6-Year-Old CEO of Lily Frilly Lands Distribution Deal in Walmart

• Lily Adeleye, 6, combined her business mindset with her hair bow-making hobby to start her successful accessory and apparel line Lily Frilly.
• The brand has since landed two major distribution deals at Target and Walmart.
• Her mom, The Mane Choice CEO Courtney Adeleye, said that Lily has had the entrepreneurial spirit since she was 3.

Lily Adeleye, 6, has become the youngest CEO of a Black-owned brand to land a Walmart distribution deal, WWD reported.

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Just last year, Lily’s accessory and apparel line Lily Frilly landed her first major distribution deal at Target. On Friday, she launched four new hair accessories at Walmart to mark her second major deal.

Lily’s passion for entrepreneurship — much like her mom, Courtney Adeleye, founder and CEO of The Mane Choice — turned her creative outlet of making hair bows into a hit brand.

“Lily is inspired by business overall. I have three kids and she is the only one who has her own company,” Courtney told WWD. “She is constantly creating logos and asking to bring new items to market. I don’t know if it’s genetic or that something is just in her.”

“Being the first Mother/Daughter duo to hit shelves in one of the largest retail stores in the world is still surreal to us. It’s history." @CourtneyAdeleye https://t.co/2I57JcL8j3— Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) November 1, 2019

Back in 2019, Courtney told Black Enterprise about how she noticed Lily’s entrepreneurial spirit at an early age.

She said that Lily “had a business mindset” ever since she was 3.

“As she watched me build a successful business from the ground up, it exposed her to many possibilities and goals, so with that, we didn’t wait until she was an adult to help her pursue them,” she continued. “Many people don’t understand the importance of instilling ‘the NOW’ into children. Not in all situations do you have to wait until you’re older to pursue your dreams.”

The momtrepreneur continued, “Lily Frilly believes that children have the ability to meet their full potential at an early age and we hope people see our story as an inspiration to be innovative and step outside of the box.”

In addition to hair bows, the adorable children’s label has since expanded into lunch boxes, backpacks, stationaries, and apparel. The company also hosts kid-friendly networking events that empower girls across the country!

The self-proclaimed Cutest Executive Officer (CEO) is still planning to expand distribution to over 1,000 stores nationwide.

According to the website, the little CEO is just as interested in dolls and cartoons as she is in learning about business and investments. But it was “her love for all things girly and frilly” that started Lily Frilly, along with some help from her mom.

The company expects to earn about $2 million this year, “with hair bows and accessories accounting for 70 percent of the volume and apparel comprising the remaining 30 percent,” WWD reported.

Source: People