As the eldest child in a large family, Rahama Wright, Founder of Shea Yeleen, has always been a problem solver. After serving two years in the Peace Corps in a small village in West Africa, Rahama was infuriated by the lack of opportunity and harsh living conditions these women endured on a daily basis. Rather than creating a consumer-focused product, Rahama developed Shea Yeleen as a way to solve a social issue. In today’s episode, host Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Rahama to discuss the creation of Shea Yeleen and how it’s redefining the beauty industry.

For Rahama, the most important part of owning a business is having the ability to create change. In order to do so, Rahama understands that the key to finding a solution is using the resources you already have. After learning that shea butter is a natural resource harvested by women in Africa, Rahama knew this was the perfect solution to the problem. After spending the first seven years focusing on the supply chain, finding the right investors, and partnering with like-minded companies, Rahama is able to provide consumers with a high-quality product while remaining true to her mission to build equitable futures for women in Ghana. Wait until you hear what she’s developing right here in Washington, D.C. in order to scale her mission globally.

Tune into this week’s episode of Dear FoundHer… to learn more about the importance of investing in your core values, focusing on collaboration rather than competition, and how to leverage your resources to find solutions so you can create a business that leaves a lasting impact on the world.

Quotes

• “Even though I have West African heritage from Ghana on my mom's side, this was the very first time I actually spent time in an African village. It was both an eye-opening and tremendous learning experience, but it was also very infuriating and frustrating because I saw incredible women who had amazing life stories and wonderful dreams that they wanted to do, yet they were limited financially because of where they lived.” (04:55-05:35 | Rahama)

• “You wanted to start a product to first solve a social problem and not to solve a problem for the end-user of the product.” (09:47-10:01 | Lindsay)

• “I don't want to sell a product that's not giving women the ability to be financially free.” (15:24-15:28 | Rahama)

• “We have to normalize founders being empowered to feel deserving of the funding that comes to them.” (26:21-26:29 | Rahama)

• “I need to have incredible brands around me and founders who value the same ethos that I do, and the best way to do that is to create a community of those people.” (51:07-51:17 | Rahama)

Connect with Rahama Wright:

Use the code FOUNDHER20 for 20% off sitewide at Shea Yeleen!

www.sheayeleen.com

www.instagram.com/sheayeleen

https://www.instagram.com/rahamawright/

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For more from Lindsay Pinchuk:

• Visit her website to grab one of her FREE quick guides: www.lindsaypinchuk.com/

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk/ 

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