Like many millennial love stories, their romance started with a DM.
Dana Chanel and Prince Donnell, married serial entrepreneurs, initially met while attending the Community College of Philadelphia. However, they both ended up dropping out at different times and taking separate journeys—Chanel moved to New York City and founded a business while Donnell began working at a local TD Bank branch. Donnell, however, rediscovered Chanel on Instagram in 2015. At the time, she was focused on building Sprinkle of Jesus, an app she created in two days that has since ballooned into the largest Christian mobile app in the world with over 8 million users.
“I ended up sliding into her DM’s I want to say about six months to a year later because I saw her videos going viral online,” Donnell said on The Roommates Podcast back in October. Rather than a typical pickup line, he asked her to be his business mentor. “I was like ‘hey, what’s up, I would love for you to help me and mentor me with my business.’”
It worked—but not immediately. Chanel, who had a budding Instagram following and flooded inbox, eventually responded a few months later after checking out his page. After a couple of dates, the two became inseparable. To seal the deal, the 25-year-olds got married in 2017 and Chanel brought Donnell into her family business.
“I remember sitting with my father and telling him I think it’s time for Prince to leave his job and come work with us. You helped make our first million dollars. I praise God for giving me the ability to fire my husband’s boss,” she shared in an Instagram post. “It took him a little while to find his footing, but with LOTS of prayer, rebuilding, reshaping his mindset and support he’s begun to obsessively figure out new ways to use what the Lord gifted him with to become resourceful. The sexiest thing about him is his love for God and I can’t help to stare at him in awe when he works hard to provide for our families and our future. Our endless conversation and intentional practices we use to force each other to think and grow into a level of consciousness necessary to be there for one another spiritually, mentally, and as an entrepreneur is what keeps our relationship going.”
Prince Donnell and Dana Chanel (Black Enterprise)
Donnell accepted the offer and left his job at TD Bank where he was making $15 an hour to work for Dana. After later joining his in-law’s company, Jumping Jack Tax, Donnell quickly got promoted to CEO. Under his leadership, Jumping Jack Tax officially launched its licensing program at the beginning of 2019 and has become the fastest-growing tax preparation company in the country, with over 400 licensees nationwide.
Meanwhile, Chanel went on to launch the Curl Bible, the No. 1 black-owned online beauty supply store, which hosts products from over 200 small businesses. In addition, she owns an app development company and is an investor in a credit company called Credit Exterminators.
Together, they opened a 2,000-square foot office in Philadelphia called coWorking Faith, for Christian entrepreneurs, where they teach workshops on how to create apps and monetize your business. And, just in time for Valentine’s Day, the power couple launched a luxury his-and-her fragrance set called “Cofounders,” which retails for $300.
“Dana Chanel and Prince Donnell romanticized the idea of a perfume and cologne set that embodied the unity of their relationship that turned their family business into a multimillion-dollar empire,” reads the fragrance website.
During an exclusive interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE, the couplepreneur opened up about the financial benefits of marriage and their love story.
“I probably spent hundreds of dollars that I didn’t have just to entertain women that I most likely didn’t plan to go into a marriage with. It was just because I was chasing this thing called sex,” Donnell told BE about his days as a bachelor. “But my question is was the sexual urge worth hundreds of dollars for me to pay especially when I’m looking at my 9-to-5 and I’m still [living] check-to-check? So a mindset for a man has to change to understand that it’s not even profitable for you to be chasing multiple women.”
Meanwhile, Chanel admitted that when she met Donnell, she wasn’t looking for love. “I wasn’t looking for marriage at all. I wasn’t even looking for a man. I was raised by an extraordinary man that showed me exactly what my heart desired when it came to self-desire and business,” she said.
Watch the clip below.
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