I was the founder of award-winning men's grooming brand, Mr Blackman's, which I ran for 7 years until closing it in 2023.

Built from scratch, I built the brand iteratively, starting with one product, adding more as we saw the need and demand. From market research and formulating products to branding and advertising to speaking to customers, mapping user journeys and implementing improvements that could be made across different areas of the business.

Mr Blackman’s was founded to answer a question about diversity in the men’s cosmetics industry in the UK. Celebrating it’s Afro-Caribbean heritage through strong imagery and it’s use of language, Mr Blackman’s ultimately helped pave the way for men’s grooming products designed for men of colour.

The brand was rooted in sustainability and a concern for the environment, with products only being made using natural ingredients in small batches based on demand, packaging being recyclable and single products being designed to serve multiple purposes to reduce the need for more.

With a strong focus on men’s health and mental health Mr Blackman’s developed content to raise awareness and support men, including developing a product line in collaboration with Mount Gay Rum for Movember.

During Covid, with a strong digital presence, the brand went from strength to strength, able to pivot and adapt as needed, including hosting a virtual music event at the height of the pandemic, when something ‘normal’ was much needed.

After 7 years the mission we set out to achieve at the start had been answered with new brands coming along and big ones starting to take note. Building and running the brand had started to take a toll on me personally and it was time to Make Time For Me.

You can read more and listen to interviews about Mr Blackman’s and building the brand at the end of the page.