Shontay Lundy’s lightbulb moment for Black Girl Sunscreen was sparked by a personal need. As a Black woman who loves spending time outdoors hiking, going to the beach, and practicing yoga, Lundy wanted to protect her skin from harmful sun damage, but couldn’t find a sunscreen that didn't leave white residue on her skin—so she created one.
And it’s safe to say that trusting her intuition has certainly paid off. In just four years, the entrepreneur has scaled Black Girl Sunscreen into a multi-million-dollar company with products sold at over 200 Target locations across the country. Not to mention, she recently took Black Girl Sunscreen international and is now selling products in Nigeria.
Ahead, Lundy tells Create & Cultivate all about how she turned a personal wellness mission into a multi-million dollar company, including how she secured a $1M dollar investment from a private female funding source in the midst of COVID.
After earning your graduate degree, you transitioned out of corporate America and founded the non-toxic personal care brand, Black Girl Sunscreen, filling a glaring gap in the skincare market and disrupting an outdated industry. Can you tell us about how you turned a personal wellness mission into a multi-million dollar company?
First, I found whitespace in the market, asked myself if I could do anything about it, then trusted my intuition, and implemented a solution to a product. I pride myself on being my own customer and understanding the problem that Black Girl Sunscreen solves.
Entrepreneurship is all about taking calculated risks—What’s the most pivotal risk you’ve taken, and how did it change your path?
The most pivotal risk that I’ve taken thus far is naming my company Black Girl Sunscreen. With the name came many questions on market limitations and excluding other groups of people that may want to wear sunscreen. Giving the name Black Girl Sunscreen to my company was the best choice that I have ever made to date. As the name serves as inspiration, motivation to women that have second-guessed themselves or ideas that “seem” risky.
In just four years, you’ve scaled Black Girl Sunscreen into a multi-million-dollar company with products sold at over 200 Target locations across the country—not to mention, you recently went international and are now selling products in Nigeria as well (congratulations!). What has been the biggest challenge in scaling so quickly and what do you wish you’d known about scaling a business before launch?
Scaling has made Black Girl Sunscreen level-up in many ways, from enforcing scheduling production, ordering supplies and products in advance, and implementing processes that didn't exist prior to doing business with a big-box retailer. The immediate challenge was having the capital to ensure that we could produce products in a timely manner. All in all, I understand that this is part of the process and respect every part of it.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
I switched gears by switching my mindset. I asked myself, How do you present Black Girl Sunscreen in a new light? Travelling is banned, so why does the consumer need sunscreen? It was sink or swim, and we said we have no choice but to swim!
Amid COVID-19, you secured a $1M dollar investment from a private female funding source—Congratulations! In an interview with Forbes about the deal, you revealed that you spent months vetting potential partners before bringing on this investor. What are some of the factors you considered during this process and how did you find the right investor?
Finding an investor takes time, and I equate it to committing to a life partner. It was important that whoever invested in BGS aligned with our mission and vision. This person had to believe that, even though we have a niche product, there is a bigger-picture goal to educate People of Color on sun safety. It was also very important to me that our partner wanted to help minority, female-led businesses.
What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new entrepreneur and why?
Always have buttoned up financials.
It’s easy to celebrate the wins, but how do you handle failure or when something hasn’t worked out for you?
I have a very positive outlook on things, as I think that everything is not meant for me and that’s why it didn’t happen. I also believe that when you fall, getting back up shows resilience, and resilience is needed on this entrepreneurial journey.
In an interview, you said that networking is what really enabled you to scale your business into a multi-million-dollar company in just 4 years—in fact, you credited the networking platform Ureeka for your success. So, we have to ask, what is your networking strategy in a digital world and how can we make meaningful connections virtually during COVID and beyond?
Coming into 2020, I had a plan to put myself in situations and environments that I was in the previous year. Boy was I wrong, and things took a left turn quickly because of the virus. No traveling, no expos, no conferences, no human interaction. Virtual events started to pop up everywhere, and I injected myself wherever I could because, honestly, being nimble and being able to pivot quickly is the name of the game.
If you say yes to a virtual opportunity and it goes well, maybe you will be asked to attend another virtual event, and it snowballs from there. The way I’ve been able to make meaningful connections virtually is by extending an invitation to anyone that wants to chat with me to send me an email, and then a relationship starts from there.
What is the #1 career or money book you always recommend and why?
I always recommend “Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes because confidence plays a big role in success, and Rhimes discusses how she was an introvert but broke out of her shell to become a respected leader in her industry.
When you separate yourself from your job title and the bells and whistles of your business or career, who are you and what do you like to do?
I am a fearless Black woman that loves to take risks, travel solo, and get lost chasing waterfalls.
Fill in the blanks:
My perfect day begins with...
Opening my eyes to sunshine.
I turn bad days around by…
Keeping things in perspective.
If there were more hours in the day, I would…
Honestly, work more, but ideally, I would love to incorporate a time for myself by exercising.
The three qualities that got me to where I am today are…
My work ethic, confidence, and intuition.
The craziest thing I’ve done for work is…
The list is endless. From depleting my bank account to zero dollars to standing at the edge of a cliff to capture content. I wonder what I wouldn’t do for Black Girl Sunscreen, and I can’t think of anything.
To be successful, you need to be…
Consistent and passionate about what you are doing and listen to your own voice.
