April Showers, Founder of Afro Unicorn
April Showers is a magical force of unique tenderness and mythical passion. So many years ago, a friend kept comparing her appearance to a unicorn. “I thought what I was doing was normal, but my friends kept reminding me that what I was doing was abnormal,” she says, now the world She spoke about a difficult period in her life that sparked a movement that spread among women and children.
Showers, a single mother of two and multi-business owner since the age of 19, recalls the moment she felt the throes of impostor syndrome, which led her to empathize with more people like herself. This inspired me to create a brand that would be appreciated. She didn't want others to feel the slump that regularly accompanied her life's challenges while juggling the stress of raising her sons, maintaining a business, and helping take care of her large family. . “If that happens,” she thought. “We want them to know that there is a unicorn inside them.”
Starting with a memory of herself, Showers searched on her iPhone for a unicorn emoji that better represented who she is, and found the unicorn emoji with white fur and a straight rainbow-colored mane. It was just that. Hiring an illustrator to create a more inclusive design and taking further inspiration from the new character's look, she founded a brand that normalizes black beauty.
Started as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business in 2019, Afro Unicorn® now offers over 40,000 products across more than 25 categories including apparel, accessories, toys, supplies, books, bedding, hair care, party supplies, and more. are available. store. Making history with the launch of Walmart in more than 3,800 stores across the U.S. in May 2022, Showers confidently leads the first Black-owned, female-founded business with licensed character brands to be rolled out in major retailers. There is.
open up a new path
As the founder and CEO of Afro Unicorn®️, Showers is committed to uplifting, championing, and inspiring others through her pioneering work. Afro Unicorn® sits at the top of the shelf between Marvel characters and Disney princesses, competing with giants like Nickelodeon, DC Comics, Sanrio (Hello Kitty) and Warner Bros. (Bugs Bunny), making it an underrated and misunderstood product. We reach a wide range of audiences who are often exposed to in mass media.
“It's important on a societal level for products like mine to be in stores,” said Showers, who said her strategy behind her blossoming lifestyle brand is changing the way people of color are viewed. She cited the prevalence of colorism that continues to affect people around the world, and social standards of beauty that have for centuries reinforced prejudice against dark skin and coarse hair textures. , we looked at how her unicorn afro is helping to change.
“For a long time, there was only one particular color that was considered the standard. [of softness]. So when you approach someone like George Floyd or Tamir Rice for counterfeit money in a park, that's a problem. Because we are considered to have no delicacy. Showers' plan is to focus on past research done on skin color and acceptance and create social impact through the products we consume, starting with the products that have garnered the most interest from children. is.
The brand is deeply rooted in equal representation and breaking down harmful stereotypes, and every item on the shelf is designed to challenge traditional norms and promote diversity. Incorporating tones of vanilla, caramel and mocha, the company's vision is to offer unicorns that inspire customers to love the skin they are in. While she may be the first, Showers says her pioneering path is one that many will follow. Her goal is to make sure she doesn't come last.
learn through work
“I don't think 98 percent of the world knows exactly what a license is,” Showers said, recalling the brand's historic rise. “I had no clue,” she reveals of her original plan to reposition the brand to eventually sell, referencing her own learning curve. “I thought I'd distribute it to mass retailers and spread it around the world. That was the only option.”
But a viral video of a 4-year-old girl wearing an Afro Unicorn® T-shirt caught the eye of a Walmart employee, who offered her the possibility of a licensing collaboration, and Showers was able to create a number of projects in her limited time. I realized that I was learning about. After consulting with a lawyer experienced in this field, she and her current manager, Askia Fountain, were advised to watch all the episodes on Netflix. the toys that made usa glimpse into the inner workings and legendary licensing efforts of some of the industry's most iconic names.
“Once you get a license, you're 100% the owner. You have 100% control over the creative, you have 100% control over the quality. Nothing happens without your approval,” says a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Showers stated flatly. “You have to touch and feel every product before it hits the store.” It's the ethos for quality that has brought the conscious company to the forefront of Walmart's community of suppliers. His success has spread to more than 45 licensees and retailers such as Walmart, J.C. Penney, Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Target, and CVS.
Showers also emphasized the importance of product testing to ensure that the market wants what the brand is selling. In addition to consistent effort and knowing why, she encourages brand leaders to intentionally build their community if they want to achieve similar milestones. “A brand is a movement,” she declared, citing one of the world's biggest brands of all time as an example. “Nike doesn't promote a product. They promote someone's story.”
“All gasoline, no brakes.”
“When I first started Afro Unicorn, my heart was to help motivate and promote other businesses.” Recognizing her intention to create a worthy movement, Showers created a group of 25 people. I invited the women into my home, sat down in folding chairs, and discussed a new concept that everyone should benefit from. “There's a famous saying: 'If no one brings a seat to the table, you bring your own folding chair,'” she said, explaining the brand's humble beginnings.
What the group discussed became the basis for a grassroots marketing campaign that continues to track strong ROI for Afro Unicorn®️. “From day one, I highlighted other people wearing my products, but I talked about their business,” making it easier for owners to join the circle of free advertising. The brand, which has grown from two employees to 10 in 2023, shows no signs of slowing down as Showers grows accustomed to less micromanaging and more trust. there is no.
“I believe in people getting their jobs done, but I've found that I'm the one always trying to figure out a 'way' to get it done,” she revealed. She says, “When you're in business, you're always trying to figure out the 'how', but that doesn't work when you're a CEO.” After reading who doesn't and how By Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy Showers says he realized the best way to help his company grow was to find the right people for the job and let them lead the way.
Showers believes her dedicated online community, creative business acumen, and ability to visualize greater options are the driving forces behind Afro Unicorn®'s success. Continuing to advance her goal of empowering women and young girls, she uses the Afro Unicorn Foundation, led by President Keniel Ashe, to make it an honest possibility to do anything we want. We offer advice.
“The goal is to go global. We want it to be bigger than the Girl Scouts,” Showers said, gushing about her ideas for expanding the nonprofit. It will take her less than 60 days to roll out her first eight-week cohort for girls ages 7 to 17. She is optimistic that the self-awareness and confidence-inspiring activities they choose to incorporate into their programs will foster the next generation of confident and confident children. Her conscious leader can carve her own path in any space she chooses.
