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No frizz, frills, nor fluff. Frustrated by the lack of information and
acceptable products for curly hair, journalists Gretchen Heber and Michelle
Breyer teamed up to start NaturallyCurly.com, the dominant web resource on
curly hair. What began as a desire to fill a personal need, soon became a
business as their site caught the eyes of professional investors. NaturallyCurly.com has steadily grown as
visitors continue to request more information, features and product purchase
capabilities. For several years, they juggled full-time jobs and their online
start-up, but realizing that they were satisfying their personal and
professional interests, Gretchen and Michelle quit their journalism jobs.
Gretchen Heber is a co-founder of NaturallyCurly.com, a website for curly hair she
founded with her business partner and friend, Michelle Breyer in 1998. A
California native, Ms. Heber spent her childhood immersed in the rain and fog
of Humboldt County. A stint in the glorious frizz-free climes of Southern
California was abruptly ended when the graphics design professional moved to
Kentucky’s Lexington Herald-Leader, and the nightmares of humidity were
once again thrust upon her curly locks. That was further detailed when she
moved to Texas working for the Austin American-Statesman, and shared her curly
hair issues with a co-worker, Ms. Breyer. The two women then set out to create
a most unusual enterprise, which has evolved into NaturallyCurly.com, the dominant Web site for
information about curly hair.
As a child with intensely curly hair, Ms. Heber remembered traumatic comments
like “It looks like you combed your hair with a stick.” References like this
only made Ms. Heber work more diligently to make NaturallyCurly.com a success, and also led to
the eventual launch of CurlyKids.com. This specialty site has been a blessing
to parents and children alike, identifying products, methodologies and salons
specializing in haircuts for curly haired kids.
Ms. Heber holds a B.A. with Distinction in Journalism from San Jose State
University. She is married, has three boys, and still resides in Texas. She is
very active in her neighborhood association and not much else because she’s an
entrepreneur and has three young boys, and goodness, who has time!?
Michelle Breyer is a co-founder of NaturallyCurly.com, a website for curly hair
started with her business partner and friend, Gretchen Heber.
Growing up in California, Ms. Breyer never dreamed she would develop the
leading source of information for specialty beauty products in this
marketplace. She spent most of her life a journalist, getting her start as the
business editor at the La Jolla Light. This eventually led her to move to the
San Antonio Light, and later the Austin America Statesman, where she focused on
real estate and retail markets.
As a reporter, Ms. Breyer has won numerous awards during her 20-year career,
including included the Katie Award for Best Business Writing from the Dallas
Press Club, the National Association of Real Estate Editors First Place Award
for collection of work, the National Association of Real Estate Editors Ralph
Bivens Fellowship and several first place prizes from the Associated Press
Managing Editors. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri and holds a
Bachelor of Journalism.
It was the Texas humidity that inspired both Ms. Breyer and Ms. Heber to search
for information to help them manage their curly hair and find appropriate
beauty products. They were frustrated by the dearth of information on curly
hair, and the lack of products on the market. One of their curly hair rants, at
a brunch, was the inspiration behind NaturallyCurly.com. They launched the site with
the help of a 14-year-old Web designer.
Ms. Breyer’s personal experience with her curly hair, and as the mother of a
curly haired daughter, has helped her recognize the challenges faced each day
by those with curls and kinks. With a deep personal connection, she can relate
well to the community and is a role model to inspire others to learn to love
their curls and kinks. Ms. Breyer is married, has a five year old daughter and
continues to reside in Texas.
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