Meet the founder empowering other Black founders

A visionary leader and transformative brand builder, Kendra Bracken-Ferguson has carved out a unique space in the beauty and wellness industry. As the Founder and CEO of BrainTrust, she spearheads initiatives to support Black beauty and wellness founders through mentorship, education, and community. Kendra’s journey includes launching three companies, each surpassing $1M in revenue within two years. Her book The Beauty of Success is a modern blueprint for navigating entrepreneurship and personal growth, sharing actionable strategies and inspiring stories from her own experiences and those of other entrepreneurs in the beauty industry.

In this Q&A, Kendra shares her definition of success, what she’s learning through her work at BrainTrust, and advice for the aspiring entrepreneurs out there.

Wellth: What is your superpower – what sets you apart compared to others?

My ability to connect the dots. I love to put people together with other people where I see a shared vision and opportunity for them to partner to share skill sets. And I genuinely have such a passion for what I do seeing people succeed and setting people up for success. And I think that all is part of my superpower.

Wellth: How do you define success, and what inspired you to write "The Beauty of Success"?

The inspiration actually came from my publisher, who was listening to my podcast The Business of the Beat and reached out to ask, "Have you thought about writing a book?" We were in season four, with more than 180 episodes, talking to intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, and editors about their own experience. My publisher was listening. And from there, The Beauty of Success was born. 

The timing was just so divine, because it combines my story as a three time founder, but also growing up in corporate – that was very much my vision from an early age, to be this corporate executive. And so it combines that with eighteen stories pulled from my podcast, of other visionary leaders. The key things beyond sitting at the top of a corporate company or building your startup are claiming your non-negotiables, standing in your power, and having a heart for God, which are important to me. When I think about defining success, we have to ensure that we look at the successes that happen every day, big and small, right? Because the road to this big successful goal that you have really comes from looking at how you are successful every single day. How did you support another person? It really has to be defined on a day-to-day basis.

Wellth: What do you hope readers will take away from "The Beauty of Success"?

I hope that readers will define things on their own terms and understand – you asked me my superpowers – what are theirs. The Beauty of Success starts out with asking people to define their personal pillars. For me, I believe in community, mentorship, education and capital. That's how I've set up my career. That's why I built my business BrainTrust, and later BrainTrust Founder Studio and BrainTrust Fund. I can track back to all of those pillars. 

The book includes worksheets and excerpts from the podcast. Not only am I talking to you about my pillars, but you can understand how to define yours. This can be greater than you can imagine. What are the steps to help you get there? I hope that people will participate in the worksheets and take the time to think about [the fact that] when I say stand in your power, it's not about ego. It's not about towering over people, but it is understanding what makes you special and unique.

What is your power, when we think about claiming your non-negotiables? I've had moments where I could have gone in a different path, but it would have been so far removed from what my center is. I named my company BrainTrust for a reason that I really love. I thrive in environments of working in community with smart people, and I also understand the notion of trust. I did not have that in my first company. From then on, I said, I believe in integrity, I believe in doing what you say, saying what you're going to do. And that comes from being able to trust the people that you work with, that you are in community with.

Wellth: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and how has it impacted your life and career?

The Beauty of Success opens with a letter from my mom that was written in 2018. I was going through this place of really trying to decide what I was going to do with my company. And a lot of what she said was about treating people right, doing what's right, having a heart for God, and claiming your non-negotiables. The advice had such a profound impact on me, and continues to, when I'm in the middle of decisions. I think about what's the right thing to do, and how do you constantly treat people.

Relationships are everything, and they're the most important thing that we have – the work will go and come. But it's the people and the relationships that are so important. And so I think that that's it really – treat people right, do the right thing, claim your non-negotiables, and stand in your power.

