Gabby and Rozalynn Goodwin, Confidence

CEO and COO

Thirteen-year-old Gabby is the CEO of Confidence. She and her mom Rozalynn invented GaBBY Bows, the first and patented Double-Face Double-Snap Barrette to save families time, money and frustration. Solving the age-old problem of disappearing hair barrettes, GaBBY Bows are engineered to prevent hair slippage.

Their patented barrettes and plant-based girls’ natural hair product line - that reduces detangling time and tears and maintains moisture for days - remove dread from the styling process so moms, dads and girls can cherish this precious time together.

The company launched and began selling barrettes through its online store at gabbybows.com in February 2014. The mother-daughter duo has since filled online orders to all 50 states in the U.S. and in twelve countries. GaBBY Bows are also carried in select Target, retail and beauty supply stores in the US, Canada and South Africa.

Gabby and Rozalynn launched the Mommy and Me Entrepreneurship Academy in November 2018. More than 50 Girl Bosses and their mothers from 16 states have enrolled for mentoring and started their own businesses under the Confidence brand.

The children’s book Gabby Invents the Perfect Hair Bow chronicles Gabby’s entrepreneurial journey.

Their story has been featured on The Real, Aspire TV, NPR How I Built This, The Today Show, Forbes, Kiplinger Magazine, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Free Enterprise Magazine, JET.com, Essence.com, Madamnoire, AOL and Now This.

Gabby was named a 2015 South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the youngest to ever receive this award. The company was named a 2016 SCORE and Sam’s Club American SmallBusiness Champion and the 2016 SCORE Foundation Outstanding Diverse Business of the Year. Gabby was also named the 2018 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year and the 2019 SpeakerCon Teen Speaker of the Year.

Gabby is engaged in all aspects of the business from inventory, to speaking at schools and business conferences and helping with sales taxes to writing thank you notes to every customer who orders products online. She hosts the GaBBY Play Date to teach girls in children’s shelters about entrepreneurship.

Rozalynn also serves as Vice President for Engagement and a lobbyist for the SC Hospital Association, is a Liberty Fellow and manages the career of her husband Comedian Mike Goodwin. Gabby, Rozalynn, Mike and their little brother/son Michael live in Columbia, SC.

Sessions: