Tabitha Brown’s Decision To Bootstrap Her Businesses Was Intentional — Here’s Why She Is In No Rush To Receive Investments

Authenticity remains core to Tabitha Brown’s foray into entrepreneurship.

It’s why she continues to shed light on the ebb and flow of her journey, which includes a five-year stint in contract manufacturing while pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress. During an exclusive kickoff of the Shark Tank x Clover Summit, held at Venetian Resort’s The Stella Studio in Las Vegas, she shared a blast from the past, mentioning her year-and-a-half hiatus from her manufacturing role. While on disability she decided to drive for Uber to pay bills.

“I would look at what bills need to be paid to help my husband,” she said on the event panel.

Brown’s circumstances changed over time through the power of social media, and a review of a vegan BLT sandwich from Whole Foods transformed her life and propelled career. She became a successful content creator, best-selling author, actress, and serial entrepreneur, with products at Ulta Beauty through her natural haircare line, Donna’s Recipe. She also has products shelved at Target, where she sells vegan food, kitchen appliances, and stationery products as well. Her first business began in 2018, with her selling T-shirts when she found out how much people enjoyed her personal brand. They went on to bring her over six figures annually.

Brown’s rise has been marked not only by triumphs but also lessons that have shaped how she does business today. In conversation with AFROTECH™, Brown spoke honestly about her toughest lesson in business so far, admitting, “You can’t do business with everybody. You just can’t, but you have to live and learn. But once you learn, don’t double back on it. Don’t go back. Once you have learned your lesson, don’t go back, because sometimes you will get burned.”

Foray Into Fragrance

Brown was also candid about her newly released fragrance line, which she launched alongside her husband, Chance, who oversees research and development. She shared that her introduction to fragrance originated in her late mother’s closet, where she sprayed various perfumes.

“When I think of fragrance, I think of her… Fragrance is attached to memories… It could be from your childhood or somebody that you know. And it stays with you forever,” Brown said. “When we start to forget other things, fragrance is like one of our strongest senses, being able to smell. So I was like, ‘Oh, I want to create a business that’s A, built on love, but also will create memories for everybody.’ So years to come, if you’ve ever smelled our fragrance, you’ll smell and be like, ‘Oh, this smells like Tab and Chance.’ You won’t forget us in that way.”

The line branded Fridays with Tab + Chance became available for pre-order on Valentine’s Day and launched officially on April 18, 2025. Brown said its reception has been “amazing.” In fact, a post on Instagram confirms that the line garnered 10,000 orders within its first three months.

“There was a list that came out, I forget the name of the list, but it was basically showing the top 10 performers in fragrance this year and the lowest, I think, was Kylie Jenner, and it had like $1.8 million or something in sales, or something like that. And, of course, we [are] right behind her, and we just launched… I’m so grateful,” Brown expressed.

What’s more, the business, which currently sells directly to consumers — and will remain that way for at least its first year — is also entirely self-funded, a common pattern in her entrepreneurship journey, including her line Donna’s Recipe, launched alongside her business partner, Gina Woods.

“We don’t owe nobody nothing. We own it 100%. Me and my business partner, Gina Woods, and with Tabitha Chance, it’s just me and my husband…. It’s intentional,” Brown admitted. “The only reason that you want to get investors is if you need it. If you want to raise capital, if you’re trying to scale, you have a big plan. I like to take things slow. I’m in no rush. It’s doing well. We’re making great money. We’re making a profit.”

“I don’t foresee wanting to get investors, because then you kind of start losing a little bit of your control. I also like to do things my own way, and it’s very untraditional or non-traditional. I do things very different,” she later added.

All in all, Brown wants to position herself to build a business that will last beyond her time on earth. She has similar aspirations for other small business owners and was even named Clover’s first chief empowerment officer, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. She is also hosting this year’s inaugural Shark Tank x Clover Summit.

“Now I get to be the person to help somebody a little bit. Whether I just show up and talk to them, inspire them, it’s very intentional with serving the community and giving back. It’s just another way to do that. So I love it,” she expressed.