Early this morning I was awakened by the sad news of Titi Branch’s passing. Titi was the cofounder of the well known beauty brand Miss Jessie’s. The news has me down and at a loss for words but I feel compelled to write down my thoughts to try to express my condolences and memories of Titi. In 2010 I founded the Chicago Natural Beauty Meetup and as with most small businesses in the beginning growth was slow but filled with lots of fun because I was finally embarking on the journey of being my own boss. At that time there were few meetups groups and companies were just starting to understand how powerful natural hair meetups were. I had little experience with producing meetup events but Miss Jessie’s was one of those brands that was on my wish list of companies I wanted to work with. Because I have worn my hair natural for close to 15 years I was very familiar with the brand and used the products when they were only available in the salon or online. Looking back it was probably silly to think that I could work with Titi and Miko but I am dreamer and working with them was something I REALLY wanted. I contacted Miss Jessie’s in 2011 and to my surprise I was actually able to get through to Titi. We spoke briefly about partnering, she listened to my ideas and told me she would get back with me. I remember being disappointed when someone from her team reached out to me to share the news that the brand would not be able to work with me at the present time but wanted me to stay in touch. I shrugged my shoulders and thought yeah right I’m sure they say that to everyone. About a year later Titi sent me an email and asked if we could set up a meeting to revisit our conversation regarding a possible partnership. I was nervous but excited because I remember Titi being very sweet but also very no nonsense. I was nervous because I was unsure about my ability to meet her requirements for partnership. A few days later after multiple phone conversations with Titi, Miko, and their team we decided to plan a Chicago natural hair meetup. I was so proud to have been chosen to host a Miss Jessie’s event.

This flyer brings back so many memories, Miko and Titi had very high brand standards. I learned so much from working with them.

The Zhou B Art Center was packed with over 800 women who came out to see Miko and Titi.

Looking back it’s funny to me because I really had no idea of how big of a production this was going to be. I worked my fingers to the bone spent countless hours and hundreds of emails were exchanged with Titi. The experience of working with Miss Jessie’s was so special to me. I was able to see up close and personal how a big brand operates. I can still remember being amazed that Titi took all my calls personally. Although she and Miko lived in New York they worked with me on every last detail of the event. Because I was still somewhat new to event planning there were a few things I was unsure about and to be quite honest I probably seemed a little scatter brained at times because I was so overwhelmed with all of the details however, Miko and Titi continued to work with me and together we hosted my largest meetup event to date with close to 900 women. I will never forget that experience. Miss Jessie’s gave me a chance when nobody knew who I was, I didn’t have all the numbers and readership that most corporations look for but I believe Titi saw something in me and gave me a chance.

The event went off without a hitch and I was honored to have been given the opportunity to partner with Miss Jessie’s and have an impact in the Chicago market. As with many business deals sometimes you hit a few bumps in the road and depending how one handles the difficulties it determines whether or not you can continue with the relationship. My partnership with Miss Jessie’s was no different in that we had a minor disagreement after the event that resulted in a heated conversation. Once again I was shown the professionalism and kindness by how Miko and Titi responded to our challenges, they were not afraid to admit there were some misunderstandings and were willing to apologize if necessary. That always stuck with me because I was the newbie, local business owner and they were the big corporate brand but they taught me so much about what it means to be a female entrepreneur. To this day I have remained in touch with them via periodic email exchanges and had look forward to the day we would work together again.

Working with Miss Jessie’s led to my first TV appearance.

It was also really special to see the special sisterhood bond and working relationship between Miko and Titi. When I heard the news I instantly thought of Miko and how difficult losing Titi must be for the entire family. The natural hair community has lost a true pioneer. Titi was one of the hardest working entrepreneurs I have ever known. I smile when I think about the numerous emails from her in the early morning hours.  She was so hands on, she cared about the natural hair community more than words can express. My thoughts and prayers goes out to the entire Branch family as well as the Miss Jessie’s corporation. Titi, you inspired more people than you knew, I’m so grateful to have known you. You will be missed.

View the full Miss Jessie’s Chicago Natural Beauty Expo here