Gabrielle Union is “okay [with] being wrong”.
The 52-year-old actress launched her Flawless hair-care brand back in 2017, and Gabrielle has been happy to learn some lessons about business along the way.
The Hollywood star told PEOPLE: “There’s a lot of people out there that are very quick to throw you cash, but there’s no long game.
“It’s looking at the black and melanated communities and the textured hair community as low hanging fruit. So [they] can throw money at something, it’s going to do well and [they] can be out. There’s not a long-term plan or commitment, and there’s not a true understanding of the community that you are serving.”
Gabrielle is happy to take a long-term approach to her investments.
She explained: “No one’s interested in a drive-by investment in our community. We’re interested in deep roots. I want to be here with great products and good prices for as long as the community will have me.”
Gabrielle recognises that she’s going to make mistakes with her business ventures. But the actress – who is married to former NBA star Dwyane Wade – is open-minded about the future of her company.
She said: “I’m learning that, I’m okay [with] being wrong. I’m okay to have absolutely screwed up, but I’m not okay with staying there.
“Some people triple down on the bad, I’m not going to do that. You’ve [only] got to point it out to me once and I am shifting. Good feedback is always an aha moment and you have to pivot.”
A number of Gabrielle’s showbiz pals have launched their own hair-care lines in recent years, and the movie star cherishes the support of her friends.
She explained: “I can call Tracee [Ellis Ross] and say, ‘Yo, where’s Pattern getting their componentry from and what’s your rate? What’s your minimum spend?’ I could call Taraji [P. Henson], I could call Tia [Mowry], I could call Issa Rae. Stephanie Horton, who is my girl who’s at Google. Serena Williams is an investing guru. I can call Serena about literally anything, literally anything.”