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success
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T here is muchadiscussiongenius.
what makes creative
Are they simply born that way or
are they a product of proper
parenting? Well, if the story of
creative genius Miko Branch is any
indication, her upbringing makes a
strong case for the latter. Her
creative genius was a consequence
of her upbringing by two very
strong leaders and parents.
Growing up in Queens, New York,
Miko Branch enjoyed spending
time in Poughkeepsie with her
paternal grandmother, Miss Jessie,
because she made delicious food
and ran the entire family from the
kitchen table. During that time,
Miko was able to observe a loving
and independent woman who was
very family oriented, decisive, and
highly opinionated. “She was the
perfect mix of strength and love,”
says Miko. Miko always knew that
she would become an entrepreneur,
thanks to her father who raised them
to become not just driven
individuals, but leaders. “My dad
never really coddled my sister and I
as kids,” she says, “He encouraged
us to work hard, but more
importantly to work hard for
ourselves. He didn’t want us to be
just pretty faces in the crowd.”
Miko’s father was determined to
raise confident, do-it-yourself girls
who would grow to become strong,
independent women. He succeeded.
The story of Miss Jessie’s hair
products begins about two decades
ago when Miko was a freelance
hairstylist working and living in a
Brooklyn loft that she shared with
her sister, Titi. Titi had a small
public relations agency that mainly
represented photographers. “To my
surprise and pleasure, she agreed to
represent me as a stylist,” says
Miko’s father was
determined to
raise confident,
do-it-yourself
girls who would
grow to become
strong,
independent
women.
Miko, “Our “AHA moment” came
when we realized that we were both
working in the same industry: the
beauty business.”
Eventually the dynamic duo went
on to open one of the best straight
styling salons in Brooklyn. And
then everything changed once Miko
had her son. “I realized that
straightening my own hair was
becoming too much of a hassle,”
she says, “At bath time, my baby
would splash around and my hair
would get wet, leaving it curly and
frizzy. As a single mother, I did not
have the time or energy to fight
Mother Nature.”
The two sisters quickly changed the
focus of their salon and got serious
about all things curly, kinky, and
wavy, by offering styling techniques
and real solutions for curly hair.
“When we went to look for hair
products for curly and natural hair,
however, we could not find any that
really worked. We were shocked!”
Thus, the mission to make effective
products specifically for curls,
kinks, and waves began. It was the
beginning of the Miss Jessie’s
brand.
At the beginning, it wasn’t easy, but
the greatest challenge became clear.
“Trusting your gut,” Miko says,
“After you make the big decision to
start your own business, it is really
important but really hard to trust
your natural instincts.” The internal
conflict of knowing your business
better than anyone in the world, but
receiving a ton of well-intentioned
advice from people who care about
you became the greatest challenge.
“At the end of the day, you must
own all of your successes and all of
your failures.” With a fast growth
business where the products are
gracing the shelves of Wal Mart
locations nationwide, stress
management has become key for
Miko. “Staying ahead of the stress
works best for me,” she shares, “I
try to anticipate problems or
potentially stressful situations in the
early stages before things get out of
hand.” It takes a bold leader to walk
away from lucrative deals if they
get too stressful, but Miko certainly
has taken that step without
hesitation.