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From $200 to $1.6 Million: How One Mom's Innovation Earned Her Our Start.Pivot.Grow. Grant
- Cynthia Nevels
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Transforming wash day struggles into a thriving business that's changing lives one family at a time
May 25, 2025 | Post by Start.Pivot.Grow.
The Power of Partnership in Action
Through our Start.Pivot.Grow.. economic development program, made possible by our partnership with The UPS Foundation, Integrality, and the Wells Fargo Foundation, we're proud to have disbursed $10,000 in grant awards to help five small businesses overcome critical business hurdles. Today, we spotlight one remarkable winner whose story embodies the resilience, innovation, and determination that drives entrepreneurial success.
From Garage to Glory: Meet Kia-Shun Volz
In the heart of Red Oak, Texas, what started as a single mother's frustration with lengthy hair washing routines has blossomed into Shampoo Time™—a revolutionary business that's transforming how families approach wash day. Kia-Shun Volz, founder and CEO, has built something extraordinary from the most humble beginnings. Kia-Shun Volz is a African American inventor who holds four patents and two trademarks.
The $200 Beginning
"I took $200 and made the first shampoo mat," Kia-Shun recalls. That simple investment, born from watching her daughter, Carter, struggle through hours-long wash and styling sessions, has grown into a business generating over $1.6 million in sales in just under five years.
The breakthrough came during a moment of divine inspiration. After years of contemplating a solution, Kia-Shun found herself at her daughter's gymnastics class, watching Carter fearlessly flip on the mats. "I was like, you know, I need something like that, but just for the kitchen counter," she remembers.
Innovation Meets Necessity
The Shampoo Mat™ turns any sink into a comfortable shampoo bowl, complete with an entertainment bar for smart devices—transforming what was once a dreaded chore into a peaceful, bonding experience. The product line has since expanded to include the KurlSense™ Hair Care line, Bead Box™, which revolutionizes the time-consuming process of adding beads to hairstyles.
But Kia-Shun's vision extends far beyond convenience. "This is more about changing traumatic wash days into a fun bonding experience," she explains. Growing up, she remembers hair care time as necessary but not necessarily enjoyable. Her mission is to change that narrative in communities everywhere.
The Viral Moment That Changed Everything
When Kia-Shun first posted about her invention on Instagram, the response was immediate and overwhelming—millions of views and thousands of people asking where they could buy one. What started as a solution for her family quickly revealed a massive, unmet market need.
The timing of her aunt's advice proved crucial: "You need a patent before somebody steals your idea." Within six months, someone had indeed copied the product and attempted to file their own patent. Thanks to that timely wisdom, Kia-Shun retained ownership of her innovation.
The Superwoman Syndrome Challenge
Like many entrepreneurs—particularly women of color—Kia-Shun faced what business advisor Cynthia Nevels identified as "Superwoman Syndrome." The belief that "I'm the only one who can do everything" had driven her success but was now limiting her growth potential.
"You're not gonna quit your nine-to-five to lie on the couch," Kia-Shun reflects on the entrepreneurial reality. "You're gonna quit your nine-to-five to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Especially in the beginning."
Three months before our interview, Kia-Shun made the leap from corporate America—where she'd worked for top defense and aerospace companies, to full-time entrepreneurship. The decision has opened doors she never imagined possible from NBC News, Blavity, Essence to BET.
The Grant That Changes Everything
Recognition came at the perfect moment. Our Start.Pivot.Grow.. grant will help Kia-Shun transition from "hustle mode" to enterprise management, providing crucial marketing support to reach her target audience more effectively. In addition, with her recent first-place Start.Pivot.Grow.. Pitch It! Pitch competition win of $20,000, Nevels helped to secure her commercial television ad spot, which will air on Spectrum TV and Spectrum Stream on the cable network across the Midwest. Spectrum TV App is the #1 most-viewed streaming service in the U.S.
"You're my fairy godmother," Kia-Shun exclaimed upon learning about the grant. The funding will specifically support marketing efforts, including paid advertising campaigns to help overcome the challenge that many innovative products face: creating demand for something people don't yet know they need.
Impact Beyond Products
The most meaningful moments for Kia-Shun come through customer testimonials. One particularly memorable review came from a mother of an autistic child who had dreaded wash days because of her son's distress. After purchasing the Shampoo Mat, those traumatic experiences transformed into manageable, peaceful moments.
"Every review really means a lot to me because Shampoo Time™ was built from the heart," Kia-Shun shares. She ensures her daughters see the impact their family business is making, involving them in the operation and helping them understand the legacy they're building together.
Looking Forward: From Hustle to Enterprise
With the grant support, Kia-Shun is ready to tackle her biggest challenge: building a team. "I'm ready, I'm tired of doing it alone," she admits. The goal is to establish systems and processes that allow her to lead from the top rather than work at the bottom.
Her vision for Shampoo Time™ extends far beyond individual products. She envisions a complete ecosystem where "everything that you use to wash and style your hair will be a Shampoo Time™ product," fundamentally changing how families experience hair care routines.
The Ripple Effect of Strategic Support
Kia-Shun's story illustrates exactly why the Start.Pivot.Grow. initiative exists. Sometimes, talented entrepreneurs just need someone to say "we see you" and provide the strategic support to overcome specific hurdles. The business intelligence and marketing expertise our program provides, combined with financial backing from our foundation partners, creates a multiplier effect that extends far beyond the initial investment.
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Kia-Shun's journey offers powerful insights for anyone building a business:
Listen to Your Instincts: The idea came from real personal pain—hours of difficult wash days that needed a better solution.
Start Where You Are: $200 in materials and a vision were enough to begin. Perfect conditions aren't required.
Protect Your Innovation: Seek patents and legal protection early, before sharing your ideas publicly.
Embrace the Unknown: Fear of setting goals held Kia-Shun back initially. Now she's ready to set "lofty goals" and work toward them systematically.
Build for Community: The most successful products solve real problems for real people. Kia-Shun's focus on transforming family experiences resonates deeply with her market.
The Future is Bright
As we celebrate Kia-Shun's success and the impact of our Start.Pivot.Grow. program, we're reminded that behind every innovative product is an entrepreneur who saw a problem and refused to accept the status quo. Through strategic partnerships with organizations like The UPS Foundation, Integrality, and Wells Fargo Foundation, we're able to identify and support these changemakers at crucial moments in their journey.
Kia-Shun Volz represents the best of American entrepreneurship: identifying real problems, creating innovative solutions, and building businesses that make life better for families everywhere. From a garage in Red Oak, Texas, to potentially becoming the billion-dollar brand she envisions, her story proves that with the right support at the right time, extraordinary things are possible.
The transformation from $200 to $1.6 million is remarkable, but the real success lies in the thousands of families who now look forward to wash day instead of dreading it. That's the kind of impact that makes partnerships like Start.Pivot.Grow.. not just worthwhile, but essential.
Want to learn more about our Start.Pivot.Grow. initiative or nominate a business for future consideration? Visit our website to discover how we're supporting entrepreneurs who are changing the world, one innovation at a time.