Ecoslay

Marshall started tinkering with ingredients from her local farmer's market to make a styling gel that provided the moisture and hold she was looking for. Through trial and error, she created the basis for Orange Marmalade, the flagship product of what would eventually become Ecoslay, from her kitchen. Today, the company is a multi-million-dollar sustainable hair care brand. "My personal values are sustainability, kindness and ingredient integrity. Those really became the pillars of my company, and it's why I chose the name, which to me says: 'slay your look, not the planet.'" In 2018, Marshall set up her own e-commerce website, and sent a sample of Orange Marmalade to an online hair care influencer she respected. What she didn't realize was that the influencer uploaded a video giving the product a glowing review. Orange Marmalade became an overnight success, and Ecoslay went from zero orders to 1,000 in two weeks. "When I started to see email after email with new orders, that's when I knew it was getting out of control," said Marshall. "My mood went from elation to panic very quickly." Marshall, who was still creating the product from her kitchen, realized she needed to scale, and quickly. She reached out to factories for help with manufacturing, but found none shared her commitment to using local ingredients found in nature. That's when she decided to hire staff and partner with a local farmer with a plot on the Truly Living Well urban farm in downtown Atlanta who shared her ethos for organic ingredients and championing small businesses. "I was shocked to learn there was a farm of that scale inside the Metro Atlanta area. But it's amazing to drive 20 minutes and go pick the crops that I put inside our products," said Marshall.