Zandra Cunningham is an 18 year old young entrepreneur who is obsessed with lip balm. At 9 years old, her dad decided to stop funding her guilty pleasure. Since then, she has developed her liking for lip balm into a $500,000 chemical-free skin care company approximately nine years later. Her 50 plant-based products consist of a nourishing hand and body lotion, exfoliating sugar scrub, and an acclaimed lip and body balm.

It all started with help from her mom with a mail-order kit and researching for perfect skin care recipes using ingredients that had at their home. They made plant-based lip balms and lotions for themselves, and then decided to sell them at their church. After experiencing much success through purchases her church, she went to farmers markets and craft shows, and that led to a big operation that outgrew their kitchen. Her family moved her business into incubator space built specifically for budding entrepreneurs in Buffalo, New York.

Zandra Beauty’s first big break came after selling products at Etsy’s Open Call Contest. She was put in front of  major company buyers from Whole Foods, Macy’s, and HGTV. She ended up winning a contract with a craft and stationary chain, Paper Source, and put out 8,000 units in 110 stores during the holiday season of 2016. Her products caught the eye of Good Morning America, and after appearing on their show segment “Deals and Steals”, her online sales took off and big companies like Costco, Wegmans, Whole Foods, Zulily, Rite Aid, and Walgreens placed their orders. In 2017, Zandra won $15,000 for her business plan from The Pitch, a spinoff from New York State’s 43 North startup business competition.

She was approached by Target to put together a limited time release gift box for Black History Month. Target requested the inventory stock to reach to 707 stores across the country, and it was way more than double what Zandra Beauty has ever produced.

Zandra wants to branch out her cosmetics business into the cosmetics and hair care industry, which will be made with all natural ingredients sourced in the United States. She is the youngest person ever to graduate from the University at Buffalo’s School of Management’s Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program at age 13. She is now working toward a business degree.

Zandra faced a problem with her dad not supplying her money to buy lip balm, and for her to be able to wear lip balm, she had to make her own. From this situation, she was able to create a thriving business that specializes in chemical-free products to help people with their skin.

Zandra Beauty’s products can be found today at Target and Costco. 10% of her sales are donated to support girls’ education.

Check out her products: https://zandrabeauty.com/