Locsanity was selected as one of only ten recipients nationwide to receive the prestigious 2024 FedEx Small Business Grant.
A Coral Springs natural hair care company has received a $20,000 small business grant from FedEx, the shipping giant announced Thursday.
Locsanity was among ten U.S.-based companies selected for grants from a pool of more than 3,900 applicants. The FedEx Small Business Grants Program announced $230,000 in total award funds, which the company hopes will empower business owners like Locsanity founder and managing partner Charmaine James.
James, who hails from Jamaica, said she was inspired to create her brand of natural hair products after years of trying to live up to mainstream, societal beauty standards.
“For most people of African heritage, wearing your hair in a perm is daunting,” James said. “It’s not only time-consuming to manage, but treated hair generally cannot get wet. That means being extra careful every morning in the shower. In Florida, if you’re caught in the rain or take a beach day, it’s back to the salon, which can get quite costly.”
The story of how James grew into a successful entrepreneur began when she arrived in the U.S. as a six-year-old. Her grandmother immediately permed her hair to make it look more “acceptable,” a mindset that harkened back to Jamaica’s colonial roots, according to a press release announcing Locsanity’s grant win.
As a result of the perm, James’ hair fell out, and kids at school teased her. By the time she reached fifth grade, she’d had enough; James began caring for her own hair care, learning how to braid for herself and others.
By age 13, she’d parlayed her hair care skills into a bonafide small business.
But when James entered the corporate world after college, she succumbed to pressure to perm her hair and make it straight. She continued that daunting grooming regimen until the day her daughter said she wanted to have straight hair, like her mom.
James said her daughter’s words were a “gut punch.” She wanted her daughter to understand her hair was beautiful in its natural state, so James ditched the perm and went natural.
There was just one problem: James was a novice at natural hair care. Undeterred, she said she conducted meticulous research and ultimately created product formulas that now bear the Locsanity name.
James’ team bottles all the products by hand in the company’s Coral Springs warehouse. With the $20,000 FedEx grant, they will have the financing to automate many of those processes, according to the press release.
All the FedEx grant recipients will also receive a $500 print credit at the FedEx Office, a $300 voucher from My FedEx Rewards, access to FedEx Premier Customer Care, and a feature on the FedEx Small Business Center, among other perks.
“We’re so unbelievably thankful to FedEx for being an amazing business partner,” said James. “This award is a validation of all the hard work we’ve done to create something meaningful for our family and our community.”
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