"Special Effects" Ft. Special

"Where everything is up for discussion"

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

What's up, y'all?

SPEAKER_00 0:07

It's T-Girl Black Shit, this is here with another episode of Podcast 1001. Yay! And we have Queen Loctitian Queen Mother in the building. Y'all, we got special, and it's that's not a nickname, let's be clear. Right. Okay. No, that's 100%. This on the birth tip. Literally. Special Harris in the building. Hey. Hey y'all. Okay, special. I'm super. You're wrapping, you're this episode is wrapping up season two for me. Okay. And I needed a big shot. I needed a big gun. Yes. Okay. Absolutely. Here we are. And I thought to myself, who can I get to tell me about Black Girl Magic? Mm-hmm. The business. Yeah. Because you've been giving us the business for years. Yes. Um, so by the way, your hair looks amazing. Is that all you? We'll get there. Later on in the question. The beautiful. Thank you. It's not all me. It looks like it. But yeah. The color combo. Yeah, it looks like it. Everything blended well. You did that? I did. Wow. By myself. Yeah, so you've been moving into okay. So let's just start from the beginning. Because you are a lactitian in Carson. That's very popular. She does my locks. Um, and your background is also just in hair, your family's background. So just tell me a little bit about your background and what made you want to get into hair. I didn't want to do hair. Oh, okay. I always said I didn't want to be a stylist, like a hairstylist. That just wasn't my thing. However, it's always been in me because of my mom. So pretty much it started with one client and led to multiple clients. However, with COVID, that's when I started booming, which we were supposed to be shut down. But, you know, I felt like that's when a lot of my clientele came because a lot of people were shut down. We were behind the scenes, but a lot of my clients came new through social media. Yeah. And that's how it all started. However, I have been doing press and curls, weaves, you know, and all the other shenanigans with the hair, but I've I just fell in love with the locks overall. Yeah. Um when did you start working in your mom's shop? Oh high school. I'm gonna say high school just to make it easy. Ninth grade. I wanted money.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Right?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

So I became the shampoo girl for the entire hair salon. Wow. Like everybody. And that's not an easy task. Let's talk about it. It's not. Everybody can't be the shampoo girl. Everybody can't. People don't like you. Right. And and they don't want you touching their hair. I've gotten people that say, you know what, I don't want you to do it. I'd rather have the stylist do it. Okay, that's fine. However, because I was the shop baby and the owner's baby, it was like, oh, okay. And then I was taught well. Yeah. Very well. So I can shampoo because there's a method to the madness with a shampoo. And it just helped everybody else move faster. And I made my money. So ninth through 12th grade, I was shampoo girl. After 12th grade, I was shampoo girl. Oh, okay. And I was making my money instead of me going out and partying with the homegirls. Yeah. First of all, I wasn't even allowed to do that. Yeah. Pastor's child. Um, so PK. You know, I was limited, but my limit was make money, and that's why I'm just where I am today, honestly. Yeah. Um, so how did you learn to do locks? Just on a random client or random. Just one. One for months. Then one turned into like, you know what, you might as well start. I would say honestly, before COVID, I had about five clients. Okay. That was it. That was just the easy like $35. I wasn't even charging. You charge $35 to do locks? That's crazy. Like $35, I swear to you. And it was just easy money. Yeah. Mind you, by that time I was still like 18. So I didn't even know nothing about lock. Nobody knew anything about locks in the salon. Right. Like that wasn't even a thing then. Yeah, because people were still doing them at home, going to somebody's house to get. It was pressing curls and weaves and braids, and knotlets weren't even was barely coming into play then. Which bring the knots back. Yeah, I got it. Am I just the only girl who wants the knots back? I got talked about. When I moved from King Drew to Compton High School, I got talked about with my knot braids. And they thought I was bald headed. Swear to you. Yeah, that's how I took them knot braids out. And I never got them sent. Knockless look, make it look bald head. It do. Make it look thinner. Make it give it a little flick. It gives it a little fast. Yeah. It's fuller and not a knot shouldn't be at the end of your braids. No. Okay. Because you know, old school, they wouldn't tie that knot. Hell no. Don't do that shit. Put the knots here. Not nail here. And that was the problem. But they last longer. Still. And people still get them. Yeah. I mean, I I might give me something. Go lie to you. Um, okay, so at what point did you okay? You're doing locks in your mom's um shop, you're getting good, people recommending you, and it's like, oh shit, go over here. She needs to hook you up because that's where it's at. At what point did you realize that you wanted to work for yourself and not necessarily alongside your mom? Like leave my mom? Yeah, no shade to mom. We love mom. Like how I just recently stepped out. Yes. Okay. It was nobody but God. Okay. And that just gave me chills. Yeah. Because people always ask me, like, what happened between you and your mom? Is there a re there's not a re thing. Period. Mama is the goat. Right. Yeah. Right. If you know mom, you know mom. Yeah. Um it was a faith walk, a faith step, a faith move. Um, it was just like God was saying, if you want to grow, you got to leave. Yeah. And he kind of humbled me to sit down and be like, for real. Cause I was like, no, like I just got my license, you know, everything is moving. But if you want to advance, you had I had to move. It was a shift. And when I say it came so fast, when I looked at that suite, I knew that was it. Like I didn't need to go check any other place. So it was just really a faith move. That's all I can say. It wasn't necessarily client or something somebody said. It was just like, if you want to grow, you gotta go. Um, life happens like that. And I would even say, I mean, I don't know too much of the situation, but you know, I'm pretty sure you wanted to chill, you know, at your mom's shop because you guys have such a good relationship, because her place is so welcoming. I mean, the atmosphere of her place. If you've been, you know. That's very home. It's very homey. It don't give regular shops. Yeah, it's down south because she's old school. Right. Everything got her in the back. Or the RB. Exactly. Food talking, and you can't help but to be in the conversation. Um, her c a lot of her clients are, you know, older women, and so they just be cackling and kicking. Your mama got a joke or two all the time. So it's like, I could imagine being so comfortable, and the only way God probably was able to push you out was to get you out quick. I had to move. Like, I literally had to move. It gave, um, oh, I I say, what is it, November? And they told me you got two weeks. I can hold this for two weeks, and that's it. Wow. And I said, two weeks? Uh I'ma wait until the new year to say I'll take it. But then I didn't know if somebody else was gonna have it. Yeah, and the spot that I looked at was just so perfect. Yeah. So I didn't sell nobody, it was just me and my man. Period. And he was like, it's dope. Like the whole ambiance of it. So as you walk in, it's it's everything that you was looking for. So I told my mom, and she was just like, okay. Didn't expect that. But she was like, okay. Then like two weeks later, she like, for real? I'm like, yeah, like for real, I'm leaving. It didn't register until the last Saturday I worked in there, and I was like, dang, I'm leaving. What she said? She was sad, but she wasn't that sad because when she finally stepped foot into the new place, it was like, wow. You did that. Yeah. Yeah. I just know she's proud. I know. She she's going to get her hair done this week. I just know she's proud. She books her appointment. I do miss the ambiance of the full salon. It is different being by myself sometimes. Um, like you said, it's very open. You you communicate with everybody. You can't miss anything when you're with six other stylists, their clients, their kids, you know, the whole strip barbers, coffee shop, yeah, people walking by waving, the homeless people, you know. So that I do miss because we don't connect like that at the suite, which kind of sucks. But I do love my space. It definitely allowed my clients to be more vulnerable and open. Um so just for reference and just to be very clear, uh the reason why I wanted to interview you specifically is because when we uh talk to people who have you know their little business going. I mean not say little business, when they got their big business going, because I hate when people say that. When they got their big business going and they're doing their thing and they're shaking and rocking and moving, they're a little older. Yes. And let's be able to win her special you are 29. Own shop already. Yeah.

