April Showers, the entrepreneur who launched the Afro Unicorn brand in 2019 to inspire Black mothers, is reflecting on her journey so far and highlighting the importance of uplifting other women.
Showers, who became known as a unicorn after a friend praised her for the way she juggled various roles, said her goal is to inspire other women who are handling multiple responsibilities as she is. Shortly after Showers’ friend gave her the nickname, she launched Afro Unicorn, which now includes fashion apparel, along with toys, books, hair products and party supplies.
“I want them to know that they have this unicorn within them,” Showers told Forbes.
The relentless businesswoman now sells her products in over 40,000 stores globally, including Walmart, JCPenney, Hobby Lobby, T.J. Maxx, Target and CVS.
“I thought to distribute it to mass retail and get it across the world; that was the only option,” she said.
Showers, who is the first Black woman to have a licensed character featured at a major retailer, explained the significance of her partnership with global brands.
“With licensing you are 100% the owner. You have 100% creative control, and you have 100% quality control. Nothing moves, without your approval,” she said. “We have to touch and feel every single item before it hits the shelves.”
Showers’ Walmart partnership started after an associate from the company saw a video of a 4-year-old girl wearing an Afro Unicorn T-shirt. When Walmart first approached her though, Showers “did not have a clue” about licensing. But she learned the business in a short amount of time.
With her brand, Showers said she is doing her part to change erroneous perceptions about Black people.
“We’ve only seen one certain type of color for so long that’s been deemed to be the standard [of softness],” she said. “So when you approach someone like George Floyd for a counterfeit bill or Tamir Rice in a park, it’s an issue because we’re not seen as being anything of delicacy.”
From the time she started her business, Showers said she would sit down with other women and talk about what she could do to help them promote their own ventures.
“From day one, I would highlight other people wearing my products, but I would talk about their businesses,” she said.
The trailblazing entrepreneur has also learned to trust people while growing her business.
“I do trust that people are going to do their job, but I realized that I was always the one trying to figure out the ‘how’ to get it done,” she said. “When you’re in your business and you’re always trying to figure out the ‘how,’ it doesn’t work when you’re the CEO.”
As she continues to expand her brand while uplifting other women, Showers is ecstatic about the future.
“The goal is to make it worldwide,” Showers said. “I want it to be larger than Girl Scouts.”
