Working in Detroit: How Does a Hair Care Entrepeneur Work?

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.

For our first episode, we sat down with Gwen Jimmere, CEO of Naturalicious, a company that makes hair care products for curly-haired women. Before she started Naturalicious, she had worked in Detroit's signature industry—the automotive industry—but we visited her at a place called Ponyride, a startup incubator for socially conscious entrepreneurs. She tells us about how she got started, and how her business has grown. She also leads us through the process of making and selling her specialized line of products, and she tells us about her relationship with her ideal imagined customer, the great Shonda Rhimes. She tells us about how her business fits into the changing Detroit landscape that she's a part of.

In a Slate Plus Extra, Jimmere tells us the importance of what she does when she's not working. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com
Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan
Production: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper