October 31, 2019
Beauty Maven, Courtney Adeleye’s 5-Year-Old Daughter Becomes Youngest CEO to have Accessories on the Shelves at Target
Courtney Adeleye, founder and CEO of The Mane Choice has been dominating the haircare industry for years. And now, she is teaching her 5-year-old daughter, Lily Adeleye the ropes. If you know anything about the beauty maven, you know that she is passionate about educating black women on entrepreneurship, encouraging women to be their own boss; and empowering others to take control of their financial futures.
On any given day, Adeleye can be found helping others through financial hardships and dropping gems on lessons that she has learned in business. Her products are on the shelves in hundreds of Target stores and Lily’s Lily Frilly hair bows can now be found not too far from hers.
We caught up with Courtney and Lily about this exciting new mommy-and-me entrepreneurial endeavor, and Courtney says that she saw this coming before it came to fruition.
“From the time Lily was 3, I knew then she had a business mindset. At an early age, as she watched me build a successful business from the ground up, it exposed her to many possibilities and goals, so with that, we didn’t wait until she was an adult to help her pursue them.”
Lily Frilly offers hair bows, backpacks, lunch boxes, and events for girls—or as Lily likes to call them—little bawses in training (Lil BITs)!
And if you ask Lily, she’ll tell you she is the boss. “I own my own company. I don’t just like it, I love it,” exclaims Lilly. In fact, she is the youngest CEO ever to retail at the superstore.
For Adeleye, this accomplishment is one near to her heart as a mother and a businesswoman. “Being the first Mother/Daughter duo to hit shelves in one of the largest retail stores in the world is still surreal to us. It’s history. It’s life-changing and it should definitely be celebrated,” says Adeleye.
Lily Frilly Bow available in Target (Image: Lily Frilly)She also believes, “Many people don’t understand the importance of instilling ‘the NOW’ into children. Not in all situations do you have to wait until you’re older to pursue your dreams. Lily Frilly believes that children have the ability to meet their full potential at an early age and we hope people see our story as an inspiration to be innovative and step outside of the box.”
Related: 12-Year-Old Gabrielle Goodwin Lands A Mega-Retail Deal with Target
Adeleye is a huge proponent for building generational wealth and says that there is more to come from the dynamic duo.
“Lily Frilly is an emerging brand, however, we have several ideas and goals set to make it a successful one. Beginning with the end in mind, we know Lily Frilly will be around for years to come!”
If you want to follow Lily’s journey, be sure to get a dose of inspiration by following her on Instagram.