Monique Rodriguez Made History with organic hair products: CEO of Mielle Organics
- Versatile Magazine Staff
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
Source Credit: Forbes
When Monique Rodriguez sold Mielle Organics to Procter & Gamble in January 2023, history was made. A Black woman entrepreneur building a beauty empire from her kitchen to a nine-figure business should have been a moment of pure celebration a victory lap for the culture and a blueprint for the next generation.
But instead of applause, criticism came pouring in.
Within hours of the announcement, social media lit up with accusations. Some longtime supporters labeled Rodriguez a sellout, questioning why a Black-owned brand supported by the Black dollar would partner with a corporate giant. The conversation intensified after influencer Alix Earle sent Mielle’s Rosemary Mint Oil viral on TikTok, causing nationwide sellouts and leaving many loyal Black customers unable to find the product they had trusted for years.
For many in the community, the fear was familiar. They had seen it before when Shea Moisture was acquired by Unilever in 2017 and the brand shifted direction. The worry was simple: would Mielle lose its soul too?
Rodriguez didn’t pretend the backlash didn’t hurt.
She openly shared that experiencing criticism after selling her company was painful, reminding people that behind the headlines and business deals is a real person with real emotions. Her honesty reflected something deeper the emotional weight Black entrepreneurs often carry when success meets public scrutiny.
Built From Pain, Not Privilege
Before the headlines and corporate deals, Rodriguez was just a nurse, a wife, and a mother trying to rebuild her life after unimaginable loss.
In 2013, she experienced a devastating uterine rupture while eight months pregnant with her son Milan. She survived, but her son did not. The tragedy changed everything.
In the middle of grief, Rodriguez turned to something she loved — natural hair care. What started as mixing products in her kitchen and sharing her hair journey online slowly became a healing process. It gave her purpose, direction, and a community of Black women who understood the journey of embracing natural beauty
Mielle wasn’t just a business. It was therapy . It was healing . It was community. From that pain, a global brand was born.
With her husband Melvin Rodriguez by her side, she built Mielle from the ground up, growing it into a company found in over 100,000 retail locations worldwide. For six years, they bootstrapped the business before receiving their first outside investment from New Voices Fund in 2020 making Rodriguez the first Black woman to secure a nine-figure non-controlling investment before eventually selling to Procter & Gamble. That’s not just success. That’s legacy-building.
The Fastest Growing, Least Funded
Black women are currently the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in America, yet they receive the smallest slice of funding.
Millions of Black women are building businesses across the country, yet venture capital support remains extremely low. Rodriguez lived that reality firsthand. When Mielle faced a $2 million accounting crisis early in its journey, survival was uncertain. Losing the house, closing the business everything was on the table.
Investors weren’t lining up to save a Black woman in the natural hair care industry.
That’s the reality many founders face.
Rodriguez made a powerful point that speaks to the bigger picture: we cannot complain about the lack of funding for Black women and then criticize them when they finally receive major investment or exit opportunities. That contradiction creates a cycle that discourages growth and limits future success.
From day one, Mielle stood for something bigger than products on a shelf. The brand encouraged Black women to embrace their natural beauty in a world that often told them their hair wasn’t professional, wasn’t acceptable, or wasn’t beautiful.
Rodriguez stayed connected to her community asking for packaging feedback, sharing tutorials, going live during COVID, and creating real relationships with her audience. Customers didn’t just buy Mielle. They felt like they were part of building it.
That emotional connection made the sale more personal. In many ways, the community felt protective wanting to hold on to something they helped grow. And historically, that protectiveness comes from a deeper place rooted in centuries of loss, where Black innovation, culture, and businesses have often been taken or absorbed without benefit to the community.
The concern wasn’t just about business. It was about ownership, legacy, and protection. And that concern is understandable.
But Rodriguez believes the reaction should not block progress.
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