The Beauty of Friendship: Running a Business with My BFF

Alexandria Williams and Whitney Patterson are two best buds who run the popular hair blog, Sporty Afros.  In addition to attending social events and scheduling blog posts, the ladies have also created a Sporty Afros haircare line specifically targeted to women who work out.  We talked with Williams and Patterson to get their take on balancing a beauty business while working together as BFF’s.

What inspired you to start a blog together?
We started Sporty Afros after constantly being asked about how we maintained healthy hair while training for our first triathlon. We decided it was time to address the specific issues facing our community in regards to living an active lifestyle. We focused on removing one of the largest barriers that prevent black women from working out, hair care. We became the first site dedicated to connecting the dots between hair care, fitness and nutrition. We’re thrilled to be among the top websites that provide women with the tools to achieve a healthy body and healthy hair.

How do you balance running a blog with maintaining your friendship?
Our friendship began because of our similarities, but has continued to thrive while running Sporty Afros because we focus on inspiring others. When we read the comments on the blog and hear about the lives we’ve changed it strengthens us individually and collectively. With every milestone and hurdle, we make sure God is at the center of everything we do.

What’s the best part of running a blog with your best friend?
Running a business is tough sometimes, but at the end of the day it’s always great to have a business partner who genuinely cares about your well being.

We are a very well balanced, driven team. Whitney is strong where I am weak, and vice versa. We constantly inspire and motivate each other. Whitney motivated me to go natural and I motivated her to compete in her first triathlon.

What hardships, if any, have you faced with running a blog with your best friend?
Time management. We both work full time and manufacture our own haircare line. Sometimes it can be stressful when we are both stretched too thin. We try our best to have a healthy work/life balance but sometimes it’s challenging, to say the least.

Read more about Alexandria and Whitney’s adventures as BFF’s in beauty on their blog Sporty Afros and by following them on Twitter and Instagram.