Melissa Butler has a story to tell, including a hurdle she had to overcome on a popular TV show. Once a shrewd stockbroker on Wall Street, the Detroit native traded in her highly sought-after job for a career, changing women's lives one product at a time.

In 2018, with guts and her dream in tow, Butler and her creative director, Roscoe Spears, made it to the high-stakes pitch room on Shark Tank, hoping to win the judges over with a mobilized beauty bar. Instead, they were called "colorful cockroaches" by mega-millionaire Kevin O'Leary, then rejected by every judge on the panel, including FUBU founder Damon Dash.

For Butler, that was only fuel for the fire.

Since then, The Lip Bar has thrived and lives on shelves at Target and Walmart. By "resilience," Butler has orchestrated an indisputable shift in a predominantly white male-run industry with her unapologetic style and grace. For her, it's all about giving women a voice who have been subjected to archaic beauty standards.

"I really strongly believed in what I was doing and in making a difference in the beauty industry and making sure that women who looked like me or didn't look like me had the ability to see themselves," she said.

Now, she is fresh from signing a new deal that makes The Lip Bar even more accessible to users nationwide. As the brand enters new territory, the entrepreneur acknowledges that this is not just a win for the company. This serves as a wake-up call for more diversity and inclusion in an industry that makes more than $500 billion annually.

"I'm just so proud of me and my team, and I'm thankful to retailers like CVS for starting to transition. For years, drugstore makeup would have old-school heritage brands. So having a small indie brand like The Lip Bar means that we are changing the conversation and beauty.

BET.com caught up with Butler on her newest venture, how her other brand, thread beauty, is empowering Gen-Z to be "fluid and free," and what she does to create a healthy balance in her life. And, of course, she sounded off on that unforgettable moment on Shark Tank

BET.com: How does having The Lip Bar in 3,000 CVS stores across the United States feel?

Melissa Butler: I'm excited to be able to provide that accessibility. It makes sense because there are no big box stores in many of our communities, specifically Black and brown communities.

BET.com: : Before reaching a new deal with The Lip Bar and CVS, your idea of having it on wheels was shut down by each judge on Shark Tank. How did that moment affect you?

Melissa Butler: I'm living out the story that was already written for me. I am showing up for myself and my community of Black women. I had a responsibility to myself and my dream. For me, it was never an option to stop or to give up because I am on the shoulders of many people who came before me, but also I can provide shoulders for the people behind me. The most flattering part of my journey is that all these people have started businesses because of me.

BET.com: Not only is The Lip Bar woman-founded and owned, but an ecosystem of women also leads it. Why is it important to ensure the business is in the hands of women?

Melissa Butler: This is our world. We literally create life. I wanted to make sure that the people creating and marketing the products know the products in every way. We're ultimately end users.

BET.com: How does it feel to work in an industry dominated by white males for decades?

Melissa Butler: It's up to us to determine what beauty looks like. For many years, men determined the standard of beauty, and we were sort of adjusting for them. And that's BS. Even today, many very large multinational companies are run by French white men who don't use the products. So when I learned about the beauty industry, it was so frustrating because it's like, how can you tell me what the experience could or should be? How can you tell me how I should show up?

BET.com: You are also the founder of thread beauty, a Gen-Z, gender-inclusive beauty brand. How do these brands differ, and what is the ideal customer for each?

Melissa Butler: When I think about The Lip Bar, it's for super confident women who have responsibilities, [and] she's a very dynamic person, which means she's lived a little bit so that she might be more mature. With thread, [the user] is young and fun. They naturally have more fun and less responsibility. They can go out every night. thread represents the ability to change your mind to become a new person whenever you feel like it because you are growing and evolving.

BET.com: Santana has joined the Thread family as a beauty ambassador. What is it about him that exemplifies the essence of the brand?

Melissa Butler: I just love Santana, who is unapologetic. He exudes who he is at all times. It's crazy because he often makes waves in the press, but he's not trying to be popular. He's just being exactly who he is.

BET.com: How involved are you day-to-day with The Lip Bar and thread beauty?

Melissa Butler: I'm really involved in the companies. I take the approach that I only want to be involved in what I'm good at. So I'm good at the creative elements, the marketing elements, the product development, and the people parts. I stay away from logistics [and] operations. I try to avoid finance, but that's impossible as a CEO. I'm doing whatever is necessary to ensure that I'm showing up for my team and that my team is showing up for our customers.

BET.com: As a thriving entrepreneur with multiple brands, what have been some of the biggest lessons you've learned over the past decade?

Melissa Butler: People management was a big challenge. It takes a lot of practice to become a good leader. The other thing I had to learn was to be consistent and focused, which was very challenging for me because I'm really impatient. I [also] had to learn how to delegate. I come from that grind-and-shine culture, and I had to unlearn that. I had to learn how to put myself first and how to make sure that I took breaks so that I could recharge.

BET.com: What activities keep you grounded and help you feel calm after a long day?

Melissa Butler: I [stay] balanced by meditation, journaling, working out, talking to friends, and drinking wine.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.