What began as a frustration with poor customer service and overpriced hair products eventually became the driving force behind one young woman’s journey to entrepreneurship. Courtney Scarlett was just another 9-to-5 worker in Jamaica, earning a minimum wage and navigating the everyday challenges of a regular job. But when she found herself consistently disappointed by the lack of respect and poor service in the hair industry, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

“Overall, in Jamaica, hair was very overpriced. And when you do find a store, if you are not a popular person, you tend to get poor customer service,” Scarlett, founder of Ilite Beauty Products, explained to the Jamaica Observer in an interview.

The lacklustre customer experiences inspired her to create Ilite Beauty Products in 2017, a brand that launched from a room within Scarlett’s home. Her philosophy is simple: Treat every customer with the same respect and attention, regardless of their background. The journey from sourcing hair to manufacturing original products was neither quick nor inexpensive, but Scarlett was determined to make it work.

“I did my first purchase with my first paycheck — that’s where it all started,” she reminisced.

At the time, she was earning minimum wage, around $8,000 a week. Despite the limited income, she leapt. With a background in logistics, she knew how to navigate the sourcing process and connect with the right factories to get the products she needed. After her first hair purchase, within a week, someone made a purchase.

“I doubled the money,” she said, recalling her first success.

Though the business began with a strong focus on providing equal customer care, as it grew, Scarlett discovered a significant gap in the market for a variety of synthetic hair options. Most vendors offered only black or dark brown shades, leaving many customers with limited choices.

“I was the first in Jamaica to carry various colours,” she told the Sunday Finance with excitement. “I had pink, blue, and purple; nobody else had those colours. Three-tone colours in locks, three-tone colours in spring twists in all of those different synthetic hairs. And that pushed my business to the next level.”

Many customers who initially planned to buy basic black hair elsewhere would end up purchasing both black and vibrant colours like pink or blue directly from Ilite Beauty Products. This convenience — getting everything in one place — became a key selling point. Recognising the power of convenience, Ilite Beauty Products targeted salons and hairdressers, offering full packages that included both natural and coloured hair. Hairdressers could then offer these options to customers, place orders with her, and have the products delivered straight to the salon. Customers could sit in the chair and get everything they needed without leaving the salon. Soon after, Scarlett developed a desire to ensure she was in control of the quality she was giving her customers.

“When I started out, I knew quality for money was a big problem in Jamaica,” she said. “You’re spending your money, and you don’t know what the quality is that they were getting. And you’ll find that all of the customers are complaining about that.”

By 2018, Ilite Beauty Products expanded its offerings by venturing into the manufacturing of haircare products, starting with black castor oil and then edge control and slowly added pre-made locs, and spring twists, all crafted under the Ilite Hair brand. Soon after, Ilite Beauty Products shifted from selling just human hair to offering more natural hair options, a decision that was deeply influenced by the founder’s personal hair journey.

“At the time, I was transitioning to natural hair after years of relaxing it,” she explained to the Sunday Finance. “I wanted to experiment with different styles — beyond just braiding or wearing my natural hair.”

During Scarlett’s period of hair exploration, she discovered locs — a style that wasn’t yet mainstream but was gaining popularity. After trying the locs style, she fell in love with its versatility. Soft locs, which resemble sister locs if done naturally; distressed locs, which had a more textured, lived-in look; or one of the most popular styles at the time, butterfly locs, created from spring twists, all sparked her drive to offer a range of natural hair options for her customers, ensuring that they could enjoy the same variety she had discovered in her own hair journey. But this journey was not without struggles. Despite having a solid business proposal, she found that getting a loan from the bank was still a struggle. In the early days, she had to take out a personal loan, putting herself at risk just to keep her business moving forward.

“I think a lot of people have good ideas; a lot of small entrepreneurs have good ideas, but because of the funding, they stay small or they don’t reach anywhere. Eventually, they fail because it takes money to make money, and that is just the truth of it,” she pointed out.

Balancing a 9-to-5 job with her entrepreneurial ambitions added another layer of complexity. The demands of a full-time job took time away from her business, and when she focused solely on her venture, she struggled to cover bills while trying to grow. Without sufficient capital, pushing her products into the market the way she envisioned remained a constant challenge.

“I did not take a cent from my business until 2021, when I left my 9-5. So from 2017 to 2021, I invested every single dollar that I made from the business and also my 9-5 in my business to grow my business. So it took millions of dollars,” she admitted.

The ability to leave her full-time job and focus solely on her business came largely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scarlett admits that the pandemic played a pivotal role in her decision to fully invest in her business. With the social restrictions and the cancellation of events like parties, people stopped buying traditional hair products like weaves, wigs, and sew-ins. Instead, they sought more low-maintenance styles that could last for weeks, such as braids, soft locs, and butterfly locs. Scarlett’s business saw significant growth during the pandemic as her products became increasingly popular. Seventy per cent of Scarlett’s revenue now comes from her locs and spring twists, while her haircare products, including black castor oil, contribute about 15 per cent. She also has a growing overseas market, currently supplying black castor oil to two clients in the UK, which accounts for about five per cent of her overall sales. However, she sees a massive opportunity for growth in international markets, aiming to increase this figure to 50 per cent. Looking ahead, Scarlett plans to move beyond her current retail footprint in Jamaica, transitioning towards a more expansive distribution model. Over the next five years, she envisions getting her products into stores across the island and then focusing more on regional expansion.

“I’m not expecting it to happen overnight but I’m willing to put in the work,” she shared. “I have a business plan in place, and I’m continuously doing market research to stay on top of trends.”