Kim Lewis celebrated 10 years of her brand CurlMix in October, which is a major milestone for any business, but especially one in a highly competitive industry like haircare. But just months later, she came online with a plea.
“CurlMix may have to close on December 31,” she said in a going-out-of-business campaign video shared on November 1, revealing that she needed at least 20,000 orders (or, essentially, $2 million) to keep the business open. “This has been the most difficult year in business… harder than COVID, tariffs, taxes, ingredient costs going up, shipping time slowing down.”
Lewis also revealed she had to let go of more than half of her team. It shrunk, she revealed in the Hail Mary, from 40 employees to just 14. The post garnered an engaged audience, with over a thousand reposts, more than two thousand comments of support, and nearly three thousand shares about CurlMix’s state. To note, the brand centers natural and textured haircare products, with most products retailing at $30 or closer to $10 when in a big bundle.
Despite the intense business year, the call on community worked. On January 2, Lewis made a post sharing news that CurlMix did in fact hit the 20,000 order mark, keeping the brand on its feet. “You guys helped us pay off half a million in debt,” she said in the video. “That’s going to help us be self-sustaining and better manage the business. You [guys also] added four jobs to our business.”
Lewis co-founded the brand in Chicago with her husband Kim Lewis in 2015, and the couple appeared on Shark Tank in 2019 while trying to fundraise. There, they were offered $400,000 for 20 percent equity, but they were seeking that same dollar amount for 10 percent. They declined the deal.
The Chicago-based founder’s late 2025 campaign is not the first time she’s gone to her customers and community for support. The brand previously raised $3.6 million in a 2021 crowdfunded campaign and then $5.7 million in 2024, per Afrotech.
Despite what the 20,000 orders helped, according to Lewis, it’s probably not going to last for long. “It’s not enough to cover this entire year or anything like that, but it is enough to get us started for Q1 and allow us to be able to invest in inventory, manage ads, and manage short-term debt,” Lewis added in her latest video. “Now the hard part begins.”
Her next goal? 100,000 orders in 2026.