Carline Smothers: Making the Brand
Carline Smothers is an amazing momtrepreneur based in Metro Atlanta, GA. She was born in Miami and raised in Lakeland, FL; a small city east of Tampa. There she met her high school sweetheart Vershumn who encouraged her to work her way through high school and college to obtain a degree in Communications from the University of Florida. After getting married and starting a family, he also encouraged her to concentrate on a business idea that she started with the help of her sister and cousin. The idea was called Zoe Beautee.
Carline noticed the lack of positive cultural reinforcements for Haitian children and their families during her 
career as an educator. She wanted to create a product line that not only celebrates Haitian culture and beauty, but also erases negative stereotypes about her community.
Today the her brand produces a culturally sophisticated clothing line and a series of children's books and videos called the ZOE BEAUTEE - Little Readers Collection.
Her company’s slogan is "Expressing Beauty Through Language" and it is without a doubt what she is doing and more.
Carline and her team have been hard at work building the Zoe Beautee brand, all while keeping up the full time job of being a wife, a mother and an entrepreneur.
In 2016 Carline received the Woman on Fire Writer Award. And in 2017 she was recog- nized by International Women of H.O.P.E. She also received the You Make A Difference Award. Her story has been featured on Essence, CW 69, Focus Atlanta, and more. Carline will publish her seven year old daughter Nivea’s book early in this year.
Definitely keep an eye out for this Zoe Beautee in 2018.
- http://www.zoebeautee.com
Jacques Jean-Baptiste
Founder and co-editor of Lakol Magazine and owner of OBK Graphics and Productions.