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FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #105 How A Mom Turned A Side Hustle Into A Soothing, Inclusive Beauty Business
What if a hair appointment felt like a deep breath? We sit with Selena, founder of Selena’s Unique Designs, to explore how a home-based braid studio can be quiet, gentle, and still built for growth. From soft music to weighted capes and sensory toys, Selena designs every detail for clients who crave a calm chair—tender headed adults, anxious teens, and neurodiverse kids who deserve dignity and choice at every step.
Selena shares how a side hustle became a mission when she needed flexible work to support her son on the spectrum. She breaks down why she chose home over a busy salon floor, how she educates clients on natural hair routines, and the simple scripts that turn painful services into reassuring rituals: explaining each step, offering breaks, and pacing with consent. We talk about the myth that braiders can’t thrive, the path to sustainable income with clear systems, and her plans to earn nail tech and cosmetology credentials while preserving the sensory-friendly vibe that sets her apart.
The conversation goes beyond styling into community. Selena outlines her vision for an annual autism awareness fundraiser and the values that make her studio family oriented: be yourself, feel safe, and leave restored. If you’re a parent searching for a quieter salon, a stylist curious about inclusive practices, or an entrepreneur starting from spare change, you’ll find real tactics and heart-forward insight here. Connect with Selena on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and find her website linked on all platforms.
If this story moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a gentler chair, and leave a quick review to help neighbors discover local businesses with heart.
Selena Smith
Selena's Unique Designs
selenasuniquedesigns26@gmail.com
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dory Stewart.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I have a special guest joining me today. We have Selena Smith, and she is with Selena's Unique Design. Selena, welcome to the podcast.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for having me this morning.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I'm excited to get to know you better and learn about your business. So let's start there. Share with us a little bit about Selena's Unique Designs.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, ma'am. So my name is Selena, of course, owner and founder of Selena's Unique Designs LLC. We specialize in natural hair care as well as you know, braids, and um pretty much educating our um clients on you know routines and how to maintain healthy hair.
SPEAKER_02:Amazing. So I'd love to learn more about you and your backstory. Share with us your journey. How did you get into this?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, ma'am. So um originally um I'm gonna be very honest. I was only supposed to do this as like, you know, a side hustle. But um what really drew me to um doing it full force is for one, um, I have a son that's on the spectrum, and um I needed to be, you know, on the home front more. And I am a home-based business, which um allowed me to be more flexible in my schedule and still be able to tend to his needs at the same time. And um overall, with me um starting this business, um, I went into, you know, um just wanted to simply just braid hair. Um, but now that I have interacted with my clients and I see that there's a need, I want to provide more. I want to be be able to provide um more resources and things like that for my clients.
SPEAKER_02:So that's amazing. I love that you were able to find something that you could do while still being able to be there for your child. So congratulations on finding that. That's really important.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:So tell me this: do you find that there are any myths or misconceptions about what you do?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so I've heard a I've well, according to social media, which I I'll be honest, in today's day and age, social media can be very um misleading in so many different ways. And that's why it's it's better to do your own research. Um, but you see a lot of posts where they may say, oh, braiders don't make a lot of money. That's a myth. Um, you could definitely make a killing in this industry, and I do um plan on expanding. I I'm not just gonna leave it just operating. I plan on going back to school for my Nailtech certification as well as my cosmetology license.
SPEAKER_02:Amazing. Congratulations. That's really that's that's um really cool. And um is is the the dream to have you know a full salon at some point?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I do, but I still want to be home base because my whole goal um with being home based is a lot of my clients that come to me, um, specifically, my ultimate goal is so that they are in a comfortable, welcoming environment. And sometimes when you go into like an actual like, you know, um public salon, I'll I'll put it that way, um a lot of um people who are not um who don't like to be around a lot of other people can get anxiety and get uncomfortable and um you know they might, you know, they might just start acting out. And my main focus is I want it to be like a low vibrational environment where it's calming. I like to play calming music. Um, I also provide sensory toys for my children, um, clients, as well as adult clients. I actually um invested into one of those weighted capes for um my clients just so that it gives them that relaxing experience.