unknown 10:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

29. And I'm pretty sure making the bank because when I try to book an appointment, she's booked and busy. You're booked and busy! It'd be like one day out of home life. You know what I mean? Um, so how old were you when you started? Immediately started um doing hair. Um, and does your age now affect how seriously people take you, or did it affect uh, you know, um how seriously they took you back in the day?

unknown 10:56

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 10:57

I would say yes and no. Okay. I I I absolutely understand. I would say because I was with mom. They do nothing. It was limited. Okay. Yes. Okay. However, I'm very strict and stern about, you know, when it comes to business. Because I've been in the the mix of it, it's either a yes or a no. Yeah. Um I've only had to cancel two people. Okay. And that was in the beginning phase um because of disrespect. What'd they do? Girl, they called me a B. No, they didn't. And then guess what? They got kicked out and never has never booked for me ever again. Oh, if you call special with me, can I ever run into you? What Kendrick Lamar say? Boom, bop, bam! Yeah, and it was men. They were men. They were men. That's crazy. They never booked ever again. Have I seen them cross paths? Absolutely. But no. However, I don't feel like people see my age because I'm very mature for my age. For sure. 100%. And that's the big difference, I think. And then my customer service and the quality of service that I offer has not limited my the amount of clients. I get old people, I get young people, I get a mixed range of everybody. Yeah. So I wouldn't say I've had that issue because I was grew, I grew up old school. So since I grew up old school, I know old school shop. Yeah. And I know better. Yeah. So since I know better and I feel like my maturity, people don't know. Yeah. Oh no. I feel like I get a lot more older people now because of my maturity. Yeah, for sure. And because my customer service is like, whoa, we've never seen this. Yeah. Like, what?

