Getting Rich Together Building Up Black and Brown Businesses One Check at a Time, with Nyakio Grieco, Thirteen Lune
When education meets determination, big things happen. Nyakio Grieco's entrepreneurial journey is no exception.
During our conversation, she takes us back to her childhood growing up in a Kenyan-American household, instilled with the values of hard work, education, and giving back. Despite initial shyness, Nyakio found her voice and bravely struck out on her own in her mid-20s to launch her first beauty brand celebrating African ingredients.
With fearless determination and a mere $172,000 in capital raised from credit cards and loved ones, Nyakio built her brand from the ground up while working tirelessly to ship orders and provide customer service herself. Though the path was difficult, with many starts and stops, her resilience shone through. In 2017, Nyakio's brand was acquired by Unilever, providing her with invaluable experience before she left to co-found her next ventures with her current business partner.
Today, Nyakio is the co-founder of Thirteen Lune and Relevant Skin — companies centered on inclusivity by amplifying BIPOC-owned beauty brands from around the world.
Her vision extends far beyond just business success. Nyakio hopes her legacy will be as a true catalyst in making the beauty industry more equitable. With plans to become a donor helping fund other entrepreneurs' dreams, this inspiring woman is paving the way for generational wealth in communities of color.
Key Topics:
- Education is freedom — lessons from Nyakio’s parents
- Finding moments to educate and inspire others to honor her dad’s legacy
- Nyakio’s first experiences with blatant racism in college
- Chasing big dreams to move to LA to start her career
- Getting exposed to the beauty industry through her assistant job
- Branching out on her own to build her own beauty brand
- Launching the brand in 180 boutiques with only $172,000
- Staying disciplined about your business
- Self-worth lessons around accepting money from investors
- Exiting her first business to start the next one
- Don’t take a backseat on the financial health of your business
- Teaching kids about poverty consciousness
- Normalizing women discussing money the same way men do
- Being a true catalyst for making the beauty industry more equitable
Connect with Nyakio online:
Websites: https://thirteenlune.com/, https://relevantskin.com/, https://www.nyakio.com/us/en
Instagram: @nyakio, @relevant.skin
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyakio-grieco-1b13926/
Find more from Syama Bunten:
Instagram: @gettingrichpod, @syama.co,