A CEO at 28: Chicago hair care company leader was groomed for success
At 28, Aris Singleton became CEO of Chicago-based textured hair care company Thank God It’s Natural, known as tgin. She took over after her aunt, tgin founder Chris-Tia Donaldson, died of breast cancer.
Four years later, Singleton now has plans to expand tgin's product offerings while embracing her strengths as a young CEO and honoring her aunt's legacy.
Unbeknownst to Singleton, her aunt was preparing her to take over the company.
Singleton started working for tgin in high school, helping to manage its social media account and ship company T-shirts from her bedroom in Detroit.
Tgin started when Donaldson, an attorney at Chicago's Sidley Austin, wrote the 2009 book "Thank God I’m Natural." She wrote about her natural hair journey and included hair care recipes and tips for textured hair. It became a New York Times bestseller, and she gained a large social media following.
“It detailed her journey through childhood and corporate America and the struggles that she faced as a young Black woman with her hair,” Singleton said. "People were saying, ‘Hey, you know this book is great, but we need more from you.' Back in 2009, … there weren’t a lot of products for us.”
By 2013, Donaldson launched tgin. Since then, the brand has expanded to retailers like Target, Walmart, Ulta and Mariano's. Recently, tgin launched in Boots, one of the United Kingdom's largest health and beauty retailers and part of Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Product prices range from $9.99 to $18.99. The brand is known for using natural ingredients, free from parabens and phthalates. Popular products include tgin's Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer and Rose Water Smoothing Leave In Conditioner. The company is creating a new collection of products, launching later this year.
Tgin has 30 employees and an annual revenue of $20 million.
Breast cancer awareness
Two years into launching the brand, Donaldson was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. Before she died in 2021, at 42, Donaldson urged Singleton to join the company.
“Chris-Tia said, ‘Hey, I need you to come back and work for me. My assistant's going out on maternity leave. I just need you for six months,” Donaldson said. “I'm like, ‘Look, I don't really want to do the whole family dynamic thing working with you, I love you.’ ... Here I am, eight years later.”
Singleton's mom, Piper Farrell-Singleton, also worked at the company and helped guide her. Farrell-Singleton is now tgin's chief strategy officer.
Singleton has gone through her own struggles with her hair. She tried a relaxer when she was younger then went natural, even shaving all her hair off. Now, she mixes up her hairstyles but keeps a bright blue hue.
"In the last couple of years, I have seen Black women show up unapologetically as themselves, expressing themselves through their hair," Singleton said.
She's also noticed more hair care brands marketing to Black consumers.
"A lot of these brands are not owned by Black people or Black women, and I don't necessarily have an issue with that,” she said. “My issue is not having Black women at the table, on your board, within your organization."
Becoming a CEO in her late 20s gave the company a “fresh perspective,” she said. “I am a millennial, but I can relate to Gen Z. I know what it is they want. … I think I just really sit in an interesting seat where I can see both, like a 360 perspective.”
Singleton wants to start a mentorship program. The brand currently has a nonprofit, tgin Foundation, that helps support women battling breast cancer.
“My ultimate goal is to be able to help other young women entrepreneurs,” she said. “I want to make sure I am pouring into Black women, that we have a seat at the table, we have a voice, especially since I know firsthand how uncomfortable it can be showing up in these rooms."