This week all eyes are on webpreneur Leila Noelliste, creator of the website Black Girl with Long Hair.

The Birth of Black Girl with Long Hair:
If you are an African-American female YBMer, you know how it feels to be at a crossroad with your hair.  It’s too thick, thin, brittle, coarse, short, or long.  Perhaps you’ve contemplated the idea of cutting it off and going natural, but the thought of going natural brings up another stressful issue.  How do you maintain it?

In November 2006, Leila Noelliste made the transition from processed hair to natural hair.  Initially, she had a hard time caring for her new head of fine, delicate curls.  After searching for natural hair care tips on several websites, Noelliste wasn’t impressed.

In search of motivation to keep her sustained in her natural hair journey, she decided to start her own blog.  She hoped to steer readers in a new direction, and reflect on her personal journey with her hair.  Hence, in April 2008, Noelliste introduced, Black Girl with Long Hair.

The Whirlwind:
Noelliste worked hard to carve out her space in the natural hair blogosphere niche.  She spent hours on the social media site Fotki, seeking photos of women with natural hair to feature on her blog.  With a 10% success rate, she kept the momentum up hoping to be that top resource for African-American women.

With hard work, and persistence, a great opportunity was presented to her.

“Crème of Nature contacted me to be in an ad along with 4 other beauty bloggers.  This ad was placed in Essence Magazine and Hype Hair Magazine. As a result, people started to view my blog as a respectable source,” says Noelliste.

Today, Black Girl with Long Hair is one of the premier web resource sites for African-American women with natural hair.

Tips From Lelia For Webpreneurs:

• Make sure you have a niche.  You have to be willing to narrow down and focus on what you want to go into.
• Having a blog is blood, sweat, and tears.  It can be difficult.  Be ready for challenges.
• Have a plan and stay optimistic.
• Always remain positive, and believe in yourself.

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Nowadays, in addition to maintaining Black Girl with Long Hair, Noelliste conducts events in Chicago where “naturals” engage in hair discussions, vendors display different hair products, and women swap ideas, resources, and tips on how to care for natural hair.

To be featured on Black Girl with Long Hair you can send Noelliste a picture at the following email address: blackgirllonghair@gmail.com.