Monique Rodriguez Biography
Despite the black woman valuing her hair as the crown of her beauty, society still debates on attractiveness of curls, braids, and afro hairs, popular with black women. Regardless, black women have stood their ground on their definition of beautiful hair and society has nothing to do but go with the flow. The gradual acceptance of black hair has created a multibillion-dollar industry and many companies want their share of the pie. When Monique Rodriguez showed a desire to join the black hair industry, her interest was only to share with her Instagram fans the secrets of making her hair healthy and long.
Monique’s content got the attention of netizens who religiously followed her tips. The insatiable thirst of her followed led to the birth of Mielle Organics, an all-natural hair and skin care product company. The company grew from just an interest to big business making partnerships with big organizations like Procter and Gamble and the Women’s National Basketball Association. From just a young girl with a dream to a woman sharing the stage with Beyonce and Megan The Stallion.
Personal Details
Monique Rodriguez was born on 15th October 1983 in Riverdale in a military family. She got married to her high school lover Melvin Rodrigues and together they are blessed with two daughters. The two would have three children but their son died 6 months after his birth. Melvin now only serves as the head of the house but also the COO of their company.
Beginning Mielle Organics
Monique grew up like most Americans and for 8 years she served as a registered nurse. Although her job was unfulfilling, she stuck around because it promised security. The decision to quit her career and follow her dream came after the death of her son.
When she was 8 months pregnant, Monique developed a condition that doctors deemed not serious after visiting for a checkup. It turned out that the baby was being choked out. His brain was locked from getting air in the brain. During delivery, Monique gave birth to a raptured child who died after 6 months after being on the life support machine.
As a mechanism of dealing with the depression that came with her loss, Monique Rodriguez turned to her long-time passion for beauty and skincare. She was naturally inclined to use natural products for growing her hair and keeping it healthy. She started sharing it on the internet and soon thousands were following her to learn her tips.
The idea of doing a business hit her when one of her followers asked to get the products she was making. In 2014, just a year after the death of her child, Monique opened up her business in the garage. With drums of natural products, she started making beauty organic products and the demand grew at a high rate. Six months into the business, Monique Rodriguez realized selling organic skin and hair products was a big deal. Together with her husband, who has a background in engineering, they decided to go all in.
Now, 10 years into the business, Mielle Organics is a big organic hair and skin care brand in the country. Her dedication and faith in God helped her to raise the business from the Garage to a national size business with sales of millions annually. Some of her greatest achievements have been collaborating with other brands like the WMNBA and P&G, which have helped her reach 87 countries and 100,000 stores.
P&G Controversy
Her decision to collaborate with international company P&G has not been received well by some of her fans who claim the business deal threatened the genuineness of the hair products. The criticism comes after another beauty company changed its formula to increase its longevity on the shelves.
Despite, Monique’s defense of the business deal, her products have continued to go out of stock in the stores because she can’t keep up with the demand. Although the unavailability of her products might be a good problem, it causes her loyal fans to raise eyebrows. Regardless, another side of her fans is lauding her for the move claiming that it is a sign of black product acceptance.
Success and Influence
With passion, courage, and the determination to grow. Miellen Organics has grown from a garage business to a multi-million dollar company. Her journey is an inspiration to any woman with the thought of investing in the beauty industry. Her story has made it to Forbes, Essence, Way Maker, and Fox Soul. She has also been invited to speak at Strength of a Woman Fest and Afro Tech Fest. She was among the wealthy couple invited to a bidding event.
Monique Rodriguez also founded Mielle Care, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower and unite women who desire to level up their lives. Her strategy for success has also been observed by other successful women like international motivation speaker Gloria Mayfield Banks and Tech sales expert Kayla Burke.
Monique Rodriguez Personal Details
Ethnicity: Black
Nationality: American
Age: 40
Marital Status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Height: 5 feet and 3 inches
Net Worth: approx $50 million
