Gabrielle Goodwin may be young but she hasn’t let that stop her from following her dreams. Her entrepreneurial journey started when she was constantly frustrated with using hair barrette’s on her pigtails, braids and twists, and always losing them. The barrettes just didn’t stay on her hair.
Her mum also didn’t want to use them anymore. After letting off steam on Twitter by complaining about how these barrettes were not fitting her daughter’s hair, her pastor advised that she should think of making her own barrettes . That was when it struck her – they needed to create hair barrettes that will stay in place.
It took Gabrielle and her mother, Rozalynn, three and a half years of planning before they finally launched the Double-Face Double Snap Barrette by Gabby in February 2014.
“When we were designing the barrettes, Gabrielle and I would sit at the dinner table and compare what worked and what didn’t work. Gabrielle kept us on track, even when I didn’t want to go on. It was her faith and persistence that made me feel like we need to keep going…like we might really have something here.”
Since the invention of the Double-Face Double-Snap Barrette that can survive recess and other school-day activities, the mother-daughter duo have filled online orders in 42 states in the US and in 7 countries.
Gabrielle’s duty as President and CEO includes handling inventory, serving as the lead saleswoman at trade shows, speaking to community groups and schools, writing thank you cards to customers who order online, and helping with sales taxes. She also hosts GABBY Play Dates to teach girls in children’s shelters about entrepreneurship.
Her excellence and perseverance not only as an entrepreneur but also as a student nudged her teacher, Shelia Shelby, to nominate her for the state Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
