CurlyNikki's Post-Litigation Success Attest to Her Courage and Entrepreneurial Spirit
For more than a year, Mauney PLLC represented Nikki Walton, the well-known social media influencer and entrepreneur behind the CurlyNikki.com website, in federal court litigation in North Carolina. Since that litigation resolved in 2019, "CurlyNikki" has been on an upward trajectory of success that is a testament to Nikki's courage and entrepreneurial spirit. Mauney PLLC is proud of Nikki, and her post-litigation work is a testament to her grit and determination. Mauney PLLC was lucky to have had her as a client.
Nikki starts the Women's Natural Hair website, CurlyNikki.com.
If you don't know who Nikki Walton is, you should. Nikki spent years as a Masters-degreed psychotherapist helping women ages 18-34 cope with depression and anxiety. Many of Nikki’s clients were young African-American women. Some of those women talked to Nikki about their hair as a function of their self-esteem. Such concerns prompted Nikki to embrace her naturally curly hair, to research the science of how best to care for curly hair, and to train herself on how to best care and nurture her own hair. Nikki joined a number of on-line hair care forums, and her postings on those forums gained popularity, and she, in turn, began to be known as an authority on issues related to the care of curly hair. Curly-hair forum posters began encouraging Nikki to start her own website. Shortly thereafter, in 2008, Nikki (at the time, Nikki was a 25-year-old full time psychotherapist) established the “CurlyNikki.com” website – where she began offering online advice to women with hair like hers.
CurlyNikki.com Becomes the Most Heavily Trafficked Natural Hair Site in the World
Nikki began advocating for women to educate themselves about various hair products and treatments, which led to a measurable growth in women demanding natural hair care products in place of the chemical relaxers that had been detrimental to the overall health of their hair. As the audience for CurlyNikki.com grew, and the website’s content and sophistication grew. By 2010, CurlyNikki.com had become the most heavily trafficked natural hair website in the world. That volume of traffic made CurlyNikki.com attractive to Internet advertisers and gave Nikki prominence as a “social media influencer.”
Nikki Walton's Social Media Influence Generates Celebrity
Nikki soon found herself sharing her message and outlook with print media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes magazine, USA Today, The Washington Post, InStyle magazine, Ebony magazine, and Essence magazine. Dozens of television appearances followed, including the TODAY show, ABC’s Nightline, The Tyra Banks Show, The Katie Couric Show, The Steve Harvey Show, and many others. Nikki gained considerable recognition through her more than 50 nationally televised appearances. Nikki became one of Dr. Oz’s most frequent guests. Nikki began authoring books, such as the one published by Harper Collins and entitled “Better Than Good Hair. This kind of attention has made Nikki one of the most sought-after experts on the subject of hair care beauty in the United States.
CurlyNikki is Back at Full Force Helping Women
As Nikki’s “CurlyNikki” persona grew, corporations in the hair industry took interest. Hoping to grow her business, Nikki sold a portion of her website and publicity rights to a private firm. This did not go well, and in 2018, “CurlyNikki” came to Mauney PLLC for representation. For more than a year, Nikki fought in federal court to get her “CurlyNikki” rights back under personal control. The case resolved in 2019, and once more Nikki full control over her website and the rights to her “CurlyNikki” persona. And Nikki has been growing her website and advocating for women like never before. Just a few weeks ago, ELLE magazine paid tribute to Nikki in an article entitled: “If Our hair Could Talk, It Would Tell You of Our Legacy.” Nikki recently appeared on Good Morning America to talk about keeping your hair curly and hydrated in inclimate weather. The Huffington Post recently featured Nikki in a terrific read on the "early days" of the natural hair movement. And, of course, Nikki has been back helping Dr. Oz's viewers get and keep great hair.
We're proud of you, CurlyNikki - and we hope you never need help from a civil litigation firm again!
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