As a Black-owned business, initial challenges included lack of access to funding and securing media coverage: “Being shut out of both forced us to be creative about how we supported the growth of our business. We used social media to build a connection with our audience that encouraged them to spread the word about our brand.”

We spoke with Chioma to hear more about her business journey, challenges and triumphs, and what advice she would offer to other entrepreneurs. You can also shop products from Cee Cee’s Closet in our #BuyBlack Friday Gift Guide.

How did the idea for your business come about?

The idea for Cee Cee's Closet came to me during a trip to Nigeria five years ago. Enamored by the beauty and vibrancy of my culture, and disheartened by the lack of positive representation of Black women in the US, I wanted to build a brand that melded the two. Uchenna and I wanted to create products that celebrated and made black women feel beautiful while highlighting the vibrancy of the continent, all while creating economic opportunities in Nigeria and now Ghana.

As a Black business owner, what are some of the obstacles you’ve had to overcome?

Two key challenges that we've faced are: lack of access to funding and media coverage. Being shut out of both forced us to be creative about how we supported the growth of our business. We worked full-time jobs during the first few years of Cee Cee's and put away money from every paycheck to buy inventory, and pay for photoshoots and digital advertising. Many media outlets weren't interested in covering a brand that focused on Black Women when we started, so we used social media to build a connection with our audience that encouraged them to spread the word about our brand.

With the recent push to support Black-owned businesses, have you seen a positive impact in the growth of your business?

Yes, it's been incredible and much appreciated. It is especially important right now because Black businesses have been closing at an alarming rate due to COVID-19. Small Black-owned businesses are often pillars of the community, creating jobs and opportunities for local youth, and are often one of the few examples of what Black entrepreneurship looks like.

Tell us about your business journey on Facebook and Instagram—the ups and downs, pivots and changes.

Cee Cee's Closet has been able to grow the way it has over the last five years because of Facebook and Instagram. We've had campaigns that went viral and introduced our brand to many of the customers we still have today. We were slow to adjust to creating more video content, mostly because we thought that we needed a big production to do it. We've had such a great response to the more organic content that we've come out with especially during COVID-19 that we're putting out more videos than we ever thought we could.

Do you have any tips to share with other entrepreneurs who are figuring out their own social media presence?

You have to show up for people if you want them to show up for you. Even if your audience is smaller than you want, consistently provide value, show up for that audience and growth will come. Quantity is nice, but quality is better.

This November, we’re making every Friday #BuyBlack Friday to support and uplift the voices of the Black community. Each week we’ll share the stories of Black entrepreneurs and their businesses on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more at facebook.com/liftblackvoices.