Kenyan TikTok personality and entrepreneur, Mummie Francie, has openly discussed how her skin bleaching business became a primary source of income and how she pioneered the use of TikTok for commercial purposes in Kenya.
In a lively interview with Dr. Ofweneke on TV47 Kenya, she detailed her journey from a background in dancing to establishing a thriving online skincare enterprise, highlighting the motivations and challenges that shaped her unique path.
Revolutionizing TikTok for Business in 2021
Mummie credits herself with being among the first to introduce business content and live streams on TikTok in Kenya in 2021.
At a time when the platform was predominantly used for dancing, nothing more, she recognized its potential beyond entertainment.
Faced with difficult circumstances following the COVID-19 pandemic, she found herself with no way to turn after returning home from previous endeavors, prompting her to embrace the social media platform.
She boldly entered the skincare business space on TikTok, notably becoming the first person to openly declare her involvement in skin bleaching on the platform.
“2021 life was so hard. Corona happened in 2020. So, coming back home from the ground and there is no way to turn I said to myselflet me take the platform.At that time TikTok was just about dancing nothing more. I was the first person to introduce businessTik Tokbusiness and Tik Tok live, to be specific, Skincare business."
Bleaching as a Livelihood and Personal Choice
While acknowledging that bleaching is not safe and has pros and cons, Mummie Francie asserts that it can be done in a healthy way by incorporating breaks and using healthy products.
She expressed no regrets about her engagement in the practice.
“No one was bold enough to come out saying I bleach. But I was the first person to come out boldly enough. I bleach, and it is not safe. Everything has its pros and cons, one thing I can tell you, you just bleach but in a healthy way.”
Regarding regrets about bleaching, she said: "No. I don't have any regrets right now because it's giving me money. I'd rather bleach and be rich than to be dark and not have money in my pocket".
Francie's initial foray into bleaching was not for commercial purposes but a personal decision. She stated that she began because she was just darkening and wanted to brighten up.
This personal experience eventually led her to understand skincare product formulation and application, learning "how to bleach, how to when it's time for rejuvenating your skin", which subsequently became her business. She is now also seriously pursuing dermatology studies.
From Dancer to Digital Entrepreneur Prior to her TikTok fame and business success, Mummie Francie had a very different professional life.
She revealed that she was a dancer, specifically a twerker, participating in videos and road shows after leaving her father's house at 17 in 2012.
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