Source:
By / CBS Texas
PLANO – Psyche Terry isn't afraid to share her story, even though some of it may bring tears to her eyes.
The wife, mother, and businesswoman said her successful business started with a problem and an opportunity. She said "church grandmas" and mentors would talk about the beauty of her skin.
"You've got good skin, girl. And I didn't believe them because I had eczema," Terry said. "They had no idea that my arms were broken out. My self-esteem was low because I felt ugly. And I couldn't get a prom date to save my life."
None of that stopped Psyche Terry from marrying her husband, Vontoba. And it didn't stop her from testing the waters of the beauty pageant world and winning—as an act of courage.
"I grew up understanding, just drink some water, you'll be fine, put on some grease, whatever grease is—put on some grease," she said.
Terry worked in corporate America for 12 years; during that time, she sat on a board selling beauty products to benefit blind people. Her opportunity to speak up happened in a world where she was taught that silence and support should be the volume of her voice.
Her suggestions led to product pitching that went from consignment to the shelves of small beauty stores.
"Our genesis is and has always been to be a help. We say, and we've always said, helping people have happy, healthy lives. End of story," she said.
Urban Hydration is a plant-based beauty company with 15,000 retail stores nationwide, including Target, Walmart, JCPenney, Ulta Beauty, CVS, Walgreens, and H-E-B. They ship to 32 countries.
"And what I love is that, yes, I'm Black-owned, but my customers, the people that are invigorated by this story of doing it too—they're not all Black. That's so cool to me," Terry said.
According to Terry, her customer base is 30% Black, 30% Hispanic, 30% white, and the rest is in the "other" category.
"They love to laugh. They've got more than two kiddos in the house. Their household income is all about the same," she said. "And they love gossip. And they love research. They smart."
The company's data also shows that men comprise about 30% of the patronage. Terry said research revealed the guys had been sneaking into their wives' or girlfriends' products.
"What's the challenge? What's the hardship, right?" Tiara Tucker said. "And I know that that can be a story for any person, but I find that there's a desire to see what's the problem, right? How did they solve it?"
Tiara Tucker left corporate, too, to start the Tiara Tucker PR Network. As a public relations strategist, pitching or promoting clients like Urban Hydration is part of her job.
"I don't want to have a million clients," Tucker said. "My purpose, I believe, is to work with the clients that are really on a path, the visionaries, the change makers."
Protecting (crisis management) and assisting in progression are the other portions.
Tucker said it's challenging to pitch the stories of cultural clients outside of special days or months like Black History Month or Juneteenth. But on stories with crisis, chaos, death, and negatives, she said her phone and email won't stop.
"I really want people to realize it's deeper than that," Tucker said. "There's 12 months in a year. Let's not just pick one month or two months to elevate the presence and the mission and the value of an organization or a business owner."
Terry said her best months are in the summer—Black History and Juneteenth present online search opportunities for the company she and her husband own.
"We are very, very focused, and no matter who you are, you dry," Terry said. "I wanna say no matter who you are, you ashy."