“Speak to as many people in the field as you can that are reputable and learn from their mistakes and triumphs.”
Chrissy Blair & Jayla Harnwell
Co-founder and Designer & Co-founder and Product Development
Kalumi
Chrissy & Jayla take dynamic duo to a whole new level of professionalism. After both having led successful modeling careers, these two women combined their knowledge and entrepreneurial powers to create a thriving company that has helped revolutionize the beauty industry.
Plan ahead. Trust your gut. And lean on others with more experience.
Raised in Orlando, Florida, modeling originally brought Chrissy Blair to Los Angeles where she worked with companies such as Guess, Maxim, Sports Illustrated and L’Oreal to name a few. Utilizing her degree in graphic design, specializing in branding and marketing, Blair co-founded Kalumi in early 2017 with a mission to offer a more attainable beauty routine through beauty-boosting foods. Her eye for detail coupled with her obsession with wellness and beauty continues to influence her career.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Jayla grew up immersed in the world of wellness with a strong emphasis on internal health. Years later a successful modeling career allowed her to travel and live all over the world from Miami and Milan to New York and finally LA. Jayla co-founded and launched Kalumi in 2017 out of a personal need for nutrient-rich foods to keep her looking and feeling her best while traveling. Since launching the company, Kalumi is stocked by leading wellness retailers including Goop, Freepeople and Erewhon, and has been featured in publications such as Town & Country, Shape, well + good and women health. Jayla now works full time on Kalumi continuing to grow the company and educate people on the importance of health.
What’s key to running a successful business?
C&J: Always be able to think three steps ahead and have a very clear direction on what you want to accomplish with your brand. Never compromise what doesn’t feel right for that plan.
How many people are on your team, and do you have any tips on hiring and growing a team of employees or contractors?
C&J: We’re a team of four right now, we hired where we felt our time wasn’t best spent and that would impact revenue growth to our company. For us, hiring someone who could handle the day-to-day business tasks in the office gave us more time to focus on more high-level things like large Retail relationships, product development, and Marketing.
What tips do you have for other women who would like to start their own businesses?
C&J: If you have an idea that keeps you up at night and feel it would bring something new and helpful to peoples lives, do it! Speak to as many people in the field as you can that are reputable and learn from their mistakes and triumphs. For us, we’ve never been scared to ask other people we look up to for help or about their experiences. We’ve been so fortunate to have such great advisors and friends in the industry.
Discover Kalumi:
Website – Instagram – LinkedIn – Facebook