Powerhouse entrepreneur and coveted celebrity stylist Kim Kimble took to the main stage at the Essence + New Voices Entrepreneur Summit in Atlanta on Friday to drop gems about navigating the world of business as a Black woman and sharing advice to other Black women in business along the way.
In an empowering conversation with ESSENCE Global Beauty Director Julee Wilson and Accenture Managing Director Nedra Dickson, Kim shared her journey and her start as a third generation hair stylist whose career began as a shampoo girl for her mother. Her work eventually landed her in a barbershop where she grew her own clientele.
“I built my clientele and ended up on the movie set for B.A.P.S.” Kimble told the crowd.
Some of Kim’s most notable work has been seen in the entertainment space and she elaborated on how she gained one of her most notable clients, Beyoncé. Sharing the story of how the two met, she reflected on their initial meeting on the set of Carmen Jones, before they officially began working together after connecting again on the set of Austin Powers.
Kim also touched briefly on how working with the Grammy Award-winning entertainer led to her big breaks and opened more doors for her career.
“Because of her [Beyoncé], I was able to grace the covers of magazines like Essence and Vogue,” Kimble said.
While Kim was creating memorable hair looks and gaining fame for the slays she provided her clients with, she noticed there was still something missing in the industry for Black women. This realization led her to begin focusing more on hair care and creating products for Black women to be able to take care of their hair through the launch of her line, Kimble Beauty.
“I created products that my clients needed,” she added. “There were a lot of products out there but, they didn’t work on our hair. Our hair is special, we need the right type of products.” The launch of her hair products led Kim to constantly brand herself and make her business a household name.
As the discussion came to a close, Kim shared a piece of advice that was given to her that has played a key role in her professional success.
“Knowledge is power,” she said, in closing. “Learn what you can, learn what to do and what not to do.”