My name is Emily Kenison, I am a lawyer turned inventor who founded the company Emikeni that led to the invention of the RobeCurls Curling Headband.

I am the CEO and I lead a team of five intelligent and resourceful women who look after our customers and curate meaningful engagement that helps support our brands.

RobeCurls started as an idea after a viral trend on TikTok of women using a bathrobe belt to curl their hair without heat. In the history of curling tools, women have suffered long-term damage and adverse health effects from using heat. Using everyday items around the house like robe belts and socks was a great alternative but it didn’t quite deliver consistent results either.

RobeCurls was my invention to bring a heatless curling tool to the market for women to have consistency, style, and comfort in their daily routines. RobeCurls is a heatless curling tool that has patent pending H²air-Tex microfiber fleece technology for quick-drying capability, an integrated wire for a secure fit and pillowy soft satin charmeuse fabric for comfort.

My company is in the fashion and beauty industry with a focus on heatless hair tools. We focus on heatless hair approaches that are sustainable, healthy, and stylish.

We are ecstatic! My team and I are absolutely honored to be winners in the TITAN Business Awards! This distinction is confirmation that we are headed in the right direction and this is a product that people are looking for.

Winning an international award helps confirm that we are the top brand in the heatless hair space that delivers on our promise for quality and design.

One of the challenges is awareness and recognition of being a winning entry when there is a lot of noise in the fashion and beauty industry.

My vision for invention starts with consumer frustration. I used to curl my hair every day with a curling iron, but it was damaging my hair so bad that I had to stop. I tried every idea out there and was disappointed at every option. I decided to make it better.

After several prototypes, researching fabric types, and testing the idea with hundreds of people, I finally was able to make the product design perfect for making flawless curls that last five times longer than any heat method.

My definition of a successful team is positioning intelligent people in roles they love. RobeCurls Curling Headband is a product that all my team members use too and they love it. They love showing up for work and sharing that joy with our customers who also enjoy and support our brands.

There is nothing better than that level of success to me when a group of women are making meaningful change for countless individuals out there.

My success can be contributed to viral trends on TikTok, but also the dedication to creating a product that actually works. We have gotten numerous recognitions in top fashion and beauty magazines and it is making a difference in sale categories with our mass retail partnerships. We have gotten brand recognition where it counts and have quality sustainable design to back that up.

There are a lot of opportunities in this country to be a part of the conversation around invention. I am grateful to the mentors I have had who helped me leap over obstacles, as well as the people who see the pressing need to focus on sustainable methods for manufacturing.

Supply chain issues were definitely an issue as we first started. We had a difficult time finding connections to manufacturing facilities that met our requirements, but once we found the right people to work with, we were able to expand and get orders fulfilled.

I am most excited about more recognition and venture capital going towards women-led initiatives.

I would recommend reaching out to people in your same industry who you look up to. I took a huge leap and proposed to Sara Blakely, the CEO of Spanx, to be my mentor when I had just quit my job as a lawyer. That led to more opportunities for me and gave me the confidence to make it in this industry. My advice is to take the leap and trust your instincts, there is no right way to do this!

I see more opportunity and capital going towards sustainable approaches to business that benefit more individuals and communities. When we all work towards contributing to the greater conversation, great things can happen.

I am continually inspired by Joy Mangano and Sarah Blakely, who created a whole new path forward for women entrepreneurs. They saw what was possible, even amongst a male-dominated industry. They knew their target audience by heart and kept pursuing to deliver products that have, and still, make meaningful change for millions. They inspired me to see that being a women inventor was possible.

The key to success is not listening to the negative voices. There will be people who tell you no, or tell you that your idea isn’t viable. We are all born to do something great if we listen to our own instincts. The key to that success is learning how to tune into your own voice and follow it.