( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Owens Uplifts Women With Her Work
ENSPIRE Contributor: Ana Luque
Morgan Angelique Owens is a successful travel and beauty influencer from Cincinnati with a mission to support and uplift other women. She’s the author of “Finding My Sparkle” and the Founder & CEO of the MAO Brand, Professional Pretty, and Curvy Cardio. Her hard work and dedication have been recognized and celebrated. She has received numerous awards from the Cincinnati Chamber such as “Woman of Influence”, “40 under 40”, and “Black History Honoree.”
Not only has Owens been a successful entrepreneur and author, but she also founded Herald Beauty in partnership with the Cincinnati Herald. She has used this platform, her voice, and her experiences working in the beauty and travel industry to encourage minority women to feel more powerful about themselves and their self-image.
Owens spoke to ENSPIRE about her journey, and success, and gave tips to up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is that I get to inspire girls and women to go for their dreams. I never started my business to get credit and recognition but really to show people they deserve to do whatever it is they want to do – if you put work behind your dream/goals.
Could you tell us more about your journey with writing your book “Finding my Sparkle?” What inspired you to write it?
I’ve struggled with weight all my life, like most women. I got tired of others telling me my story, so I decided to write it. I was becoming a successful entrepreneur and many people “assumed” I didn’t have struggles of my own that they could relate to, that wasn’t the case at all. “Finding My Sparkle” tells the journey of me finding my “self love” which is your sparkle. It was extremely important to me to tell not only grown women but young girls that oftentimes we have to love ourselves before we are going to be successful at anything.
Could you tell us more about your work as the founder of Herald Beauty? What pushed you to create this space within the Cincinnati Herald?
Minority women have a billion dollars spent in the beauty industry. If you google the word ‘beauty’ however you still will only get images of one demographic – I wanted to change this narrative. I always wanted to educate and let Black women know they deserve to indulge in beauty, wellness, and health. Often as women, we take care of everyone else besides ourselves. Realizing The Cincinnati Herald (which is a Black-owned newspaper) did not have a Beauty section I knew I had to create a space for Minority women and Beauty.
What advice would you give to someone trying to break into the field of entrepreneurship?
Just start. Starting is often the hardest thing to do. Also, entrepreneurship is not built for everyone and that is okay too. Having those hard conversations with yourself whether you are built for entrepreneurship is also very much needed. It’s not all glitz and glamor – it’s work, really hard work.
What’s the secret to your success?
Passion. Be able to have enough grit and passion to wake up every day knowing you may not get paid to create and work towards a business you truly love doing. Here at ENSPIRE, we can’t wait to see what comes next for Owens. You can keep up and learn more about her work and future work at her website!
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