unknown 12:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

That shouldn't, it shouldn't feel like that. Yeah. That sucks. Um, the young hoes don't be knowing what they're doing. And the young hoes- I'm just scratching. The young girls, who's I'm calling them hoes? The young girls don't be knowing what they're doing. And back in the day, to be a beautician was really an art form. Yes. Nowadays, people acting like just because you can slick a little ponytail, you can. They play games. Yeah, or just because you can, and let me be very clear about this. Because I sometimes when you're too booked and busy and I can't get in with you, I'll twist my own locks. Let me be very clear. Absolutely. It's not the same. Absolutely. So a bitch sometimes think just because they can she can twist a lock. Right. You can turn it a little bit, you can get it to stay, you can get it too. And it's not, it's not the same. Yeah, it's the technology. And so I just wish people took loctitians more seriously. Uh, but also just the art of beautician in general more serious. And I'm not talking about going to get your license. I don't give a fuck about that because I'll still go to a bitch in the basement who ain't got her license. Absolutely. Well, then she knows she don't. Because you gotta remember, I just got licensed last year. Yeah. So you don't have to have a license to be a lactitian. Right. Or a braider. Right. You have to have a license to shampoo. Don't tell nobody. I didn't know. You don't have to tell you don't have to have a license to be a lactan or a braider, but you do have to have a license to use shampoo and conditioners. Why? Because it is a chemical. Also, people are allergic to stuff. I just had a client that's allergic to avocado, and I have an avocado moisturizing shampoo from Design Essentials. That will break her out. So people don't pay us to tell you that. Like we have It's on stylist to axe. That's what a consultation is for. Oh, okay. And when we ask you, that's when we say, Do you have any type of allergies? Anything. Food, medicine, it don't matter. Because you just never know what's in these products because shampoo and conditioner lathers, it's a chemical. Damn, I did not know that. Yeah. Technically, we're not supposed to. Did I? Yes. Yeah. But you know. It's okay, it's back in the day. Yeah. We certified now. But I don't play about, um, I don't play about the hair. Yeah. Yeah. Hair care matters. Right. Yeah. Damn, I didn't know that. You know how many people out here shampooing ain't got shit? Okay. Um, what are two or three things that you did that really grew your business fast? Like before you left, what were some things that you was like, uh, this is gonna help with the move? Um, investing in my tools. Smart. I hate this. I hate to be that dramatic, but yes. Investing in my tools. I had to upgrade lighting. I had to upgrade my phone for one. Phone was weak. The lighting, the pictures, it just was not right. The um actual lights to take content. Um, recently invested in the camera, like the quality of tools. Um, I would say taking classes as well. Even the smallest class of classes will help because I'm still learning. You still learn as you go. Yeah. Um, that helped. I would say, let me see. Classes, tools, and yeah, I can only think of two. I um I love that you said tools because um my grandma got a pressing cone that we've had since she was little, and I swear to god, I do not put that bitch on my head. Well, not no more because I got about that. But before, I used to be like, girl. Yeah. Then she thought she was cute. She bought the one and she plugged in. I'm like, no, go back to the thing I complain about is that pressing comb. I'm gonna be most. I'm gonna plug in a flat iron and curler before I plug in a pressing comb. Facts. You will see a hot pressing comb. On the burning or in the thing, a both right thing, yeah. You will see a pressing comb. But no, yeah, you gotta invest in your tools. Products matter. Um, so what was your mindset around money when you first started versus now? Boy. Oh my goodness. Jesus. Just spending.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Wasteful, yeah, n careless. Yeah. Um, half the stuff I spent it on. I don't got it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, especially when I started making it faster. My especially when I was working two jobs. Okay. So if you remember, I was a preschool teacher. Yes, I do remember that. And I worked eight to five. Okay. As a pre for five years. But then I took two, two days out the week to do locks from like 6 a.m. to like four or five, six o'clock in the evening. That money was so good. Yeah. That money was so good, I wasted it. I went on trip. I mean, the trips and things like that, that was cool. Life experiences for sure. You know, DoorDash, Instacart, oh my god. Yeah, that'll eat you up. DoorDash eat you out of house and home. DoorDash has stolen so much. I'm stolen. Stolen so much of my coins. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I was very wasteful buying things that was unnecessary. Things, clothes I wouldn't wear, or I'll wear one time. Um now, baby, I'm strict. Yeah. Oh, I'm strict. Yeah. Um the mindset at 29, I'll be 30 this year. Hey. What month? November. Okay. November 20th, Team Scorpio. The mindset now is future. Like, you know, I still want to open my own preschool. Yeah. So the goal is to make money, save money, invest. I can't make money, spend money, and then try to put the money back that I spent. That's not even money conscious. That's not even right. That's that's backwards. Yeah. Um, so now I just see money growing instead of money being dished out to other places. Yeah. I will go still out, you go sit down and eat. I still might every now and again a little door dash. And maybe, maybe once a month Instacart if I don't feel like going to the grocery store. But then that's very rare. But I'm very, very mindful now. Yeah. Like, what's your favorite hairstyle to do? Outside of locks. First of curls.

