Stacia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My inspiration for starting my occupation began as a young female child in elementary school. As my sister and I grew up, my mother did not know how to do our hair. She would have our parts crooked, ponytails lopsided and couldn ’ thymine put on the ball barrettes. I decided to start style and braiding my sisters and my hair’s-breadth. Later I found myself braiding the female child ’ s hair’s-breadth at church and in the region .
After years of rehearse and demonstrating my skills, my grandma, who was a license beautician and grandfather, who was a victor barber, began teaching me other techniques such as shampoo, coloring, styling, cutting, urge and curl and hair care, along with the use of the tools to perform those techniques. With that education and skills, I continued to commit for many years after high school and built clientele for over ten-spot years. My grandma passed during that meter and my grandfather recommended I attend cosmetology school to get certified in the cosmetology deal while taking a break from college. He believed you should constantly have a trade-in accession to your college degree. He encouraged me to horn in on my talents and excel. Upon graduating from Cosmetology school, I planned on opening my own salon but wanted to get the experience of working in one. I was employed at a local hair salon for a few years. I loved it so much. It was nothing like serving the clients, making them feel good by beautifying their hair, taking caution of their hair, meeting newfangled people, working in the community, while building relationships with people who would end up being life friends .
As it stands, liveliness happened. The dream was deferred because my grandfather began early stages of dementia. furthermore, I had two babies and a husband that demanded more of my fourth dimension. I left the salon and started doing haircloth at home to be close to my family and to have a flexible schedule to assist my mother with my grandfather. late, my grandfather ’ s health declined as he developed Alzheimer ’ s. I cherished everything my grandparents taught me. I decided that in the future, I would pursue my ambition.
Reading: Meet the Founder
After thirty years of being in the business, having a career in education, law enforcement and observing the evolve changes in the industry, I decided to take another approach. I researched and studied for the last ten years the smasher supply industry and decided that would be the avenue within the diligence that I would pursue .
On May 1, 2019, with the support of a dearly friend and my co-founder, I started A Beautiful U Beauty Supply, LLC, in hopes of opening a class late. I attended an educational conference and classes to prepare me for this new venture. As a one black mother and divorcee, I knew it would be challenging for me as it pertained to credit rating scores and fund. however, I always find myself adapting to challenges. I continued to press ahead, keeping Jeremiah 29:11 in mind. I gathered a team that would assist me with making my dream come true. My partner played a big part in helping me move forward because as stated in the aforesaid, dilemma, life setbacks, and trying to do it by myself, became discouraging. He vowed to be supportive all the way because he believed in me and my ambition. With that, we became partners. In addition, my daughter developed my logo ; my friends came up with strategies to help raise funds and promote my brand. My team started a monthly movement with a local black-owned business and the support of the Urban League, in the fall of 2019 called the Black Entrepreneur Networking Social. This event generated gross, allowed little businesses to network, display talents, and provided educational seminars for approaching entrepreneurs and humble black-owned businesses. The Networking Social grew in a shortstop period of time. People were requesting extra days and finical classes. It began to take on a life of its own until the pandemic .
During the pandemic, it set our goals of proceeding to open the shopfront, raising fund and taking classes further back. I decided to open an on-line shop sell hair, lashes and a few accessories to generate gross while having to sit at home. little did I know that it was going to take off with such a great success. Although we have had some unfortunate circumstances occurring with all the movements going on and versatile incidents, this pandemic has motivated me to become creative and assisted with the increase of A Beautiful U Beauty Supply, LLC. We are now on the Fort Meade web site and were marketed all over the United States on social media outlets .
Our quality hair’s-breadth extensions, wigs, lashes, and accessory products come from and are shipped from a local company in Atlanta, Ga. As we move ahead, we are continuing our educational classes and in the process of preparing to open our shopfront in Maryland. I ’ molarity grateful for the divine intervention .
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The travel to opening this memory has been challenging. It is not easy for a single black mother who is besides a divorcee to start a business. In addition, with major syndicate members being deceased, it besides becomes challenging, particularly with the finances. Although I have an educational background and experience in management, I lack the extra training to be a retail store owner and the command credit score to get a business lend. The challenges are even there because it appears that I have to inquiry a batch to locate the finances and organizations that are will to take a chance with me regardless of my early successes in other areas of my career. I hush have to pay for the train classes, required licenses, marketing, start-up costs to open the shopfront and and so forth, while maintaining my casual life for my child and I .
In addition, I find that people are not as forthcoming with providing information on fund or offering their clientele expertness as they could to assist fresh business owners who are starting a business or in business. The programs that claim they assist have so many obstacles that you have to go through to get them or ask that you have at least twenty thousand or half the money to get a lend.
I will say that the Greater Baltimore Urban League in Maryland has provided bang-up education to assist with how to start the business, stay in business, and much more to my humble Black Entrepreneur Networking Social. As it pertains to me opening the beauty provision storehouse, I must besides give recognition to the Beauty Supply Consultants for their expertness and education on Entrepreneurship, opening a smasher provide store and more. In conclusion, I have faith and believe with that anything is potential .
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our mission is to provide exceeding timbre hair extensions, wigs, and products at competitive prices to consumers. We strive to set an exercise of a business that serves our customers vitamin a well as the community at big. due to the pandemic, we are presently lone on-line, providing timbre hair products. Locally, for a abject monetary value, I offer cut, color, and style to customers who purchase a wig from my on-line store and would like a different style or color. Customers would schedule a reference with me via a media exit. After the reference, they would ship the haircloth to me for servicing. Depending on the service, the hair would be shipped back to the customer within 72 hours .
As a company, I ’ m most gallant of my team for their willingness to work with us to adjust to the new way of conducting business and providing quality customer services by being advanced during the pandemic. What will set us apart from others is our determination to provide especial customer services, invention, and doggedness .
What were you like growing up?
When I was growing up, I was a repose female child who loved the outdoors, sports, dancing, helping others, read, knitting, participating in community events and slightly of an invaginate. I devoted my life to Christ at twelve years old. I loved riding my motorcycle across the city, climbing trees and walls, curler skate, drawing, writing, modeling, creating dances for my church dancing group, styling hair, hanging with syndicate, listening to music, and taking care of others. I constantly had a choose group of friends in my caller.
I would hang with the older generation a batch. I loved listening to their stores of how it was when they grew up, their advice, and helping them with whatever was needed. I silent wouldn ’ t say much. I found myself not much of a speaker because I would stutter sometimes, so I decided fair to be quieten. I would observe people, what they said and did to determine what I was or wasn ’ thymine going to do. I was not a follower and I ’ m placid not today. I loved researching, history, science, and mathematics .
Although I was slightly shy, my mother was into the arts and our youth choir director. She would have me involved in singing with the choirs at church, Church Retreats, Youth Conferences, NAACP, and volunteer me to create dances for local anesthetic residential district or church service residential district fair. She was determined to make me speak in front of people and help me to overcome my shyness, but I constantly would find a way not to sing solo on the choirs. Although I loved to sing, I enjoyed being a accompaniment singer. I liked staying in the background and would merely take spark advance if volunteered by others.
In close, I strive to keep in thinker Luke 1:37 .
