Who is Latrice Rogers? OWN's southern reality series 'Belle Collective' to showcase the self-made millionaire
January 2021 has many new television shows lined up for us and Oprah Winfrey Network is no different. Slated to premiere on Friday, January 15, 2021, OWN's 'Belle Collective' is an unscripted show which features the personal and professional lives of five successful, glamourous boss women who are redefining what it means to be a southern belle in Jackson Mississippi.
The show features five Black businesswomen, and among them is self-made millionaire Latrice Rogers, the woman behind Goddess Lengths Virgin Hair Bar, a successful hair care emporium in Mississippi.
Rogers, a Brandon resident, was the recipient of the SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2017 and first opened Goddess Lengths in 2014 and has made more than $1 million since it opened. The establishment primarily provides hair extensions, but also employs makeup artists and stylists and has hair-care products and other beauty items for sale.
On winning the award, Rogers told Jackson Free Press in 2017, "I never win anything like this, so receiving this kind of award from the SBA feels like a huge accomplishment for me." She continued, "I've always been fascinated with beauty, and growing up, people would often compliment me on hair and clothing. I can just close my eyes, feel a person's hair and tell them all about it, so it wasn't much for me to just jump into this line of work where I can do something I love."
Rogers graduated from Canton High School and Jackson State University. She received a bachelor's degree in biology in 2010 and briefly attended graduate and nursing school at Baptist College of Health Science in 2011 for a few months after graduating from JSU. However, she found that she did not like it and came back to Jackson where she continued to work odd jobs until she decided to go into business herself, according to the publication.
She told the publication that she started working out of the trunk of her car, providing extensions and beauty services as a side business at first. She said, "I would set up in the parking lot at places like Target, and pretty soon, I started getting long lines of people at my car waiting for services. My husband, Clifton Rogers, recommended opening up a storefront, and I initially rented a space out on McWillie Drive for about $200. From there, it just grew and grew until I was able to buy my current location.
In addition to offering hair extension services at Goddess Lengths, Rogers also has a vending machine set up in Northpark Mall that dispenses extensions for customers to apply on their own at home. The machine proved to be a success and Rogers told Jackson Free Press that he intended on setting up similar machines across the city in the future, saying, "The beauty industry is a competitive field, so on top of striving to be the best at what you do, you have to make sure that no one is doing things quite the same way you do."
'Belle Collective' premieres on Oprah Winfrey Network on Friday, January 15, 2021.