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3 rules to help you build a successful business | The Way We Work, a TED series

Have an idea you’re yearning to turn into a business? Julissa Prado, founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, explains how she was inspired by the Latino and immigrant communities she grew up in — and shares 3 principles that guide her in her work. The Way We Work is a TED original video series where…

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Have an idea you’re yearning to turn into a business? Julissa Prado, founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, explains how she was inspired by the Latino and immigrant communities she grew up in — and shares 3 principles that guide her in her work.

The Way We Work is a TED original video series where leaders and thinkers offer practical wisdom and insight into how we can adapt and thrive amid changing workplace conventions. Visit for more! (Made possible with the support of Dropbox)

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Transcriber:

Running a business means
being a constant problem solver.

Every day it’s something new,

whether it’s product development,

distribution, creating content
or, I don’t know,

deciding what to do during a pandemic.

The trick isn’t always knowing
all the answers

but becoming adept at figuring them out.

[The Way We Work]

My entrepreneurial spirit

comes from growing up
in Latino neighborhoods in LA

and being surrounded by so many people
who are immigrants.

It takes heart and ingenuity
to move to a new country

and rebuild your life.

I grew up seeing firsthand

so many examples of people
getting creative with limited resources,

whether it was the pupusa lady
outside, rain or shine,

or my dad, who started as a field worker
and now owns his own restaurant.

In 2017, I left my corporate job

and used my entire life savings
to launch Rizos Curls.

Helping people embrace
their natural hair texture

has been my personal passion
since I was a teenager.

Learning to love my hair
in its natural state

was the first step
to learning to love myself.

Today, I’m running a self-funded,

multimillion dollar business
that has been profitable since day one.

Growing up where I’m from,

building a successful business
felt unattainable.

But turns out that entrepreneurial
spirit was there all along.

Here are my top three principles
that guide me in doing business.

One: Get personal with your customers.

With every transaction,
your customer is giving you power,

so don’t take that power for granted.

I feel so immersed with our customers

because I see them in my family, my tias,

my cousins, my parents and even in myself.

And that means nobody,
not even the haircare giants,

can speak to them like I can.

We get to know our customers
on a personal level

because we take the time to really listen.

Building that kind of relationship
creates an authentic,

reciprocal understanding
between brand and customers.

Two: Don’t be afraid to break the rules.

As a Latina-owned, self-funded
small business,

I’m constantly entering spaces

where my business
is the first of its kind.

This year, we launched Rizos Curls
into a mainstream retailer

where we became the first Latina-owned
curly hair care brand

to be carried in their stores.

It was a big deal for us.

Traditional business wisdom says

that we should have invested
a lot of marketing dollars

on that type of launch,

but instead I showed up on a horse,

with a mariachi and recorded TikToks.

I spent less than a 1,000
dollars on that launch.

So my point is, don’t be afraid
to try things differently.

Don’t expect the same rules to apply
to your small business

as they do to Fortune 500 companies.

Embrace what makes you you,
and make it a part of your strategy

rather than following the same
old playbook that’s out there

for everyone to see.

Three: Make your intuition your BFF.

Running a business is noisy and demanding.

There’s retailers, customers,
your team, your finances,

and things happening in the world
beyond your control.

How do you make big and important
decisions with all of that?

Yes, facts and data matter,
but at the end of the day,

you’ve got to trust your gut.

Your intuition is your best friend.

OK, here’s what I do.

I have daily check-ins with myself,

and I have a checklist that I go through
after every big meeting

where I ask myself questions like,
“Am I uneasy? Am I excited?

How do they make me really feel?”

It’s a thing that can’t be explained
through numbers or logic.

But when I go through
my list of questions,

I’m able to quiet the noise
and tune into that voice inside me

that helps me stay true
to myself and my mission.

It’s important to know who you are
and who you are not.

That means knowing when to say no.

For me, that’s meant
turning down outside capital.

Yeah, that extra cash flow
would have been amazing,

but investors would want to maximize
profits and in turn,

compromise a community
and culture aspects of what we stand for.

And for me, that’s non-negotiable.

At the end of the day,
you have to be grateful.

No one has to work for you,
and no one has to be your customer.

People have choices,

so remember to appreciate
every employee effort

and every sale.

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39 Comments

39 Comments

  1. SR Creath

    November 1, 2021 at 3:06 pm

    Love love love!!!

    Reply

  2. IELTS SPEAKING BAND 9

    November 1, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    thanks a lot

    Reply

  3. Rishiaman2

    November 1, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    for girls, get a plastic body and sexualize stuff while acting innocent n boom another bella porch

    Reply

    • GraceDcastle

      November 1, 2021 at 9:35 pm

      Tf is wrong with you

      Reply

    • Rishiaman2

      November 1, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      @GraceDcastle its a dark joke

      Reply

    • GraceDcastle

      November 1, 2021 at 10:57 pm

      @Rishiaman2 a very bad one

      Reply

    • Rishiaman2

      November 1, 2021 at 11:10 pm

      @GraceDcastle its just u complainin tho

      Reply

  4. Rishiaman2

    November 1, 2021 at 3:14 pm

    1: get personal with you customers
    2: dont be afraid to break the rules (not the law ones) try new things
    3: make your intuition your bff

    video started at 1:25

    Reply

  5. Blaz'nheat mama

    November 1, 2021 at 3:15 pm

    Beautiful ???? agree ???? believe,stay true to yourself, connect, have fun, build relationships, an be thankful to all positive vibes around you! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  6. Adox Artist

    November 1, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    Excellent for just life, too. Thank you! Shared with loved ones. ????

