In a world where many women and people of color are constantly overlooked, there is one man who refuses to be silenced. AJ Asmar is the founder of Hair Queen Beauty and Meltdown, two brands making huge strides in the hair and beauty industry in the country. Raised in Palestine, he moved to America at 15 and immediately started working at his father’s hair and beauty company. As a result, he saw firsthand how difficult it was for those with an ethnic background when looking for hair products. As an adult, Asmar decided to do something to fill the growing demand for ethnic beauty products, and Hair Queen Beauty was born. With 6 locations in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, and 25M+ in sales annually, Hair Queen Beauty is one of the fastest-growing ethnic hair and beauty brands today.

The journey to the top began when Asmar was fired from his previous job as a manager in a local beauty supply store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This was a company Asmar had worked for since he was 15 years old, working his way up until becoming a manager. For Asmar, getting fired proved to be a blessing in disguise. After 13 years with the same brand, he suddenly realized he was not exploiting his full potential and could do better. That’s when he unplugged from the worker mentality and tried his hand at entrepreneurship.

Asmar decided he’d go to a smaller city to start his business and moved to Meridian, Mississippi, where he opened his first business, a beauty supply store, in July 2015. Leveraging his experience and skills, he worked hard to establish the brand, and his efforts soon paid off. By the end of his first year as an entrepreneur, Asmar generated over $2.5M in sales, and his