

Slimgirl Shapewear Founder Juliana Richards Quit Her Job In Corporate America To Pursue Entrepreneurship
Slim Girl Shapewear founder Juliana Richards knows a thing or two about putting your heart, time, money, and patience into a career that is not coming together as anticipated. The Nigerian-born wife and mother has worked tirelessly to get her company off of the ground, but if you were to meet Juliana today, you probably wouldn't imagine that her story is rooted in struggle. Her company, which provides comfortable body shape wear pieces, has been so fruitful that she was able to create a subsidiary company, 1800Cinchers. Today, she's the leader of a global brand that operates in the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
Not only that, but it's a celebrity endorsed brand hailed by some of the country's most familiar faces, including Khloe Kardashian, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Lira Galore, Erica Dixon of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and Carmen Electra, and has been featured on popular daytime talk shows The Real and TheWendy Williams Show.
Slim Girl Shapewear on "The Real"
Juliana stands before the world as a testament to how hard it is to go through the battle of getting a business off of the ground, and how appreciative you will be of the struggle when it's all said and done. No stranger to dreaming big, her journey to the top started when she was a little girl. Growing up, she said her dream was to become an attorney and one day a judge. Juliana's parents were very supportive of her daughter's goals, but seeing her mother, who she describes as a "serial entrepreneur," helped plant the seeds to success in Juliana's young mind.
"[I] Never thought I was learning anything," she reveals. "However, when it was my turn, I caught myself drawing inspiration from what I saw my mom do or not do in business."
"The good thing with having a parent who had their own business was learning from their mistakes and triumphs. And there were many."
There was also another seed planted by the world around her that Juliana wasn't aware of until she started her own business years later. She explains that growing up, it was customary for her to see Nigerian women wrap their bellies with hot cloths to reduce belly fat after giving birth. Fast forward years later, when Juliana was a college student at Georgia State studying accounting, and the seeds that were planted in her mind as a young girl started to blossom. It started with a shopping trip. Like many women Juliana found that more form-fitting clothing required a little smoothing out of the mid-section, and out of her own personal experience determined that there was a need for shape wear. But not just any shape wear, something that was more comfortable than a corset or a girdle. She realized that she could be the one to start a business and turn her idea into a reality, especially since at the time she was positioned in a comfortable seat in her career.
"By the time I decided to start my own business, I had a very comfortable job at J.P Morgan Chase Mortgage," says Juliana. "I knew I was crazy to think of leaving this job and trying to 'live,' but I felt empty with no life. I told myself, 'Hey if there is any time you will take a risk, let it be now.' I’d rather be homeless now with no kids than homeless with kids. So I took the chance and I have not looked back."
"I’d rather be homeless now with no kids than homeless with kids."
But it's hard not to look back at the life you left behind when the world has yet to see that you have something special to contribute. Juliana faced this issue when she started making her first Slim Girl prototype. "Believe it or not, it was not easy to finally get a prototype," she says. "You get samples made, some are good and others are horrible. Lots of trials and errors and scammers. You have to really want to succeed, and have student loans!"
Juliana was so dedicated to the process of getting the prototype right that she traveled to Colombia to oversee the process, which allowed her to make quality control a key part of her business plan for success. The entrepreneur believes that you won't have a business without that one important factor. "Truth is quality is what makes customers come back," she says. "If you don’t have quality, just pack up and go. The good thing is customers will tell you. We try our best, and I obsessively follow through in every stage of production to make sure things go smoothly. However, there are going to be hiccups. Be ready for the hiccups. We had 10,000 pieces sent to us we had to reject after close inspection. Situations like these make you want to lose your mind and cry, and it’s ok to give up for one day. Come back the next day and start again. That’s allowed."
That's exactly what Juliana did. The beginning of her story was one laced in a struggle that often leaves many budding entrepreneurs to feel defeated, but her success is a testament to the importance of perseverance, and provides encouragement and guidance to those who want to one day become their own bosses. It's something that she often thinks about as she drives past her old job on the way to one of her two Atlanta store locations—a come up from her days of working out of her two bedroom apartment.
But she also wants business owners to know that they don't have to throw in the towel just because their business venture is not planning out as they had hoped. If you use Juliana's keys to success, then hanging in there during the rough times is key. "You will not be Oprah from day one. You have to start small and read, read, read. There is a plethora of information out there. You just have to slow down and follow the steps others took and tailor it to what fits you."
To find out more information on Juliana's innovative products, visit slimgirlshapewear.com and 1800cinchers.com. Read more on Juliana at www.julianarichards.com and follow this girl boss on Instagram.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Blac Chyna Opens Up About Her Initial Fear To Share Her Spiritual Journey With Others
Watching Angela “Blac Chyna” White’s transformation in real-time has truly been a sight to see. It wasn’t that long ago that she announced that she was reversing her cosmetic surgeries in an effort to go back to who she was before the world came to know her as Blac Chyna. In previous interviews, she stated that she was dissolving her facial and lip fillers, removing her breast implants, and getting a butt reduction, as well as removing the dimple piercings that enhanced her fame and controversial tattoos.
In a recent Tamron Hall interview, the mother of two said that she has “fully recovered” from the procedures. She is also celebrating one year of sobriety and opened up about being worried about how her new journey would be received by others.
“I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long, right, and of course, like, you know, coming out, I’m like young, I’m gonna do wild things as we all have,” she said.
“...I feel like by me being vocal and showing everybody you can change your life and things can get better, like through myself, that right there is an accomplishment, and that’s a part of freedom, too.”
But as she started on her journey, many people have shown her grace, which is something she’s grateful for. “And then the fact that people have been showing me grace, it’s like amazing,” she said. “And I feel like when I did it, I just did it. It was more so like spiritual thing and I feel like people see that, and I’ve always been like my authentic self, so what you see is kinda what you get with me, and that’s just kinda what it is.”
Chyna, who recently received an honorary doctorate from Sacramento Theology Seminary and Bible College, has also repaired her relationship with her mom, Tokyo Toni. The social media celebrity surprised her daughter on the Tamron Hall Show. Prior to the sentimental surprise, Chyna dished on the reconciliation and having a better understanding of her mom.
“I must say, some of the things I have to take accountability for because, like my actions. As a mother, you don’t want to see your daughter doing certain things ‘cause it’s like it doesn’t matter what my past was or what we’re going through, I didn’t raise you that way,” she admitted. “So, it’s like, okay, maybe I was a little bit wrong. Maybe I was acting out a little bit. But I feel like as we grow older, I kinda see more, and I understand more.”
Chyna will be starring in season two of Fox's reality competition show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
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Feature image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images