Guava Collection. Credit: Camille Rose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nExpanding while still staying involved<\/h2>\n
As Camille Rose expanded, Stephens moved its operations from her home to a small warehouse, hired an additional person to help formulate products and gradually built a more conventional organization. Today, the business includes employees in marketing, social media, digital, creative, operations, customer service and warehousing.<\/p>\n
However, Stephens has remained closely involved in product development. \u201cI\u2019m still a product developer for Camille Rose,\u201d she says. \u201cOf course, I have a lab and a team of chemists and researchers that\u2019s working with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work is more structured now than it was during the company\u2019s kitchen phase. Developing a new product can take months to a year, Stephens says. She begins with a concept and works with her team to develop, evaluate and refine it. <\/p>\n
Stephens tries the products herself and also works with stylists and hair models. The company tests products across different curl types and textures and compares them against established products in the market.<\/p>\n
That can mean going back to the lab to improve a formula\u2019s shine, frizz control or overall performance. The goal is to ensure each product meets the brand\u2019s standard.<\/p>\n
Maintaining that standard was especially important when Camille Rose began scaling production. \u201cI needed to make sure that my manufacturer and the chemist that I\u2019m working with honored our formulas,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
How she grew the brand<\/h2>\n
Camille Rose\u2019s growth has depended on making the brand visible. Stephens says the company leans on social media, influencers and celebrity relationships.<\/p>\n
TikTok is a priority for the company. Stephens\u2019s core advice for founders thinking about social media marketing is to simply start.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn the camera on and start talking about your product,\u201d she says. \u201cYou may have five people listening; you may have 500 people listening, but keep at it. Turn the camera on.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a founder launching a haircare or other product, Stephens said the first 90 days should focus on brand identity, awareness and consistent outreach. That includes developing a strong brand guide, becoming the brand\u2019s own first influencer and using both organic and paid partnerships to build an audience.<\/p>\n
She also advocates grassroots marketing: handing out samples at parks and festivals, participating in local markets and speaking directly with shoppers at neighborhood stores.<\/p>\n
Stephens urges founders to act consistently, even when the next step appears small.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have an idea, don\u2019t just let it sit out there and don\u2019t just talk about it,\u201d she says. \u201cWrite out a plan to do something and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Janell Stephens was a speech-language pathologist and ran a home-health agency before entering the haircare space.<\/li>\n
- She turned a personal need for effective hair products into Camille Rose, starting with homemade formulas in her kitchen.<\/li>\n
- A Target buyer discovered Camille Rose at a hair show in 2012, leading to an initial launch in 100 Target stores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Janell Stephens started haircare brand Camille Rose in her kitchen in 2011 to create hair products that worked for her family. Her experimentation became the foundation for a brand now found in major retailers including Target, Ulta and CVS.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call myself a kitchen chemist,\u201d Stephens, founder and CEO of Camille Rose, said in a new interview with Entrepreneur<\/em>. \u201cI was just in the kitchen making a plethora of products at the time.\u201d<\/p>\nStephens built the company gradually, moving from homemade products to working with chemists, manufacturers, marketers, warehouse staff and a broader team of 35 employees. This year, the company is on track for 9-figure revenue, and projects continued double-digit growth in 2027. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Curl](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/11\/Camille-Rose-Curl-Love-Collection.jpg?w=1024\")
![\"Guava](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/11\/Guava_Collection.jpg?w=1024\")