SPEAKER_01 19:21

But it's different.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Like, I love curling hair. You do? I do. Wow. When I say I love to see the body, the okay. I love curling hair. I love curling hair. Um I love uh layers, like cutting layers and seeing the flow of the layers. I would say pressing and curling. I mean, yeah, it goes together, but um I'm gonna cut my locks off around. And I want you to do my journey, I want you to do my hair to care journey with me. Because I want to be flowing like that. Wait, you're not going back? To locks? Yeah. No. Wait, so if you cut them, you done?

unknown 20:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

That's like a one and done? Wow. I don't want to be one of those people that cut it. You get locks. I know. You don't want them back. Would you ever get locks? Yes. Oh, okay, when? I got a whole, I got a whole like setup of what I'm gonna do with my hair until I get locks. What you gonna do? So I just told my man, like, I'm gonna cut my hair off like finger wave bog. Okay, I can see you with a winning. Yes, but the whole finger wave. The flat with your little swoops and curls and then. With your hoops on and your number three. Yeah, it's gonna be. Absolutely. So I said 40, he said 35. I said, okay. I'm a VT, so 35, I'm gonna do the shortcut. And maybe about like 45, I'll try the locks. Okay.

unknown 21:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

I gotta be a little older. I don't know. I feel like the locks gonna put make me seasoned. And they'll flourish so much and so quick. I know you feel like by the time you fit the, yeah, right. You got your one lock. Do you let that grow or do you cut it when it gets too long? No, this is the longest it's grown. Oh, okay. I'm three years in. Okay. Yeah, girl. Don't play no game. Such a cute thing. I've never seen nobody with just one lock and all they had. And people always be like, wait a minute. Is that a um what's the biggest financial mistake that you've made in your business so far? Ooh, financial mistake. Not fouling taxes. Why is that such a thing with business owners? Well, as for me, I'm learning. Okay. So it's been a journey, honestly. I learned a lot from mom, but there's a lot behind this. Things that I did not know. Okay. And I'm still figuring out. Um, as far as uh business wise, yeah. Um the basics she got. Yeah. But the it's a it's a whole lot more when it comes to business names and LSEs and taxes and not your name, but your business name, and do this with that, and do this without your name. Yeah. So just me learning that from other people or trying to figure out, figure it out, that's been the problem. So I wouldn't necessarily say the filing the taxes is understanding, you know, how taxes work. You know, what can I file for the business? What what can't I use? Saving receipts and stuff like that. You, you know, it kind of it's it's a lot more than just running a business and the cute aesthetics that y'all see on Instagram. I be at home like, yeah, please, Lord, help me. Do you have somebody to help you or do you do it on your own? And do you recommend getting somebody to help? I would recommend if you have somebody that knows what they're doing, then yes. Yeah, but I don't feel like I have that. And I don't because a lot of people haven't gone the route that I'm going. It's a journey to break generational cycles. Come on, special! And it sucks. Yeah. To be the person that has to do it. And do it right. Yeah. So some things they don't know. Special the Lord provides. Yes, he does. And the the thing I've been saying is, Lord, send the person who's supposed to help me. Just plant them. Yeah. When? Yeah. Whenever you're ready. Whenever you feel that I'm ready. But breaking those generational cycles ain't easy. No, they're easy. Especially when you know you're I now understand that I am the person that's going to break cycles. Yeah. It makes it much harder because nobody has done it. Yeah. So when nobody has done it, it's like it falls on you to get it done. But you got it. You you're equipped. Whether you know it or not. I know. Special. I'm ready. There's no your mom knew what she was doing. Or maybe she did or didn't. I don't know. I'm sure the Lord placed it on her heart. She knew what she was doing, naming you. Yeah. You know what I mean? You're special in your family, outside of your family, in your friend groups, in your man's life, you know, and people's life in general. Absolutely. And you're going to know what to do when the time comes. I do believe God is going to send somebody to help you, but you're going to know what to do when the time comes because you've always known. Yeah. It's like it may end you. It's just like a you gotta do it anyways. Yeah. Like. Okay. Yeah. Do you deal with self-doubt or uh comparison to others in your field? There are a lot of loctitians. Uh there are a lot in your city. Do you ever and I mean I'm not trying to be messy, never trying to be messy. But do you be having like little unspoken? I know you special, so I know you ain't outwardly beefy with nobody. You ain't got the time you do anything. Exactly. However, do you be feeling a little like, mmm, mmm, she being staking or they being staking? Or do you feel like you're being compared or you know? Um no. Period. I'm that girl. And always have. And not in a conceited way. Yeah. I know what I offer. I know what I do, and I know the type of work that I can put out. I know that on the platform I'm that girl. Yes. Like, it's just I'm just that good. I just know that what I do is excellent work. Yes. So comparison, I wouldn't say comparison, no. Sometimes it gets overrated with watching other people's stuff. Just in general, just trying to see how to like critique yourself. And that's where the problem comes when you start seeing other people work. Or, you know, I would say more so now that I'm doing press and curls, I start looking at other people's stuff. Oh, okay. And it's like, you know, since I'm trying something new, I critique myself a lot more because it should look like this. No, it should not be special. Right. You know, your work is your work, and your work looks like yours because that's the way you do it. Yep. Um, but comparing myself to other people, absolutely not. Um, that's just never for one been a thing for me. Yeah. Um, when I step out front with other loctitians and things like that, I I just, you know, we all do, we all got a hundreds of clients. Yeah, right. Everybody. Everybody got locks now. You know, and everybody have their own group of people that goes to them. Your clients fit you just for you. Like most of the time, people come to me just because of who I am first. Yeah, for sure. You know, like, oh, I see your work is good, but your vibe, like, I watch your story daily, or I see what you do on your page, like I see how you interact and talk. And um, I love God. So mass majority of the clients that I get, they just be like, I came to you because I just seen you singing on your page, and it was just like, wow. Yeah. So comparison, no. I have been in a room uh in a salon with a lot of other lactities. Um never compared myself because I know what I could do. They were cool. It just being in a setting outside of where I grew up and seeing how different salons work, it just didn't work for me. Yeah. But yeah. That's a good question to ask. I didn't even have that down, but you you never even considered working in someone else's shop prior to getting your own salon? Like leaving mom and going to another shop? No, I've I've worked with mom and then went and worked in a locked salon. Oh, okay. But I've never I was never leaving mom. I just feel like, you know. And I I pay booth rent with mom. Oh, you didn't? And I know most people be like, you do what? I didn't know that. And I pay my mom booth rent because I am a hairstylist. Period. And I make enough money to be able to support me to generate your business.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

