In 1987, when Liberia’s internal problems grew more intense, Richelieu Dennis emigrated from Liberia to the United States. Dennis was successful in obtaining a scholarship to study business at Babson College. Using the supply his mother from Liberia had brought with her, he started selling shea butter goods to his classmates while he was there. His original goal did not include a company. Richelieu Dennis preferred returning home to a citrus-growing business.

The Birth of the Sundial Brands

Rich Dennis eventually converted his undergraduate project into a street company selling his shea butter and the goods made from it in Harlem, on 125th Street, with the aid of his mother. One could argue that things turned out for the better look back. Richelieu Dennis thinks that what made him unique was his schooling. He started out with a business-to-customer concept for his company. It implied that he used his Toyota Previa to distribute items directly to individual customers. His clientele grew over time, moving from occasional customers to larger fairs and markets. His shea butter products eventually made it into health food stores. He had raised his firm after sixteen years to include serving retail customers.

Motivation

Richelieu Dennis’ cultural upbringing greatly influenced his decision to concentrate on cosmetics. Shea butter products widely used in Liberian culture as people look for sun protection for their skin. In contrast, Eurocentric aesthetic values ultimately pushed out any room for black items in the United States of America. Rich wanted to produce supply where there was none because he regarded the underserved ethnic market as a potential gold mine. He established Sundial Brands as a result of this. Sundial is well-known now for its shea butter-related activity. SheaMoisture, the largest and best-selling brand of Sundial, transformed the mainstream beauty market when it first appeared on store shelves in 2008.

Developing a Product  Customers Need and a Successful Business

In December 2019, Richelieu Dennis presided as chairman and CEO of Sundial. He oversaw the company’s exponential growth throughout his time there. More establish Essence Ventures LLC, a technology company. Later, he decided it was a good idea to contribute to a seed round fund and teamed up with three other ventures to raise further funds. The main goal was to visit the diverse needs of a population was adopting more natural goods derived from the environment for their skin and hair. The corporation had to diversify its product mix result of this cultural change.