Meet Mercedes Jenkins-Carter: CEO of My Black Beauty Box

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mercedes Jenkins-Carter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mercedes, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started my business I knew I wanted to help other black businesses. To go more in depth I knew I wanted to help these businesses get sales and reach consumers and take their company to the next level. I knew a lot of the black owned businesses I interacted with in my life had great products or services but for some reason they wouldn’t be in business for the long haul. This ignited a fire in me to start the business and to bring these businesses together in unity so that we all can succeed together.

What should our readers know about your business?

My business is called My Black Beauty Box and our motto/slogan is Collaboration not Competition. I like to think of my business as a community of likeminded businesses all after the same thing. Uplifting and supporting one another as we reach the top together. Where we are today was definitely not an easy journey. When I first started the company I more or less had no sense of the direction I wanted to go and I didn’t know many things about being a business owner. I attribute where we are now to many tools such as Fiverr as well as my former social media manager and marketing manager. Above all other things I attribute the success to God who hands down renewed my mind and my vision for the company over and over again when I had road blocks. I also have to give thanks to my husband who has been my partner in crime and has helped in so many ways especially when it came to delivering the packages. Along this journey I’ve learned to be patient. Just like Rome wasn’t built overnight you can’t expect your business to all of a sudden be super successful overnight. You’ll hit bumps in the road and when you do you have to learn how to get over them. I want the world to know that this brand will always represent black businesses we will always be a safe haven where companies can come and be apart of a community that will help them win and that they are not in this alone.

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?
If my best friend came I would love to take her for a staycation. We would definitely stay somewhere by the water. Since I don’t really eat meat we more than likely would go to a Mexican restaurant since they have a variety of food that we can both enjoy. We definitely would have to stop by Dulan’s soul food you can eat one plate for two meals. I would also want to take her to local farmers markets to get out and enjoy the fresh produce. I would want to do something like go skating, bowling or play tennis. We may also go to the Santa Monica Pier and to my favorite place ever church. As far as people I would want her to meet some of the local business owners that the beauty box network with. It would be a fun and tiring week to say the least.

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 I have been fortunate to have a lot of power house women in my family. The woman I want to acknowledge is my mother. She raised my sister and I to be strong independent black women and I have watched her sacrifice a lot of things in her life for us. She was a young mother of 2 at twenty years of age but she tells us all the time if she could go back in time she wouldn’t change a thing. She’s my inspiration for everything and without her there is no me.

Website: Www.MyBlackBeautyBox.org

Instagram: MyBlack_BeautyBox

Facebook: My Black Beauty Box