At age 20, Halima Hussein was a first-year law student at Brunel University London with no intention of becoming a lawyer. While her Kenyan peers were busy adjusting to university life in a new country, she was launching an organic beauty brand, HH Glam.
“It was more curiosity than strategy,” she says, of the venture she started in 2019, during the break after her first year in university. “I was looking for clean skincare for myself and decided to make a business around it.”
Halima’s first marketing strategy was easy: She sent samples to beauty influencers on YouTube and Instagram, hoping for a mention or review. That was in 2018.
“I didn’t know it was called influencer marketing,” she says. “I just figured if they liked it, their followers might try it too.”
That unstructured approach turned out to be effective. The buzz around her products started to grow, particularly within the Kenyan diaspora.
By 2020, HH Glam had built a modest but loyal customer base, driven almost entirely by organic influencer shout-outs and word-of-mouth. Although production remained small-scale, the experience planted a critical seed – digital influence could drive commerce and creators were becoming more valuable than traditional advertising spaces.
But even as she juggled classes and business, Halima knew law was not her long-term path.
“I loved the academic side of law, especially consumer and intellectual property law, but I couldn’t see myself practicing.” After graduating with her LLB from Brunel in 2021, she shifted gears and enrolled in a Master of Science programme in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Management at Imperial College London. The move was intentional.
“I knew I wanted to run businesses. The Master’s taught me how to scale ideas, structure teams, and think long-term.”
In 2022, she joined British advertising agency WPP, effectively throwing her into the thoroughfare of advertising and communications as a junior strategist. Within seven months, she was managing the L’Oréal account across several European markets and leading a team of three. She was 24.
“It was intense. Fast timelines, high expectations, and very little room to make mistakes. But it was also incredibly validating. I found the work creative, analytical, and impact-driven.” Yet, beneath her professional success was a simmering frustration – the lack of diversity in boardrooms, campaign rosters, and influencer lists.
“I was often the only Black woman in the room. I kept asking, where are the Black influencers? Why are we overlooking this entire segment of the market?”
It was during this time that Halima began thinking seriously about a solution.
“I come from a family of four girls. Most of my friends are Black women. I know their value, their influence, their creativity. And yet, they were constantly being left out of the conversation.” That reckoning became the foundation for her next move.
In early 2024 she began consulting on influencer campaigns for clients across the UK, US, and UAE. “I didn’t have a client list, I had no guaranteed income, but I had a vision—and a strong sense of purpose,” she says.
This was also her soft exit from the stability of employment. Within two weeks of quitting, her first freelance campaign came through. A second followed. Then a third. By the end of the first quarter, she had more work than she had imagined.
She formalised her operations under the banner Marketing in Color, an agency focused on influencer marketing and talent management with a mission to champion underrepresented creators particularly Black women in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle sectors.
The agency’s model is two-pronged. First, it runs influencer marketing campaigns for brands that want culturally resonant storytelling. Second, it manages and represents micro and nano creators—especially in niches like natural haircare and skincare. Why haircare as a niche, one would ask.
“Haircare, especially for 4C hair, is one of the most overlooked categories in influencer marketing. Many Black women are creating brilliant content with zero compensation. That’s the gap we’re trying to close.”
One of her early success stories is Salma Osman, a creator who, under Marketing in Color’s guidance, moved from 10,000 followers and no income to signing four-figure deals with FMCG brands in both the UK and US. “She had talent. We just provided structure, negotiation, and positioning.”
Parallel to the agency, Halima launched a mentorship platform called The Color is Melanin, aimed at Black women across media, marketing, PR, and tech.
“It wasn’t a protest or reaction. It was an answer to the lack of access and mentorship that many Black women experience early in their careers.”
Since launching in Q2 2024, the community has hosted over 50 women across five continents, with regular workshops, guest speakers, and networking opportunities. Halima personally mentors several women in the group and has hosted talks with leaders like Agnes Cazin, founder of Haiti73 Agency in the UK, and Ebony, CEO of The Genie Beauty in the US.
“This is about visibility and voice,” she says. “You can’t rise in an industry where you’re invisible. So, we’re changing that.”
With operations now spanning Europe, America and Asia, Halima still keeps her eye on Kenya. Her earliest entrepreneurial success and cultural identity are rooted in Nairobi.
“I’ve been in conversations with Kenyan agencies and influencers for years, but it is hard to penetrate. There is a lot of informality and backdoor dealings. People expect cuts for referrals, even if they didn’t bring value.”
Despite those barriers, she remains optimistic. “Kenyan creators are some of the most talented I’ve ever seen. Their content is world-class. But we need systems – contracts, agents, transparent pricing, and long-term strategy.”
To support that shift, Halima’s team is preparing to launch a series of training workshops in Kenya later this year.
Topics will include brand negotiation, campaign pricing, influencer contracts, and building personal brand equity.
“We want to empower creators to run their influence like a business.”
Entrepreneurship, especially at a global scale, is not without its volatility. Halima’s anchor through the chaos is her faith. “There are days when nothing makes sense—no clients, no income, no clarity. That’s when I lean into God. In a world driven by numbers, you need something to ground you—something that doesn’t move when markets do.”
Her long-term ambition is to scale Marketing in Color into a globally recognised agency that not only delivers campaigns but also shapes culture. That includes expanding the agency’s footprint in the US, supporting underfunded Black female-owned brands, and building a structured talent management system for African creators.
“I want to see African creators on billboards, in global campaigns, in six-figure brand deals—not as charity, but as strategy, because they are shaping culture. They deserve a seat at the table—and a share of the pie.”
What has her journey taught her?
“You have to believe in yourself, even when no one else does.” Sometimes, you need to be a little delusional to build the life you want. That stable life, pension, paid leave, and office routine, it’ll always be there. But if there’s something burning in your heart, follow it. That’s where your real life is hiding.”
