Entrepreneur Carmella Williams Uplifts Youngstown Community

Carmella Williams has founded multiple businesses, including Ohio's longest-standing Black-owned hair care brand and the city's only juice bar, while also mentoring other entrepreneurs.

Mar. 24, 2026 at 10:05am

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Carmella Williams is an entrepreneur and mentor in Youngstown, Ohio, who has founded multiple businesses, including Ohio's longest-standing Black-owned hair care brand and the city's only juice bar. Through her work with Intentional Development Group, she has helped turn ideas into thriving businesses, especially for entrepreneurs who have faced barriers to opportunity. Beyond business, Carmella's work touches lives, as she represents proof that growth is possible, and that it's even more meaningful when it's shared.

Why it matters

Carmella Williams' story highlights the power of entrepreneurship and community-building to drive positive change in a city like Youngstown, which has faced economic challenges. Her work uplifts underrepresented entrepreneurs and serves as an inspiration for others to pursue their own business dreams.

The details

Carmella Williams has founded multiple businesses in Youngstown, including Ohio's longest-standing Black-owned hair care brand and the city's only juice bar. Through her organization, Intentional Development Group, she has helped other entrepreneurs, especially those who have faced barriers, turn their ideas into successful businesses. Beyond her entrepreneurial work, Carmella's story is one of empowerment, as she represents proof that growth and success are possible, and that sharing that journey with others can have a profound impact.

  • Carmella Williams founded her first business in Youngstown.
  • Carmella started the Intentional Development Group to mentor other entrepreneurs.

The players

Carmella Williams

An entrepreneur and mentor in Youngstown, Ohio, who has founded multiple businesses, including Ohio's longest-standing Black-owned hair care brand and the city's only juice bar.

Intentional Development Group

An organization founded by Carmella Williams to help turn ideas into thriving businesses, especially for entrepreneurs who have faced barriers to opportunity.

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What they’re saying

“It's about building community. People think they have to run the race alone, but it's never that. Making people healthy, helping them to see themselves for who they are and better themselves from a hair perspective, and then as a small business owner creating more entrepreneurs so we can create an economic impact, and that has been my whole childhood.”

— Carmella Williams, Entrepreneur

“To give them that support and show them that they can do it and to show them that someone believes that they can do it can change a whole family, just like that.”

— Carmella Williams, Entrepreneur

“We've been taught so much to be humble and to shrink ourselves and not really tell that story, but you are talented, you are bright, you are amazing. Say the whole story because the world deserves to know that there is something beautiful happening right here in this area.”

— Carmella Williams, Entrepreneur

What’s next

Carmella Williams plans to continue expanding her businesses and mentoring other entrepreneurs in Youngstown, with the goal of creating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the city.

The takeaway

Carmella Williams' story demonstrates the power of entrepreneurship and community-building to drive positive change in underserved areas. Her work uplifting other entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, serves as an inspiration for others to pursue their own business dreams and create lasting impact in their local communities.