We had the good fortune of connecting with Morai Elise and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Morai, how does your business help the community?
The mental wellness of children and early-adolescents continues to decline every year. As a young black girl, I suffered from depression from as early as 7 years old. I didn’t love my skin, nor did I have much confidence in myself. Creating a brand for young girls of color during their early developmental stages is something that I felt was crucial and very much needed in today’s social climate. This was my way of being proactive to the betterment of their mental health and self confidence, because I never want ANY young girl to feel as low as I did at that age. Fostering self-love early on and facilitating the teachings of self-worth through coloring/activity books was a great way for me to do that.

What should our readers know about your business?
When creating my brand, I wanted to ensure I represented the breath of the beautiful shades of skin of girls of color. Each character of Lil Sista Gurls was carefully planned for representation. Albinism, biracial/multiracial, and the different shades and ranges of beautiful black girls. Each character also represents the many different hair textures, from beautiful coils, kinks, waves, pressed tresses, and even locs. That is what sets Lil Sista Gurls apart.

The most exciting thing is seeing the growth within a year of being in business. I have created strong retail partnerships with The Black Hair Experience, and Mija Books and is sold in their retail spaces in Atlanta, DMV, California, and in Dallas. You can also find Lil Sista Gurls on Amazon and Walmart.com!
With all the hard work, sweat, and tears, Lil Sista Gurls won bronze placement for the kids division on the 2021 Best in DFW list!

It’s definitely not easy starting a business from the ground up, and I continue to learn as I grow through the struggles. Having a support system has definitely helped me overcome the mental challenges to keep pushing as well as taking chances on myself and believing in my purpose. At the end of the day, my driving force to making sure that these young girls know their self worth and how beautiful and special they all are.

The biggest lesson I learned is to stay consistent and don’t let fear stop you from creating something that could change the minds of future generations.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
These are some of my favorite places in Dallas

hangout/Coffee spot : Soiree Coffee Bar
Selfie Museums: The Black Hair Experience and Selfie Bar
Plant Lovers Vibe : Energy Gardens Plant Lounge

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m extremely grateful for the love and support of classmates and my family. There is a common saying that states, your friends and family will be the last to support you when starting your business, but I’ve been so blessed to experience the opposite. From the moment I began, I had my family behind me supporting anyway they could, from my father giving me operational guidance, my mother and sister helping me at events, and over 100 of my highschool classmates who were all the first to purchase from my business once I launched. I will never forget that feeling.

I also would like to give a special shoutout to my very close friend, who is actually more like family, and that is, Shayla Kelley. She helped re-ignite my creative flame and has always continued to nudge me to greatness! I’ll always be so grateful for that.

Website: www.lilsistagurls.com

Instagram: lilsistagurls

Twitter: lilsistagurls

Other: tiktok: lilsistagurls

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