    Reply

  7. bluedragonfly

    November 1, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    Congrats on your success and thanks for sharing

    Reply

  8. DSolarisKnight

    November 1, 2021 at 3:23 pm

    Julissa Prado! Nice seeing her here for such integral talk!

    Reply

  9. Paradise Music Library

    November 1, 2021 at 3:23 pm

    We don’t know each other, but I wish you all the best in life and may all things work out in your favor. Don’t give up on yourself, things will get better! Trust me, you will make it. I believe in you! ????

    Reply

    • Alexandru Mihalachi

      November 1, 2021 at 8:43 pm

      I don’t know who you are, but thank you.I wish the best for you too.

      Reply

  10. Enrique Moctezuma

    November 1, 2021 at 3:32 pm

    Love to see the success and phenomenal tips!

    Reply

  11. Tatiyana

    November 1, 2021 at 3:34 pm

    Good – ???????????? – ????

    Reply

  12. Stanley F.

    November 1, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    Gosh, I loved her hair????????

    Reply

  13. Stephen Kirkbride

    November 1, 2021 at 3:57 pm

    Fantastic thank you Ted and the lady curly hair expert

    Reply

  14. Arta Jonuzi

    November 1, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    I noticed her beautiful shiny hair before she revealed that she founded the hair product company???? now it makes sense! Thank you for the valuable tips!

    Reply

  15. Steve Deasy

    November 1, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    1) Be deceptive
    2) Claim others’ efforts as yours
    3) Your needs above all

    Reply

    • Steve Deasy

      November 1, 2021 at 5:32 pm

      It seems like this is the pathway to the currently measured way of business success.

      Reply

    • GraceDcastle

      November 1, 2021 at 9:34 pm

      Wtf

      Reply

    • Christopher Gruenwald

      November 2, 2021 at 2:35 am

      That’s a great way to be out of business before to long.

      Reply

  16. ????o????????????????

    November 1, 2021 at 6:03 pm

    I need this haircut sis

    Reply

  17. Radio PNL

    November 1, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    ????????????

    Reply

  18. Clever Hybrids Bilingual Podcast

    November 1, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Bootstrapping bravery and brilliance brava????????

    Reply

  19. Valentin DOPE

    November 1, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    Thank you! That was everything but the swift kick in the butt I needed. Awesome tips, gorgeous hair & amazing energy! Many Blessings!

    Reply

  20. Kochab

    November 1, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    I’m glad you turned down the outside capital. Part of what I think causes businesses to go south is trying to please investors while also having a quality product/service. Sometimes for one to win, the other has to lose.

    Reply

  21. jjjjjoi

    November 1, 2021 at 11:59 pm

    i really enjoyed your vedio. it is helpful to me!!!!!

    Reply

  22. Nathalie Lazo

    November 2, 2021 at 1:24 am

    Dear lovely person that’s reading this, we may not know each other but I wish you all the best in life! ✨
    I believe in you! Love – Nat ❤️

    Reply

  23. T Oshiro

    November 2, 2021 at 2:42 am

    Wow! Julissa is amazing!

    Reply

  24. moblue 289

    November 2, 2021 at 8:39 am

    luck isnt a personal achievement.

    Reply

  25. Randall Wilson

    November 2, 2021 at 11:40 am

    Meh. Woke capitalist garbage. Not a single word about paying living wages, benefits or paid time off. Appreciating your employees while not paying a fair share of the profits, or generous benefits doesn’t pay the bills. Sorry. This is gross.

    Running a business means exploiting the labor value of your fellow citizens by ripping off them off for your personal, sociopathic enrichment. And that, my friends, is disgusting. Don’t care how friendly you try to paint the blood glutted face of capitalism, being an “owner” is simply destroying the dignity of the people who do the work and truly create value, profits and wealth.

    Reply

  26. maglorc

    November 2, 2021 at 12:18 pm

    Ok here comes the cynicism:

    Rule 4: “convince TED to let you run a 4:31 AD on their website, likely for free, and disguise it as a educational video somehow”

    Reply

    • Jolene Foo

      November 2, 2021 at 2:59 pm

      They success tho, is a win win.

      Reply

    • Zoltán Tóth

      November 5, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      Glad I was not the only one to notice…

      Reply

  27. Ms. Lehua

    November 2, 2021 at 10:38 pm

    I love this product it is hands down the best from the 1st wash and yes they really do talk to you. ????

    Reply

  28. listentomymixtapes

    November 4, 2021 at 12:20 am

    Cultural strength at its finest ????????

    Reply

  29. Lieve Leysen

    November 6, 2021 at 8:35 am

    ????????????

    Reply

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