So all of that, how people talk about like discounts and stuff like that. I pay my mother full booth rent. Yeah. The entire time I worked there down to the last day. Okay. Business is business. Business is business. I don't care who it is. Mama, brother, sister, auntie, I'm gonna pay you your full price because I support you. Yeah. But yeah, I've worked in another salon. I didn't really care for it. Um, just the vibe and the aura. I guess I expect homie salon, my mom's. And you know, this is more upscale. It just runs a little bit different. But I was glad to experience that. I did meet a lot of loctitians, but yeah. Yeah. Um, how has success changed your relationships, your relationship with your sisters, your mom, your man, your friend groups? Now that you're, I mean, you've always been that girl, but now that you're, I mean, literally, probably I don't know your friend groups, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's not owning a business is not something that a lot of us have. Like an actual business. I'm not talking about, oh, I got my LLC. No, I know. But you ain't got shit to really show for. Exactly. I'm talking about an actual business. Do you have time to be girlfriend, homegirl? You know, like how what does that look like? Time management. However, I have one best friend. Okay. Shout out to our bestie. Yes. Best friend. Um, two sisters. Love them dearly. Them is the my best friend and my two sisters, literally my travel buddies. Oh, yeah. Like, if you see me out the country is the Harris Girls and best friend. Yeah. Um success looks like work, sit down, and then having the opportunity to hang out with everybody when I get the chance. Um, it looks like peace. It looks like quiet, you know, me time. Um, maybe a little bit of traveling, a little bit of fun when I can. I do have to make time. Like even if it's leaving from here now and going to say, let's go grab a drink, or let's go, you know, have some eat. I'm a spare of the moment type of friend. Yeah. So I'm, you know, I'll plan something, but sometimes I could just say, um, you wanna go grab a drink and sit down and eat, you know, 30 minutes. That's all we got. That's correct. Um, but I do make time for everybody, my man. Every Sunday is our day. Um we go to church. Oh we go to church, we chill, we have game night every Sunday. Um, that's how we're able to kind of keep the fun going. And you know, with family and stuff, we y'all talk to them on the phone. Right. I've been with y'all all my life. I got four siblings. So, you know, we when we get together, a time is had. Um, but outside of that, you know, everything is like either FaceTime phone call or spare the moment. My mom, she cooks on Sundays too. So maybe if she cooks, she'd be like, Y'all come get some food. And that's how we'll kind of catch up like that. But other than that, unless I'm traveling, because I'm I'm vegan. You like to be gone. I'm be gone. Baby, whenever I would go and get my hair done at your mom's shop, you was either just getting back from somewhere, and I'm like, damn, how do I be seeing you booked? Uh-huh. I'ma be gone. And I don't care if it's in the state, I don't care if it's out the country. I'ma plan something to where I'm going somewhere. I already got three places planned for the summer. So where are you going? Beginning of June, going to Oakland with my sisters. What's Oakland? I'm going to Oakland with my sisters. We're going to see Summer Walker out there. Okay. We decided to do that instead of LA. Okay. August, I actually have a marketing and mimosa event that I'm going to where I can branch out with my brand. Okay. I know. It's all women, and it's a three-day event. Yes. Um love that. So I get to market my brand, take my business cards, mingle with a whole bunch of women. Yes, go ahead. And that's gonna be wonderful. Um, so that's in August, and then for my birthday, I'm going to Punta Cana. Dominican Republic. Yeah. I was about to say Piri, but I don't want to say it in Spanish. Two-piece bait and sought. Yes. Yo, man, going? Absolutely. I know that's right. Y'all live together?

unknown 32:47

No.