Another piece of advice that I'll share is when I was the first director of digital media at Ralph Lauren. I met my first business partner Karen Rabinowitz at Ralph Lauren, and we went on to co-found Digital Brand Architects (DBA). I tried to juggle both as best I could. There came a time when DBA was growing, and I had to resign. It was such a hard decision because I loved working at Ralph Lauren, and I knew I'd be there for a long time. But I ended up having a meeting with the chief of staff. She said to me, “it seems like you've got a great idea and you've been successful here, but your last name isn't Lauren, right? The Laurens were entrepreneurs – Ralph Lauren built his empire. If it doesn't work, you can always come back or do something else.” It was such a great piece of advice, to trust and have faith and take this leap of faith because I could always come back. I had gotten myself there – there's always going to be more opportunities on the horizon. And so in that moment, taking that advice was so crucial in defining my entrepreneurial journey.

Wellth: How has your journey with BrainTrust influenced your views on leadership and innovation in the beauty and wellness industries?

I've had the opportunity to work with so many companies from L'Oreal to Under Armour to Fox to Starwood to Sally Beauty for multiple years, to being a shareholder at BeautyCon. I've seen such an interesting transformation in the beauty industry. We talk about diversity, we talk about equity, we talk about inclusion – all of these things that are fueling how we're engaging with consumers, because it is such a diverse landscape of the consumers buying these products. I'm also looking at AI beauty technology – there's a place for it in the beauty industry that can be very positive to help move us forward. 

BrainTrust Fund invested in Myavana which is an AI-based hair company that looks at your hair strands to determine the best products for you. We also invested in Parfait, an AI-based hair company that makes 100% human hair, ethically sourced hair, wigs and weaves. Thinking about how we're now using these technologies in our industry is really exciting.

When I think about my views on leadership, I tell my team to think ahead. We constantly have to be thinking ahead so that we can be as prepared for the future as we can. Things change quickly, like the speed of social media, the speed of technology, and the speed of innovation. I make sure that my team has the runway to be entrepreneurs themselves to come up with ideas. I always say that if you're in New York and you're riding the subway when you see something dope on the walls, you should instantly want to take a picture and share that with the team so that we can be inspired. Let's communicate, let's share, let's think ahead. My personal mantra is “carpe diem.”

Wellth: What are the key challenges and opportunities you see for Black beauty and wellness founders today?

We can't ignore the fact that funding is at the lowest it's been in terms of venture funding into women and Black founders. We can't ignore that. We live in a moment where affirmative action has been overturned, where SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management, announced that they're focused on the D and the I, not the E in DEI. More than ever, we have the opportunity to really stand in excellence. Black founders are creating products for everyone. So when you think of it that way, and you think that in the words of Carla Martin, that consumers can't find the products that they're looking for fast enough, we need Black founders to continue to do the work of creating breakthrough products that serve the majority. When we think about the reckoning after Black Lives Matter or the murder of George Floyd, the beauty of that is that we have had more awareness. We've had this opportunity to put Black founders front and center to open up pathways and doors that didn't exist to help them fuel their growth. When you look at it that way, there's a blue ocean of opportunity and a playing field for Black founders to thrive. I think that we take that – we seize the day, and we continue to create these paths of excellence with our products that are serving the consumers who need them.

Wellth: How do you balance your professional endeavors with personal fulfillment and continuous growth?

I always say that God blessed me with a husband and a daughter, to make sure that my life was filled with other things besides work, because I love work. I could work all day just because I'm so passionate about it, but I love my family. I love my friends, going to yoga, working out, and meditating. I have a phenomenal morning routine, where I believe that – and I've read this somewhere – we should be in the natural sunlight as best we can within the first hour or two of waking up. I pride myself on knowing those moments when I need to stop, when I need to shut it down, when I need to take a break, and when I need to go to sleep. While there's never a complete balance, I do really look at those moments when I need to recharge or when I need to be with my daughter and listen to her, and when I need to have date nights. I may not have the true fifty-fifty split balance, but I do ensure that I am fulfilled doing the thing that I love. 

I also have a natural passion for traveling. People say to me, you travel all the time. I have a natural passion for it. To get to travel and experience all these new places, cultures, and people is fulfilling and rewarding for me. And so, again, I go back to “carpe diem.” Seize the day.


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