The Lucayan Pearl: Meeting Coutrney Adeleye #TheManeChoice

Courtney Adeleye, CEO of the Mane Choice

I am a firm believer that the greatest experiences in life happen organically. On Thursday, May 12th, Courtney, founder of the rapidly expanding hair-care brand "The Mane Choice", posted an Instagram video of the Cove Atlantis (located on Paradise Island, Bahamas). Immediately, I was thrilled that this amazing entrepreneur and former natural hair vlogger was vacationing in the Bahamas. In my excitement, I quickly commented on her video, "You should do a meetup!" I didn't think she would see it, let alone respond so I went about my day-to-day business.

Quick breather.....then back to reality! #Bahamas #Atlantis Our custom concierge seen my email address and said "The Mane Choice" is so popular here! #KoolAidSmile #WereInternational 😀

A video posted by Courtney Adeleye (@courtneyadeleye) on May 12, 2016 at 10:12am PDT

Well, much to my surprise Courtney did see the comment and had been pondering the idea of engaging with Bahamian women during her short stay. On Friday, she responded "You live here?" I was still at the work when I saw the comment and I got so excited about the prospect of meeting such a thriving business woman. I am a firm believer that women have so much to glean from one another. We are amazing, powerful works of God and I become so inspired by listening to women share their stories. With this excitement bursting in me, and with Courtney's permission, I began making plans for the event: gathering interest, searching for a venue, thinking of gift ideas to thank her for such an unselfish offering of her time.

I had less than 24 hours to plan so I left work shortly after reading her message (it was a little over 5:30 pm) and began praying as I walked to my car: "Lord please bless this event. Please don't allow me to be put to shame. Gather the women who you want to be there, to be there." As I drove, I prayed and I felt such peace.

Aside from getting Courtney to agree that we should cap the event at 20 (She is such a giver!! If the restaurant could have accommodated 100, I'm sure she would have agreed.), the planning went smoothly.

So we have the venue, we have the girls and now I'm thinking, "Okay. This lady doesn't know us. She's on vacation. What are we all going to do?!" So I began to think of little ice breakers that would get the conversation flowing. (I'm a little socially awkward myself so I need a kick-starter to really get going.) I thought of a game that combined a few of the activities we've done at the GirlTalk sessions I've attended with Simone Gibson here in the Bahamas. [Click here for more information on GirlTalk.] I cut out little hearts (because I had no computer ink to print on squares, and it's the only shape I can cut well by hand) and wrote trivia questions on them. Unsurprisingly, I called the game "Sharing Hearts". I prayed as I thought of and wrote down each question. I wanted each question to fall into the right hands, and each question surely did.

Saturday, the day of the meetup, consisted primarily of running around: getting the agendas printed, buying candies for the table, getting gifts for our special guest. I arrived at the venue, the gorgeous One&Only Ocean Club estate, about an hour in advance and began to set up with the help of the kind staff. Once I had everything complete, I fluffed my hair, ordered a lemonade and waited for the ladies to arrive.

Slowly, the ladies started to arrive. Thankfully quite a few of the ladies knew each other so there was less work for me to do to get the conversation going as we waited for Courtney and her party to arrive. When Courtney did walk into the room, smiles instantly spread across each young lady's face. She hugged each of us individually, thanked us all for coming and took her seat along with two of her sisters, her cousin and niece.

Not wanting to diminish the tone already set, I asked the ladies to introduce themselves. There were so many powerful women in the room: entrepreneurs, CPAs, established MUAs, students, and budding ministers. Each woman had a unique career path and vision and literally shined with purpose. Then, the moment we were all waiting for, Courtney began sharing her story, her hair-care journey and the launch of her brand. As you can see from the photos, everyone was attentive. It's not every day you meet someone with a growing, constantly improving million dollar business under their belt after all.

All in all, the experience was extremely pleasant. Courtney was so transparent about her journey and her lessons in business in many respects: as a black woman, mother and wife. She shared insights into various Mane Choice products, details of upcoming products, haircare tips, social media marketing strategies and so much more. More so than what she shared, which I thought was amazing, was that she listened. Each woman received her attention and respect. She never once came across as feeling better than any other woman in the room. We were all equals: sometimes gleaning, sometimes teaching. I think that is what truly made the time spent just a few teaspoons short of perfect.

As someone who has never tried Mane Choice products, would I try them now after meeting the face (no faces!) behind the brand? Most definitely! In fact,in less then 24 hours post-meetup I ordered 3 of her products online. There were quite a few women in the room who swore by her products and two who locally retailed her goods. With first hand reviews and the creator right there not just telling you, but showing you who she was and what she stood for, what else do you really need to rally behind a brand?

I thoroughly enjoyed myself yesterday. I am so happy I shook my nerves and asked for a meetup. I'm so happy I didn't cave when she showed interest but instead pulled the initiative out of me to get the job done. The event was small, and planned in a hurry but I learned so much about myself:

1. I love being in the background.

2. I love connecting with like-minded individuals and learning from their experiences.

3. I love to see people succeed, share their triumphs and failures and simply be their true selves.

4. I actually enjoy event planning and would like to cultivate the skill a bit more.

5. I thrive in sessions that promote intimacy, and mutual respect.

What did I learn about Courtney?

1. She is fiercely beautiful and her hair is gorgeous.

2. She is knowledgeable about hair-care and styling techniques.

3. She firmly stands behind her products and is interested in so much more than the bottom line.

4. She is caring, compassionate and a true giver.

5. Her flaw is that she loves to please people and hates saying no (which isn't even a flaw at all--it's sweet and a testament that she allows God to use her as a vessel).

6. As a trained nurse, she's interested in the science behind her products (down to each ingredient).

7. Sometimes she fails quite a few times before she gets a product or idea right.

9. She is extremely family oriented. (How else could I describe someone who takes two of her sisters, her cousin and niece on a quick vacation to the Bahamas?!)

10. She cares about her brand representation so much that she truly enjoys meeting a room full of strangers who support either her or her brand (even if not both--although she sure will convince you why you should).

@lucayanbeauti thank you for putting this last minute meet up together! What an AMAZING group of women! #BahamianGIRLZ #Bahamas #PaintTheWorldPurpleCampaign

A photo posted by Courtney Adeleye (@courtneyadeleye) on May 14, 2016 at 2:24pm PDT

I encourage all of my readers to keep dreaming, to never give up on themselves, to launch themselves into that idea or the calling they know the Lord has put on their life and, finally, to support faith-based businesses like those of Courtney Adeleye's.