SPEAKER_00 32:47

No, not yet. Not until he put a ring on it. Special? I know that's right. Yeah. I know that's it. Not until he put a ring on it. We're not pressuring you, sir. No, no, no. No pressure, baby. But no pressure, baby. But you know what it is. He knows he can't get nothing special. Because I already know that I live by myself and I know that once it's I'm committed and married, it ain't no more of that. Right. So, you know. No rudge, baby. But whenever you're ready. Um, how do you create a space that feels safe and empowering for your clients? I heard you mention that you sometimes get clients based off people just loving the vibe before they even see the work. And I'm a client. I can say it just feels good to come and get my hair done. You know, I know I'm yapping a lot right now, but sometimes I like when I come and get my hair done, and we just be sitting there quiet. Like we may talk every now and again. Absolutely. But sometimes I just want to sit sit there. And that's okay. Because sometimes I feel like you know how to assess the room, you know how to read the room, and a lot of people don't know how to do that. And so, um, how important it is for you to create a space that feels good for your clients, and how do you do it? It ain't nobody but God. It is really it is because oh, God is just so good. But when I walked into my space, I was like, okay, I want something that's super cute, not the same aesthetics that everybody had. For one, I didn't want no pink wall. Right. You weren't gonna see that. No. I didn't want a black wall. You weren't gonna see black, that doors are down. I wanted red, but I didn't want too much red. So I wanted something that was settled but calming. Yeah. Like when you walk in, it's like, ooh, I can relax. Um, so I've made the space as beautiful as I could for myself, but I wanted it to still be a vibe. Like I wanted it to have an aura, an ambiance that was welcoming, like a candle that's actually not lit with a fire. It actually lights up with a doggone light. Yeah. You know, um, scriptures, the the music. And then it's I think it's just me. Like I think because people just they like the vibe that I have. Because I am who I am, that's how I am able to create the space for everybody else. Yeah. Like, excuse me. I feel like that's just the way, that's just the way it is. Yeah. You know, like that's why I always tell people people clients come to you for you. Yeah. Like, and that's how my home is. People can come in my house and they'll sit down and be like, well, I could just go to sleep. You know? Really? It's the vibe. It's the I always, even if somebody just coming to sit down real fast, they would just be like, it's so peaceful in here. I'm a peaceful person. Yeah. Like if I was if I was chaotic, y'all would be like, the it's it's the vibe in here. It's something's off. Do you know that um sometimes beauticians do have chaotic energy? And baby, let me tell you, because sometimes they don't, I don't even think sometimes they realize it, but it's the talking loud while you're standing over me, or constantly answering your phone. And I get it, you busy. But if this is my time and I pay for my time, they put your phone down. Absolutely. The constantly picking up the phone. Yeah. The doing other stuff and keep stopping and da da da. And I feel like you have mastered how to attend to your client while they're there. Yes. I ain't never seen you be like, hold on, I gotta go pee. You can't go pee. But like, you like you have to do that before the person gets there. Yeah, you know? Oh, I'm holding it. Oh, really? And that's the problem. Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no, I'm talking to you, but don't let you don't hold it. So I got clients. I literally have clients to be like, go use the restaurant. Okay, like, I gotta start doing it. Like, I know you have to pee split people who they do like multiple breaks and they they really want to hit their hookah pin or something. Baby, talk about it. Go on to go hit the button and it's like I understand you got your addiction, but bitch, it's my time. Yeah, you don't know. Yeah, I'm definitely that's a part of customer service. Yeah, that's a part of customer service. Your client comes first. If they're in your chair, you need to make sure you tend to them. Yes, I will sit down, take a break, and drink some water, or if I gotta go to the restroom, I'm gonna rent it. But it's when we underneath the dryer. You under the steamer for five minutes, I can go to the bathroom real fast. I'll be right back. Right. But um, no, on the phone, for one, I don't want you in my business. Okay. So, you know, unless I need the answer real fast. But I just feel like on the phone, no, I can't even focus. Yeah. Like, you know, and then I'm moving slow. I'm on a time schedule. I got to get clients in and out. They don't want to be here all day. Me either. Yeah, you want to do that. I don't want to stay on that loctition. You are a fast loctition. A lot of people aren't fast. You be like, I'm gonna see you for an hour and 30 minutes. Oh my and your two string twist, it's quick. Like your head just be like, nigga, like, damn. Like, oh my god, I always develop so we'll see. Yeah, uh-uh. Um, how important is social media uh to your success? Because I know that you post a lot, but sometimes I've heard you say, like, I need to be posting more. I know. Okay, so this year I started posting a lot more. Um, over the past few years, is it'll be on and off. It'll be like one month, I'll be up. Next month I'll be, I'll be like, it'll be like two months, no post, or one post every now and again. Um, this year I said I gotta be more disciplined and consistent, and I gotta be committed to my business. You want business, you gotta keep showing up. Yeah, you can't half show up and then sit back and think clients still gonna come. Yeah, that's just nobody's gonna see you if you're not posting. You have posting. They don't know who you are, where you are, and you got the same people that's following you already, like in the same post. No, you gotta keep building it. Social media is important though. Yeah. Um, when I first started my page when COVID was in, I was booming. First of all, EDD money was rolling in.

unknown 39:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

EDD. EDD paid for all of those promos.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

