Leslie Phillips grew up spending her time assisting her mother whom was heavily involved in the cosmetology community and held many prestigious local and national leadership roles within the beauty industry.  As a child working in her mother’s salon assisting clients and working within the business, a passion for helping women look and feel their best as well as an interest in entrepreneurship developed. Leslie received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Prairie View A&M University, and later earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Texas Southern University. After college, Leslie accumulated a strong background in Professional Sales, Management, and Leadership Training while working for three major corporations gaining experience in Organizational development from the Retail, Advertising and Pharmaceutical industry. That experience, coupled with her passionate interest in health, beauty & fitness topics impacting Women and Girls fueled her to step out on faith and open Obsidian Beauty Supply in 2011.  Obsidian stands apart from the traditional “Ethnic Beauty Supply Store” in that Health/Beauty Education, Self -Esteem and philanthropy are major pillars of its business model. Leslie became Founder and CEO of Obsidian Beauty Inc. while also establishing a successful career in corporate America as a senior level Account Executive with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and eventually became a full-time entrepreneur and consultant in 2013. After strategically planning and executing the the build out, staffing and marketing strategy for a 2,000 sq. ft. luxury beauty supply product storefront/salon concept and effectively selling a mix of over 1,000 branded and unbranded hair and skin care products, high-end hair extensions and beauty services and additionally building a strong client base and social media following of over 10k users and reaching over a million dollars in sales  she successfully sold the business in 2018 after running the business for seven years. Leslie Speaks, Teaches & Trains locally & nationally contributing her experience and expertise as a Beauty Industry entrepreneur in an effort to further promote successful business ownership and support among women and minorities. Additionally, Leslie is a past Vice President of the local Black Beauty Supply Association (BBSA) and has been an active member of the Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals (HAULYP), the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), and the National Sales Network (NSN).