SPEAKER_02:I love that so much. I love how much thought you have put into that and how you're really creating a safe space for your clients. That's a really cool niche that you have built for yourself. I love it.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. So um I imagine that you're very busy um being a mom and being a business owner. So tell me this when you're not working hard, what are you doing for fun?
SPEAKER_00:So, what I like to do for fun is I also have a daughter as well. Um, so with my son and my daughter, we like to do a lot of like family fun um activities, like maybe a walk in the park. We may go bowling, we might go on you know family trips, road trips. Um, I like to do arts of crests, we like to listen to music. Um there's a wide range of things that we like to do all together.
SPEAKER_02:I love it.
SPEAKER_00:So my my son, my son will be in sports um come you know next spring. And then my daughter, she's also a cheerleader for this Pennsylvania County um Parks and Rex.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, you are busy. You are busy. I hope you're taking some time for yourself.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_02:So if there are any maybe some moms listening right now, and maybe they're inspired by this conversation and they're thinking about starting a business, what advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_00:The advice that I would give them is just go do it. Um, I was very nervous when I started out. Um, I literally started my business from pennies. When I say literally pennies, um, I'm not gonna go too much into detail, but let's just say um every month I was working literally living paycheck to paycheck. And once my bills were paid, the little bit of change that I had left over, I was investing into my business. Do it. It's it's gonna take time, take baby steps, write down your goals, um, you know, and put it into action. And once you do that, it you know, the rest is history.
SPEAKER_02:I love it. I love it. I imagine you're gonna inspire some people, and it this it's very timely recording this episode at it at the beginning of the year, and writing down those goals is so powerful, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:Most definitely.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about Selena's unique designs?
SPEAKER_00:So the main, my main um goal, overall goal, is to let my future customers and my current customers know that this is a family-oriented um braid studio. So when you come in here, be yourself, um, because I'm gonna be my authentic self, and I want to create that environment to where the children and the adults want to be a returning client.
SPEAKER_02:I love that. You put a lot of thought into your client experience.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:I love it. What do you love most about what you do?
SPEAKER_00:What I love most about it is that not only am I making a difference um, you know, psychologically, because what I'm getting from a lot of like the feedback that I'm getting from my clients is that when they go, you know, to different stylists and things like that, they get nervous. And sometimes, you know, if they're tender-headed, prime example. That's the number one thing with children and adults. A lot of these styles that I do, it requires you to, you know, work through the hair and you can be very tender headed. And I like to talk my clients through the process. Oh, this is what I'm doing next. This is what we're gonna do next. Do you need to take a break? Do you want to take um get a snap for a second? You know, I like to talk them through the whole process. And the reason being is because it can be very um intense when you're getting a service done. When you're getting a service, it should be relaxing, it should be a luxury, it shouldn't be oh, like it shouldn't feel like a chore.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah. How rewarding for you?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, um, it's very rewarding. Um, I will say, and I love to make a difference. Um, I have plans later on this year. I'm not gonna go too much into detail, but let's just say um my number one goal is to start a fundraiser for an annual autism awareness Snickerball. Um, I do want to start that. Um, I did try to do it last year, but it didn't work out, and I I feel like I kind of work ahead sometimes. So I had to, you know, slow down a little bit, but that is in the works.
SPEAKER_02:Amazing. Amazing. Well, I'm not surprised that you have loyal clients. Uh, you really are um a nurturer, and I imagine that's that's felt and very much appreciated.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_02:So, if the listeners want to connect with you, if they want to learn more from you, where can they find you?
SPEAKER_00:They can find me on Facebook, Instagram, as well as TikTok. And I do have a uh website. My website link is on all platforms.
SPEAKER_02:Amazing. Selena, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. I am just in love with uh your whole um philosophy behind your business and the way that you approach it, and I wish you the most success.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. It was a pleasure speaking with you today as well.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you. Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG Neighbors Podcast.com.