
I had the logistics down. The LLC was easy, I paid somebody to do that. But when it came to products, I had to do my research, and it took a lot of money and time. My vendors are in China, so I had to stay up until 5 a.m. many nights. On top of that, the academic semester was ending, I was still in school, and I had to move because my lease was ending. And I was depressed.
I was literally fighting depression trying to do this. And let me say this, if you do not have the motivation or consistency, the business will not work, and that depression was trying to take me under again, that was the biggest obstacle I had to overcome during this journey.
HC: In addition to your current state of business, do you have any future plans?
JP: In the near future, this upcoming semester, I am planning on enrolling in cosmetology school. I have my personal experience, yes; however, I see value in being more informed about hair beyond the spectrum of simply caring for and coloring wigs.
Honestly, to tell the truth, this is the start of a beauty empire I am trying to grow. Eventually, my intentions are to open my own beauty supply store franchises in South Florida, Texas and Georgia. What really motivated this idea is the fact that I only know a few black-owned beauty supply stores, and it is mainly only our demographic shopping in them. When you go inside a beauty supply store, look at who owns it, who’s working there and who’s shopping in there. You’ll notice the person who owns it doesn’t look like us, if you know what I mean. But it’s us who shop there. As a black community, I feel that we need to own our own beauty supply stores to take back our capitalism and reinvest it into our communities.
HC: If this failed, would you regret it?
JP: This can’t fail. I come from a family where my mom is the breadwinner. She is a single mother who has been working tirelessly my entire life. This cannot fail because this is how I want to take care of her and take care of my family. Business can take a break, it can slow down, but it cannot fail.
With this business, I never went in expecting an immediate viral takeover. This is my business, this is something that I have chosen and dedicated my time, effort and financial assets into. I am all in for whatever journey life has in store.
You can find JorjaVenise’s social media accounts and other links here.
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