Self-Made Entrepreneur Keisha Hunter-Rorie Inspires and Elevates Future Generations
Keisha Hunter-Rorie with her daughter, Desire'e.
By: Victor Greene
Keisha Hunter-Rorie is a Black entrepreneur and is the first Black woman to open a salon at Northgate Mall in Durham, North Carolina. The salon “Flashlight Salon” was the first commission salon that she built on her own. She had five women work with her in the salon and in the first 10 months of business, Keisha grossed 250,000 dollars. The following year in 2011, Flashlight Salon grossed 360,000 dollars and received a Time Warner-sponsored TV commercial.
Keisha Hunter-Rorie’s story is an inspirational story for young black entrepreneurs and women. As a teenage mother working at McDonald’s and struggling to balance school, she had to drop out of school and work because of the lack of government assistance. Despite the hardships, she was determined to become an entrepreneur.
Hunter-Rorie is a certified hair loss specialist and VA provider which allows her to help those who suffer from alopecia including service veterans. Her daughter, Desire’e, will join her business after graduating from North Carolina A&T with honors and receiving the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for a leadership program.
Hunter-Rorie also created a consulting business, “Straight 2 the Bank,” to assist other aspiring entrepreneurs and help their business ideas flourish. In May 2023, she was a vendor at the Women’s Empowerment Conference ) in Charlotte with over 2,500 – 3,000 women which allowed her to network and meet other entrepreneurs like herself.
“Work hard, don’t get comfortable, and don’t think you are the only one because thinking that will get you knocked off your spot,” Hunter-Rorie said, “Most importantly, be patient.”
