When Piersten Gaines set out to learn if other women were having negative salon experiences like herself, she had no idea that she’d end up interviewing 300 women with traumatic stories. There was a consensus that they all had to deal with stylists not trained in textured hair, all while being a demographic who already spends nine times more than others on hair care, according to her. Gaines saw this as a huge gap in the market, and sought out the opportunity to build the black-owned business taking over Dallas, Texas, Pressed Roots.

Today, the business school graduate is a full-fledged entrepreneur and CEO for Pressed Roots, a brand of salons with trained stylists that are combatting a well-known problem with the beauty industry--not having enough diversity. It's the blow-out bar for textured hair women. From pop-ups where she learned about the customers and what they really needed, to raising 3.1 million in funding, Gaines is creating a more inclusive space for BIPOC women. Click play below to see how she used her background in business marketing to build a brand that has expanded in Dallas.

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