As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Cross.
Samantha Cross is the founder of Curl Warehouse, a Canadian-based online shop dedicated to making curly hair care products accessible without the hassle of customs fees or expensive cross-border shipping.
Sam’s journey began with a complicated relationship with her curls. Growing up, she battled puffy, frizzy hair that drew teasing and unwanted attention, leading her to hide it away or chemically relax it — unaware of the long-term damage. Everything changed when she discovered the Curly Girl Method and its empowering message to love your natural hair. Through years of research, ingredient deep-dives, and trial-and-error techniques, she learned how to nurture her curls and embrace them.
Frustrated by the lack of access to quality products in Canada, Sam launched Curl Warehouse in 2019 to connect fellow “curlies” with the tools, products, and accessories they need to care for their unique textures. Since then, the company has served over 70,000 customers across North America, becoming a trusted destination for curl education and product curation.
In this candid conversation, Samantha shares her journey, insights, and the strategies that have helped her build a results-driven business and empower other entrepreneurs to do the same.
What inspired your leap into entrepreneurship, and what personal experiences sparked the idea behind your current venture?
I always knew I’d build something, but I never would have guessed it would be in this industry. It’s kind of funny that I have a career in beauty because I rarely wear makeup and don’t care or know much about things like fashion or skincare. For me it’s just all haircare, all the time!
I had my first business as a teenager in high school, designing websites for small businesses. I have owned multiple businesses since and am always happiest with multiple projects on the go.
I started Curl Warehouse in 2019 to solve my own problem. I couldn’t easily find products suitable for my hair type, and when I tried to purchase some from beauty supply stores no one could answer any of my questions about caring for curly hair. I was pointed at the handful of textured hair care products (no more than 5 to choose from, and all from the same brand) and essentially left to my own devices to figure it out. It was frustrating and almost enough to make me give up on embracing my curls. I knew there had to be a way to provide a better experience for people like me: people who wanted to get the best out of their curls but didn’t have family members or friends with a similar hair type to show them the ropes.
What core problem does your business solve, particularly for women or underserved communities, and how does your approach stand out in today’s competitive space?
We don’t just provide products, we provide education and support for our customers. Where we can’t compete on price, we compete with personalized customer service and being able to truly understand many of the unique struggles our customers are facing with their hair. So much of getting the most out of your hair is understanding what it needs. It’s not just product choice when it comes to curls – it’s also how those products are applied and what they’re applied with that can make or break a good hair day. Curl Warehouse gives customers the whole package so they can be confident in creating consistent results.
How do you navigate through your toughest obstacles?
The best way for me to solve any problem is just to try something – anything. Decision fatigue is real and a lot of time can be wasted doing research and trying to come up with the best way forward. The best path is the one I’m actually taking, not the one I’m agonizing over. As business owners we have to be less married to individual ideas and more committed to the bigger picture. If something isn’t working I just try something else.
When the going gets tough, what keeps you grounded and motivated to keep pushing forward?
My husband. He motivates me because he is also very motivated. I feed off that energy a lot more than he probably realizes. I find his “how hard could it be?” mentality and ability to figure out just about anything very inspiring.
I also can’t ignore how motivating it is to have salaries to pay. That lights a fire under you unlike anything else!
What daily habits or non-negotiable routines help you stay focused, creatively energized, and balanced as a founder?
If I’m in the warehouse I love having the opportunity to speak to our amazing customers face-to-face. They energize me more than anything.
I’m not a particularly balanced person as an individual or as a business owner. It’s something I’d like to improve upon, but I also have reached a point where I’m trying to accept that I’m not zen or chill or go-with-the-flow at all and that’s just who I am.
What’s been the most effective growth lever for acquiring new clients or expanding your customer base?
Word of mouth brings us our best customers. We’ve noticed so many people love shopping with their friends or family and sharing their tips and recommendations for great curl products.
What branding or marketing decision had the biggest impact in elevating your business and building trust with your audience?
Having a physical store adds legitimacy to a business that operates primarily online. It adds faces to the brand, and we love having conversations with our customers in person. It also gives us the opportunity to host amazing events to support our curly community! I wouldn’t suggest it unless your niche would appreciate it and utilize it. Ours does, so it has worked extremely well for us.
How do you personally define success, not just as a business owner, but as a woman living a purpose-driven life?
Success, to me, is being able to walk away from the business for a few hours or days and not worry about it because I’ve hired people who can think on their feet and handle anything that comes up. This is a spectrum depending on what is going on with the business at any given time, but having a business that can still thrive when I am not actively working in it or on it is my goal. So much of being able to do that is based on hiring decisions, automations, and regular recurring revenue from loyal customers.
What’s your best advice for women just starting out—especially first-time entrepreneurs feeling overwhelmed or unsure of their next steps?
Just do it. There are so many business ideas that can be tested out in as little as a weekend and with minimal investment. If one idea doesn’t work, learn from it and try the next one. Even if you fail – repeatedly, which you might – you’ll never regret trying, and you’ll learn something valuable from each false start.
How do you approach risk and innovation, especially when breaking new ground in a fast-changing industry?
I make quick decisions if I know that the decision won’t cost us much in time or money. Everything is worth trying if it can be done fast or cheap and I can abandon it without consequences if it isn’t working. It’s knowing when to pull the plug on an underperforming idea that is the most valuable part of the decision-making process, in my opinion.
If you lead a team, how do you foster a culture of trust, inclusivity, collaboration, and growth?
I try to hire people I can trust to get on with things without my oversight. It takes responsibility off my plate and hopefully empowers them too. It’s a small team so we pitch in where needed. The team frequently brings me great ideas to improve the business, especially our customer experience. I love going to work with them every day.
What are the top 3 mindset shifts or personal practices that helped you overcome self-doubt and grow your confidence as a woman entrepreneur?
I abandoned perfectionism and stopped trying to please everyone. It took me a long time to stop taking everything personally. I still have days where it is a struggle when I am dealing with a difficult customer, but I’m getting better at separating myself from the business.
I don’t waste hours doing business tasks I’m not good at anymore. I’ve accepted that I’m not the best person for every job which was tough for me in the beginning. I now outsource some to professionals who are much better at them than I am and focus instead on things I am good at and that benefit the business.
I’m trying to get better at celebrating our wins. It’s easy to focus on what isn’t working and what needs to be improved, but we’ve hit some incredible milestones in our business. I am so proud of what Curl Warehouse has become.
If you could spark a global movement through your work, what would it be—and why is that mission meaningful to you?
I think we have sparked a local movement for embracing curly hair. As a kid I didn’t really have any role models who had beautiful curls. I didn’t know what I was doing with my hair as I grew up. I love it when parents bring their kids in to learn how to care for their curls from a young age so they can grow up loving them in a way that I didn’t, or when parents come to us to learn to care for their own hair so they can be that role model for their child. That makes it all worth it to me.
What’s a quote, philosophy, or guiding belief that shapes how you lead, create, and live every day?
“Done is better than perfect” is my motto, and it has served me very well.
Where can our audience connect with you, explore your work, or follow your entrepreneurial journey online?
Follow her on Instagram, where she proves that every day can be a good hair day.
