We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Kristal Cunningham and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Kristal, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I desperately needed to make caring for my natural hair and loving my natural curls easier.
I started my journey with natural hair care as a new mom struggling to balance a newborn, a career, and feeling comfortable and confident with my appearance. It was a rough time for me because, in addition to other things, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with my hair. Noting was working, everything required too much of my time, and caring for my hair had become overwhelming.
I soon realized there wasn’t one place I could go to get the tools, support, and access I needed to normalize my struggles and help make caring for my hair and feeling confident and conformable with my hair easier.
I wanted to change that. I need to change that and not just for me. I know so many others had been struggling in the same way, and I wanted to ensure that none of my curlfriends struggled on their natural journeys the way I did. I want to help myself and others get to a place where natural hair care became easier, we could become more confident, and ultimately become our best selves.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bold Kulture Beauty is a natural hair-focused beauty retailer and educator dedicated to improving the lives of others by helping them embrace their natural hair and show up their best selves. Our mission is to help our curlfriends save time, build confidence and simplify their hair care routine by providing the tools, support, and access needed to make natural hair care easy.
Pharmacist-driven and backed by science, Bold Kulture Beauty is the answer the natural community has been waiting for. A completely customizable experience, we provide everything you need to comfortably and confidently navigate your natural experience in one place.
Developing and growing Bold Kulture Beauty has been a labor of love, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Everything has not been perfect, but my journey has been blessed. I think all the stars aligned when I got serious about my purpose, started becoming the person I needed to be to create a successful business, and focused on creating Bold Kulture Beauty.
I started this business as a solopreneur, and in that time, I was blessed to develop a 2-time award-winning blog, be recognized as Luxe Life Magazine’s Best WOC marketplace, opened my flagship store. And won the NAWBO, Propel Her Pitch Competition.
Through this journey, I’ve learned that believing in yourself and boldly taking up space is necessary. When you do, the stars align, and your gift makes room for you. I created this business with a strong desire to help others. I understand how crippling the insecurities and frustrations surrounding your natural hair can be. I’ve lived it, helped others through it, and made it my mission to ensure no one struggles this way on their natural journey.
Bold Kulture Beauty is not a typical beauty salon or beauty supply store. It’s a community and safe space for all curls dedicated to helping others love who they are and become their best selves. We’re changing how you view natural care and empowering our curlfriends to win!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’re located in Orlando. It has been called “The Beautiful City,” and there are so many incredible places to see. We’re hitting up downtown and the Lake Eola area because there are so many dope spots and restaurants to try. Jazz tasting would be on the list because the vibe is dope, and the live music is fantastic. I Also love downtown Winter Garden. It’s cute and quaint. The gourmet popsicles are amazing, the ice cream at Kelly’s always has the best flavors, and The Hangry Bison is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots.
What’s a trip to Orlando without hitting up Disney, right? My girlfriends and I have made the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot an annual staple, so if you’re hanging whit me when the event is going on, we’re going! It’s a great experience, the food is always good, and I’ve never met a person who didn’t enjoy the magic of Disney and good food.
There is an endless list of great places to eat in Orlando. I’ve barely scratched the surface. I love food. These places would be on my list, but I’m always down to explore the city and try something new!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely. my family and kids, who love me endlessly and support me and cheer me on. My family has shown up in a big way for me at every turn, from purchasing my products to helping me secure my flagship location to drafting the design and doing all of the build-out and renovation work. My family has been present and supportive overstep of the way.
Website: https://boldkulture.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldkulturebeauty/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristal-cunningham-pharmd-cph-675b4522/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoldKultureBeauty/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb_46nayZJJEXGbKk6p1Xqg