I’m excited to share that April Showers, the trailblazing founder and CEO of Afro Unicorn®️, is joining me for a live conversation on A Black Woman’s Podcast. April’s been making history as the first Black Woman with a fully-licensed character brand carried by major retailers across the US and Canada, and she’s got a story to tell about it.
Who Is April Showers?
April was a well-established real estate agent who was also running an insurance business, while raising her two kids, maintaining a personal life and just juggling it all so well that a friend referred to her as a “unicorn.” This resonated with her and as she started identifying with it and using the unicorn emoji, she realized it wasn’t representative at all.
So she created a unicorn that looked more like her, something that would allow little Black girls to see themselves reflected in the magic of unicorns.
This ended up becoming Afro Unicorn®️, which she launched in 2019. Her company has since grown into a brand that offers everything from apparel and accessories, to toys, books and even bedding.
And in the process, April has been paving the way for Black entrepreneurs who want to enter the licensing space. Not only was she the first Black Woman-Owned Brand to be licensed in Walmart, but her products are now available at seven of the biggest retailers in North America, including Amazon, HomeGoods, JCPenney, Kohls, NovaKids, Target and of course Walmart.
How She’s Doing More Than Just Making History
Aside from being an innovator and pioneer, April does a lot of work to uplift women and children of color. She’s normalizing Black beauty and amplifying representation for women and children of color, with the hope that it’ll give them the boost they need to fully embrace themselves and who they are.
April also uses her platform to elevate emerging brands and is even a big proponent of Small Business Saturday, where she helps promote small businesses so they get more customers.
Image via Afro Unicorn®️
She’s our favorite type of advocate and we appreciate her and the work she’s doing.
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