The founder of a Black-owned company is sitting pretty after product sales doubled despite being targeted by racist online trolls.
Beatrice Dixon’s company, The Honey Pot Company, was targeted by trolls who left racist reviews on Trust Pilot after she was recently featured in a new Target ad, promoting her feminine hygiene products.
In the ad, Dixon says, “The reason why it’s so important for Honey Pot to do well, is so the next Black girl that comes up with a great idea, she could have a better opportunity. That means a lot to me.”
And that’s all it took to upset a small minority of viewers, who promptly headed to Trust Pilot to slander her and her brand.
Despite the racist backlash, Dixon told Buzzfeed News that her company’s sales were up 40% to 50% higher than what they would be on a typical day.
Target is known for championing small Black beauty businesses, often ahead of larger retailers such as Walmart and Macy’s — something a particular demographic appears to be unaware of.
“I’m thankful for it because it kind of shows the reality we live,” Dixon told Essence. “You know, nothing about what I said was bad. Could I have said something different? Surely I could have. But if I had to go back, I still wouldn’t choose differently.”
Very few venture capital-backed ventures are Black-owned, something Dixon says she is determined to change.
“It’s unfortunate that the facts are the facts, the statistics are the statistics, and until that changes, we need to be having these types of conversations,” Dixon said. “And we need to be having businesses that are getting to the metrics that we have to get to so that this isn’t even a conversation.”
You can view the offending ad below.
