Julissa Prado, Founder of Rizos Curls
Julissa Prado’s entrepreneurial journey began when she saw a gap in the beauty space: A serious lack of haircare products that catered to fellow curly-haired patrons who value high-quality, natural ingredients.
So, Julissa spent four years perfecting a formula that would promote defined, bouncy, frizz-free curls — hair goals Julissa and her friends always tried to achieve.
The hard work paid off. A few years after launching, Rizos Curls officially debuted on store shelves, most notably at Ulta Beauty and Target — the latter of which launched its Latina haircare category with Julissa’s big idea.
“It feels like a dream come true,” says the Mexican-American businesswoman. “It feels like we are at the cusp of a much needed evolution in the beauty industry that pushes retailers and other gatekeepers towards more inclusivity.”
Keep reading to learn more about this mujer de magia below.
Grace Gavilanes: Tell us about the road to launching your own business. Did you always dream of becoming an entrepreneur?
Julissa Prado: I launched Rizos Curls in October 2017 completely self-funded and with $0 marketing dollars. Rizos Curls is something that has always been in the back of my mind through college, then grad school and later while working at Nestlé. I’m very close to my older brother, and he’s the one who helps me a lot with Rizos Curls. We’re very opposite. I’ve always led with my heart and emotion, and he’s ruled by logic. So when I decided I really wanted to go forward with this idea, I went to my brother with my business plan and I presented the whole plan to him. He did all this market research, and couldn’t believe a product like Rizos Curls didn’t already exist. We began working on what would later become Rizos Curls. My formulas took me four years to create.
Meanwhile, I saved and began sharpening up on my business acumen. There were many times in that process of testing formulas that I didn’t get the results I wanted, and I felt like giving up. But what pushed me forward were the amount of interactions I had with curly girls. I’d meet them in the bathroom, in the elevator, in dorm rooms, and they’d tell me, “I love your hair.” They’d ask me, “How do you get your hair like that?” Back then, I‘d make my own concoctions at home to use in my hair. I made so many friends because I would literally do their hair, teach them my process, and they’d start wearing their hair naturally. I forgot how many interactions I had like that until I finally launched Rizos and all of them messaged me in support. No matter how busy I was, that was one thing that stayed consistent: I always loved teaching people how to do their hair. That’s where my heart is.
GG: What would you say is the most rewarding part of running Rizos Curls?
JP: It feels serendipitous to be working on Rizos Curls right now. So much of what I’m doing is helping break down boundaries and pushing for inclusivity in the beauty industry behind the scenes. In 2020, Rizos Curls launched the Latina haircare category at Target, and then in 2021 we did the same with Ulta Beauty! It feels like a dream come true. It feels like we are at the cusp of a much needed evolution in the beauty industry that pushes retailers and other gatekeepers towards more inclusivity. We hope to challenge outdated beauty standards and practices, and help people feel proud of being authentically themselves.
GG: What would you say has been your biggest obstacle in creating such a thriving business? How have you overcome it?
JP: Before 2020, the hardest challenge was convincing retailers to take a chance on Rizos Curls and to combat the stereotype that Latinos are not interested in high-quality, natural ingredients and are just driven by price. I’ve been in meetings with large retail buyers where buyers said to me, “Hispanics don’t care about natural ingredients. They care about coupons.” I’ve respectfully walked out of rooms, and fought to establish partnerships with key retailers, brands, and vendors who are invested in authentically supporting inclusivity.
I’ve been proving that we are not just a niche brand. We have wide mainstream appeal. Our story, mission, and products resonate with customers of widely different backgrounds, locations, ages, and hair textures. Some of our largest growing customers are not even Latina. They live in international locations such as Australia, India, Kuwait, and the Netherlands, where there is a large demand for quality products with natural ingredients.
“Personally, I’m really proud of having found my purpose. It’s a huge accomplishment to wake up every day and live the life of your dreams while getting to run a haircare brand.”
GG: Imposter syndrome is a very real thing in our community. Have you experienced it?
JP: Imposter syndrome is something so many of us battle with. I try my hardest to not let that feeling take over my actions and thoughts.
While I may not know everything, I really trust and believe in myself to figure things out in life and business. We all start somewhere and life is a journey. We don’t have it all figured out all the time, so I just remember to take things one step at a time with my business, which is new territory every day as I’m handling bigger and bigger challenges and responsibilities with things I’ve never encountered before. I stay connected with myself by just reminding myself to have fun. Running a business can be draining and scary, but if I remind myself that this journey can be fun if I make it, it makes the times I may doubt myself a little less intimidating.
GG: What accomplishment are you most proud of, both in your personal and professional life?
JP: I’m truly so proud of how far I’ve taken Rizos Curls in the short 4.5 years since launching. It’s a team effort, but to know that this idea I had in my head of starting a haircare line to meet my curl needs with high-quality natural ingredients is now accessible in two major national retailers, another retailer in Mexico and that we’ve shipped to over 57 countries, it’s really unbelievable.
Personally, I’m really proud of having found my purpose. It’s a huge accomplishment to wake up every day and live the life of your dreams while getting to run a haircare brand. I get to talk about hair every day and that’s so cool!
GG: What does being Latina mean to you?
JP: I am incredibly proud of my Mexican roots, my culture, and my family. It is what I love most about my life. Our traditions, foods, music, values — I am obsessed with being Latina and how it has shaped me into the business woman I am today.
GG: What would you tell 20-year-old Julissa right now if you had the opportunity?
JP: Just go for it girl! And learn, learn, learn along the way. Reach out to your community and other entrepreneurs and let your heart and your vision lead the way. I knew I wanted to launch this line since I was 15 years old. I had to go through college, then graduate school, then corporate America, until I finally managed to launch Rizos Curls. Ultimately, it was having the guts to be able to do it. There are always a million reasons not to do something, but ultimately I knew in my heart that this is what I was meant to do.
