We recently had the chance to connect with Jacqueline Carrington and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Jacqueline, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
At this time, I am being called to share my story. Typically in business, we are asked to share our stories when in times of triumph including struggles. Rarely do we find stories of business owners sharing their struggles while they are in them. We are usually asked to share that part of our story once we have overcome. However, in this season of struggle for our brand, I have been called to share during our challenging times, although it’s not a comfortable place to be.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
People of Color is a non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free nail polish brand made to complement the various shades of brown skin as the first thought, not an afterthought. We launched in May 2019, after being inspired by my daughter’s interest in nail polish. It rekindled my interest as well, and made me think back to my childhood, in which I skipped wearing nail polish due to playing basketball and never seeing the colors shown on brown hands. I wanted to create a nail polish brand that celebrated and represented people of color from all over the world by telling our stories, our way through nail polish collections. We make “nail polish for People of Color and those who live in color”, because we all live in a world of color!
I am a wife, mom of 3, and founder of People of Color. I live in Southern California with my family and enjoy going to the beach, festivals, working out, and traveling. Prior to launching People of Color in May 2019, I worked as a Property Manager for 6 years and previously worked in the hotel industry for 6 years. I graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science in Lodging and Resort Management. It’s always been my dream to work for myself, and People of Color is now my dream come true!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Truth breaks the bonds between people, and truth restores them.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
July 8, 2025 – I decided to launch our current 1,200 Gift Set Campaign. On this day, I decided to stop suffering in silence and share with our brand community and the world that our business was in dire constraints. People of Color was featured in Oprah’s Favorite Things during the 2024 holiday season, and while an exciting accomplishment for us and many businesses, it ended up being an inventory nightmare for us. Unfortunately, we did not sell through the majority of our inventory and have been left with a huge balance with our manufacturer.
Our sales had been declining since 2022, and I thought our feature in Oprah’s Favorite Things was going to be our “saving grace”. When things didn’t pan out as expected, I went pretty quiet, not posting as much on social media, and pleasantly saying “thank you” when congratulated by all the success people thought we were having from being featured. Behind the scenes was a ton of unsold inventory, past due balances, and debt to our manufacturer.
In July, I calculated how many gift sets we would need to sell in order to pay our balance with our manufacturer and have enough extra capital to restock our staple nail polish and nail care items, as well as re-launch our Desi Vibes collection. I decided I was going to tell my story, my experience, and what we have been struggling with in silence. I wanted other business owners to know that it is OK for us to tell our stories during tough seasons, everything is not always “fine and dandy”, and that there is power in our testimonies in the midst of the struggle. I wanted to let others know that they were not alone, and don’t have to shoulder the full burden of their struggles.
In my sharing thus far, other business owners have been more open in sharing with me and others what they are struggling with during this season, and I have been poured into immensely from my brand community, and strangers who have simply come across my story.
Since launching our 1,200 Gift Set Campaign, we have sold about 250 gift sets. While we are still far from our goal, I am grateful for every gift set sold, and every person who has helped share our story. I feel empowered to continue to push forward no matter how daunting this situation is because our brand community has shown that they are standing with me!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lies the beauty industry tells itself is that it cares more about people than it does money. Everyday I see brands built on celebrity/influence/trends/fads. I see established brands catering to audiences they were never built to serve because it’s their “in” moment. How much longer will this last? I hope the public sees through these lies and support brands built on authentic stories, diversity and inclusion as a foundation (not a checkbox), and purpose-driven missions.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I know when I’m out of my depth when it feels hard, feels impossible, feels like there’s no other way something can happen without a higher power being involved. It’s doing those times when what you build your foundation on matters most; because what are you tapping into to push through and achieve what you set out to do? I’m currently in such a moment! Do you have enough faith to keep trusting and believing, while doing the work?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.peopleofcolorbeauty.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peopleofcolorbeauty/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-carrington-poc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleofcolorbeauty
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peopleofcolorbeauty
Image Credits
Anesia – Rodeo Drive (red nail polish)
Josephine – Creme de la ‘Mel (cream polish)
Demi – Mother of Earth (brown polish)
