Dianna Cohen has always been the friend with the killer hair. And she wasn’t just born with it, either. She made a ritual out of caring for her locks, and learned all the ways in which to get silky, healthy hair from whatever she found on the shelves. It was fun—Cohen saw it as a way to connect with herself—and her social circle benefitted from what she was able to find.
And yet, she realized that the hair-care industry was lacking in lines that celebrated hair in its natural state. Instead, everything she uncovered was about how to repair strands that had been changed in some way, as though hair could never quite get it right. Maybe that’s why Cohen’s friends were more likely to see hair maintenance as a chore, rather than the ritual she cherished.
Cohen had been the head of partnerships at Away, and founded the agency Levitate to invest in the most buzzworthy startups. But it wasn’t until she created a simple Google Doc of all her hair-care secrets and passed it on to friends that she realized how to mix a longtime passion with a penchant for business. That Google Doc was shared with friends of friends, and then moved on to total strangers.
Soon, she was the friend with the killer hair to more people than she realized, and she saw this as an opportunity to launch Crown Affair.
To Cohen, this was a chance to show people how to care for and embrace their hair with clean products, handmade tools, and a community willing to be there through every split-end and knot. The Crown Affair is turning haircare into a calming, self-affirming ritual, just like how Cohen always viewed it to be.
How did you make your first dollar and what did that job teach you that still applies today?
The first dollar I remember making was through babysitting. I loved taking care of our neighbor's kids. I couldn’t believe someone would pay me to read Dr. Seuss, eat macaroni and cheese, watch Pixar movies, and make art. It was a good lesson that work can, in fact, be play.
Your love of hair maintenance is well documented—you started a Google doc sharing your own routine a few years ago that rapidly circulated among women in search of good hair days and led to the founding of your company. Take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for Crown Affair and what inspired you to pursue this path?
I’ve always been the friend who is really, really into hair. I’m not sure when it happened, but people would text and DM me for hair-care tips and recommendations on products they should use. I wrote down my ritual at the time, which was about 12 steps on how to take care of your hair and really be kind to it. It spread quickly beyond my network, and through that it became clear how little guidance and education existed in this category.
So much of haircare is rooted in color, cut, and style—which is an amazing form of self-expression—but I didn’t see any brands out there that I could identify with. I also didn’t see any brands that fit on my shelf or in the shower with my other products. I would swing by a beauty retailer and look at the hair-care section, and not only were there so few clean brands, but the language and branding around them was still selling an idea of perfection. For instance, there were lots of “good hair” days and models with blowouts that didn’t enhance or embrace their natural hair patterns. I wanted to create something rooted in my personal ritual and idea of care, and connect with women who are seeking the same.
Entrepreneurship is all about taking calculated risks—What’s the most pivotal risk you’ve taken, and how did it change your path?
I moved to New York with the dream to work in fashion or at a publication. It’s all I wanted when I was entering school, but as the landscape was changing and moving toward an increasingly digital world, I decided to dive into the e-commerce universe. I was lucky to get a role with my current mentor at a shopping app, Spring, because that opportunity led me to being one of the only marketers at an engineer-led organization. Working primarily with engineers and product designers transformed the way I think and understand product and consumer behavior. I learned about logic workflows, consumer funnels, and the processes needed to build tools from a project management perspective. It was an incredible education to have early on.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
I launched Crown Affair on January 28th, 2020, and I could not have predicted I’d be launching a new business into the world we’re in today. I feel so grateful for all of the silver linings and lessons from this time. This year is in our DNA as a business, because we probably wouldn’t have launched our mentorship program, Seedling, as early as we did if it were not for the pandemic. Seedling has become one of the most meaningful parts of our business as a real, authentic community. Also, Crown Affair has always been centered around the concept of taking your time and creating a ritual. In a category that’s been focused on professional, styling, and color for so long, this time at home has been a catalyst for our customers and audience to resonate even deeper with our core message.
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams?
I attribute a lot of my confidence to a combination of my parents, playing sports, and practicing taekwondo. Two of my comedic heroes recently noted in an interview that practicing karate as a child was a key turning point for them, and it awakened a realization that a lot of my confidence and strength came from that training and structure. Through that community, I learned to commit to the practice of the sport and find confidence in going for what I wanted fearlessly.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I like the term “self-assurance” more than “confidence.” To me, self-assurance is knowing who you are, deeply, without it being about how someone perceives you externally. There’s power in a quiet sense of self-assurance—and so much of that is determined by the inner work involved with things like journaling, healing, and visualizing what you want. Taking time to visualize your dreams as if they are happening to you is one of the most powerful things you can do.
For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to), what advice do you have?
I have three tips. My first one is to be resilient and wake up every day to find a new way to build, even if something is pushing you down. Next, just start. Start to do the thing you feel deep down in a small way. It can be a Google Doc with ideas, an MVP site that might one day be an app, or a small gathering that could become a platform or event series. It’s not easy to be a beginner in a world that measures the final result, but just start. Before you know it, you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come. And finally, assemble your Avengers team. It could be a leadership coach, that friend who always tells you the truth, your partner, or the former co-worker who you really creatively flow with. Build your Avengers team and have them on call when you need another brain to help you solve problems.
What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new entrepreneur and why?
Every dollar counts. Know where it is going, and measure it if you can. Also, if you’re deciding between spending on paid marketing or original content, it’s a good idea to invest in unique, thoughtful content. Great work gets saved and shared forever, and provides context.
It’s easy to celebrate the wins, but how do you handle failure or when something hasn’t worked out for you?
It’s been a process in itself to acknowledge that failure is a part of the process. Recognizing that there will be failure makes it less of a surprise—framing it in context is everything. Renaming failure as “learnings” allows you to see the positives from it, too. Also, always remember: No one cares as much as you do. It hurts when it happens, but you’re feeling it the most. People are thinking about their own failures, not yours.
What's the one productivity tip or work hack that truly changed your life?
Sleeping, drinking lots of water, and then waking up early enough to complete the morning rituals I need. Moving my body and journaling before work allows me to have a day of flow. I find that my work day is much more productive and effective if I take the time to do the things that make me feel whole.
What is the #1 book you always recommend and why?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This book is truly, truly life changing, and discusses the work that you will do for life. It’s a 12-week program to unlock your creative potential. I’m in a group with 10 people right now and we meet every Tuesday. It’s been the community in quarantine I never knew I needed. It’s a place to be honest, vulnerable, and accountable to yourself. I’ll continue to write morning pages and do The Artist’s Way through many seasons of life.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey—with the knowledge you have now—what advice would you give yourself?
I would tell myself to live by the reality that good and shipped work is better than perfect work. So often what we call procrastination is often fear, and I wish I knew that before beating myself up over it all these years.
Fill in the blanks:
When I feel fear, I…
Talk out loud and do the thing anyways.
The best career advice I always give is…
The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.
To be successful, you need to be…
Resilient.
I turn bad days around by…
Hugging my fiancé.
If there were more hours in the day, I would…
Read all the books on my shelf!