That's how I got a lot of my newer clients. Then over time, because I was getting clients word of mouth, which I still am, I stopped posting so much because I was still generating clients from word of mouth. Like this person told me, this person told me, or they'll walk in the shop. Compton is a hot commodity. I don't care what nobody got to say. For sure. Compton is a hot commodity. And I've had people drive from Bakersfield. I still have clients, Bakersfield, Whittier, Merino Valley, like uh Lake Elsinore. They will drive Lake Elsinore. Yeah, they drive in talking about I I know that I can get the service here because it's good service. Yeah. And they found me on social media or word of mouth. Social media is big, it's heavy, it works. However, I mean I'm trying to market outside of social media, but like how? First of all, I'm gonna start back passing out business cards. You're gonna start back. Yeah. I feel like people like to see you. People like to know who you are instead of me just having them sitting there. Yeah. Like, get out. Hi, how you doing? Yeah. Oh, your hair? Okay. Nice to meet you. My name is Special. I must when people catch your vibe, yeah, they like, oh okay, wait. This girl gave me her car. Let me check her out. Um, I want to do a billboard. Oh no, that's right, special. We're not limiting. And they're not that expensive. People don't realize that. And neither are them fucking signs that be sitting on the bitch on the benches. And I'm gonna print out the sticky labels to put on like the bus stops where you can scan the QR code. Yeah, we gotta market ourselves. That's how everybody else is doing it. Yep. So why am I limited to social media? Right. I'm tired of looking at the phone, first of all. Right. I'm tired of making the content. Second of all, I could just print out some pictures, put a QR code, and walk around and stick those everywhere. And that's another form of, you know, business. I just can't be stuck on social media all day. Hmm. Mm-hmm. God We know you sending a you think God's sending what? He's sending, he's sending a He's sending a slew. Yeah. Somebody that's gonna handle the marketing and social media, somebody that's gonna be your assistant, yeah. That's gonna make sure that your salon and trustworthy people, not somebody that we're gonna find out later on, did something that we gotta beat them up. They're gonna move so fast, it's gonna be done before I even ask. Yes. Yeah. And they're gonna be young too. Yeah. Eager to work. And ready. Like, oh, I wanna work. Anyway, and uh, you're gonna pay them, but you're not gonna have to pay them that much because they're gonna be in there for the experience. Exactly. They're gonna be up and coming beautician, loctitian. I see a girl. I'm gonna be ready to bring that. You think I'm joking? I'm not seeing a girl. I'm gonna be ready to just give them it all and then send you on about your way. And I'll find me a new one. Because that's how it's supposed to generate. We're not supposed to be stuck. We're supposed to be moving up and help somebody else move up. So when they come back, it'll be like, oh, that was my mentor. She helped me. That's how mentors make it. It's supposed to work. Yes. Yes. That is how it's supposed to be. You're not supposed to have me stagnant to work for you. You're supposed to be motivating me to move forward. Right. So now that I'm moving forward, I can go help somebody else and come back and ask you for help if I need it. And I can help somebody else do the same thing that you was doing. Because that's just how it's supposed to be. That's how it's supposed to be. A specialist coming. It's coming. I received that. Um if you had to start over today, how would you rebrand yourself? How would you rebrand yourself? How would you how would you start over? A rebrand, huh? I guess that's what I'm doing now.

unknown 43:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Yeah. Also you are starting over now. Uh pretty much. Because I mean, I don't know what the timeline is looking like, but you've I mean, you've been doing my hair for years, but uh you just got the new some salon. But you said that you started doing locks in during COVID. I started, yeah, I've started it wasn't that long ago. But I feel like I've been doing locks for about 10 years. Okay, but just say that. Okay, I've been doing locks for 10 years. So I've been, but before COVID, I had those $30, $35 clients. Okay, cool. That's where those two handfuls came from. Those are my little chump change. Okay. That's why I was learning maybe about three. Okay. Maybe about three of them. But that's why I was learning a lot. A lot of styles, a lot of technique, a lot of process. What works for me? I have eczema. A lot of products broke me out.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 44:04

Yes, girl. A lot of products broke me out. I've been through so many in the in the game to where I can just say yes and no. You know. Um what was the question? Um, if you had to start over, how would you rebrand yourself? I would, um, yeah, I've been doing it for 10 years. So I would say starting in November, I've started the rebrand. And that was redoing my website, if you notice. Very nice. New business cards. Um taxes filing, that's a part of rebranding. And now I just got a lot of stuff that I'm doing behind the scenes to actually put out front. Yeah. Eventually, too. So I would just say, you know, trying to set myself up better than I did before so everything can flow easily now. Yeah. Um, trying to make sure that the money revenue that I had that I'm making now is is put up for what could be used in the future for special life styles. Yeah. Like the the rebrand is really a rebrand for myself as well. Mentally preparing myself for what's next. Yeah. Because what I was doing before, it just don't work. So what's next? I heard you say that you uh eventually wanted to open up a preschool. What's in 10 years? What I and I like to do this little thing, I do it with a few people actually. I do it mainly with my husband. I don't know, seriously. You know how people like, oh, we manifested. No, I'm doing more than that. We got we we are talking as if this is what we already got. Absolutely, because that's the only way to do it. It's the only way to do it. Yeah. So in 10 years, we're a special. We're not using I'm going to be doing it. Okay, in 10 years, I will be 40, pretty much. Married.

unknown 46:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 46:04

Kids. Yes. How many? Three or four. Okay. Good big family. Yes. Yeah. Plenty of them things. Um, kids for sure. You're gonna be a great mom. Thank you. Um I would say master's degree. In what? Speech pathology. I know that's right. Communication disorders for the kids. Yes! Yeah, okay. That's that's definitely a plus and it's needed for for the babies. Um, so yep, master's degree. I'm going to say special styles will be oh my goodness. Big. I'm starting a brand. I'm not gonna say the name yet, because nobody knows. Okay. But it will be out soon. Okay. It's gonna be a product line. Yes, it is. Ah, yes, it is. That's what I see. Special, yes, it is. Keep going. It's gonna be a product line. Yes. It's gonna be hair. This is the hair. Okay. So these are actually not raw bundles, but virgin hair bundles that I have and they're tape-ins. Okay. There's a difference. I was just about to ask, because I don't think we know. Okay. A lot of girls don't know the difference. Raw hair comes from it can be Indian, Vietnamese, whatever brand, you know, of hair you want. But raw means it's cut and unprocessed. Okay. So as if my hair, how it's this vibrant red, because if I bleach my black, it's gonna come out blonde. Right. A lot of hair that if you bleach the bundles, it might come out brown because that's a mixture of hair that they use. But raw bundles that's cut straight off someone's head and sewn onto the weft, it's unprocessed hair, meaning it bleaches well. It the you see the cuticle, it's it's it's just beautiful hair. Virgin hair is a mixture. So what I have in my head is a mixture of different hairs. Okay. So it's not cut straight off the person itself, it's kind of like a mixed shed of different types of hair. Okay. However, virgin hair is still good, as you can see. Yeah, you know, so I will be offering virgin hair. I will be offering like Indonesian bundles. Okay. Um, so I'll be offering that and just a lot of other things. I will be doing lock classes. Yes. So that's coming. Yes. Um, lock classes for regular locks, and I will be teaching how to do lock extensions. Well, you'll be having lock classes or lock conventions. I see you at a I'm not even trying to be funny. I see you on the city. You see me on a stage? Yes. Shut up. I see you on a stage in white with your red hair. Okay. And you have setups and stations, and it's like a bunch of people in there, not like like a classroom, and we can close the door, like you somewhere where they gotta walk into the hall to come to your convention where you're teaching people how to do the live. I see that. Girl. I can I can see people always have people have always told me, yeah, you belong on the stage. Yeah. Like we can see you on the stage. Yes. Like on a platform.

unknown 49:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 49:18

Would I? Absolutely. Yeah. Um yeah, I feel like my okay. I'm not gonna say the name of the the line, okay, but I would like for, I'm gonna say it now. My hair care line will be in rooms where people are at the New York Fashion Weeks using my product. I will not be the stylist behind the scenes, I will be the stylist sitting in the seat with the other brands. That's all I wanna say. Special. I see that. And it is special. And that's what I see. Um preschool, don't know when that will be, and I don't know if that's gonna be in 10 years or not, but I will say that I will have a preschool at least by 45. Yeah. And at that point, will you still be doing hair? A couple. Okay. But ultimately, you want to be at your school and yeah, doing a school. I want to be chilling. I want to be chilling with the kids. I want to be the owner of the school and I don't want to be the teachers. Right, right. Like, that's not what I'm I'm offering a full-fledged preschool. I see the preschool. Like, always been saying, I've been saying this for years. I see my preschool and I know exactly what it looked like and what it's going to be. And I see myself in my office and people coming in, like, Miss Basha.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:45

You know, me greeting the kids in the front. Um, so I definitely see my preschool. I definitely see it being a big thing. And that will be a part of me when I'm ready to kind of sit back from behind the chair, you know, a lot more. Yeah. I don't want to be standing behind the chair. Like I've seen my mom do that all her life.

SPEAKER_01 51:03

I can't. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:04

Back hurt, feet hurt, hands hurt, neck hurt, shoulders hurt. Like I'm getting massages like once or twice a month. Yeah. Like people be asking me, do you? Yes, I have to, because if I don't, I'm gonna be sore. I'm gonna be aching. When I lay down, I'm gonna feel like my body just drifting away. Here is a smart smart that you want to get out and venture off into other things and have your product line out and do the conventions which you will do. Because um I I'm only thinking, I mean, I don't know if this is the instance for your mother, but I'm thinking if I was a beautician and I had my regular clients, it would probably be hard for me to step away because these pink people almost like depend on you to get their motherfucking hair right. And people don't stop, I mean, once they like you, they don't stop going to you and their hair don't disappear unless they cut it off. But like, yeah, I'm pretty sure your mom probably feels like, no, I gotta, because if her hair don't get done, we'll do her hair. You know, and um I mean it's a beautiful concept concept, but it also is probably a lot of stress on the body after a while. Even if it's an enjoyment in it, but it's it's a lot of it's still it's still something you have to do when you get home from work. Yeah. Like, you know, you standing on your feet all day, you moving all day, you talking all day, you conversating all day. When I most mass majority of the time when I leave from work, the radio is off. Right. Like silence. Like literally, I can walk in my house and just sit down and not turn nothing on because it's an all-day conversation. You hear a lot of what clients are going through, or we communicating about, you know, life in general, or we're watching a show, a movie, or the music, we singing and things like that. Um, so even just conversating mentally, you gotta tune out of work before you make it home. I know that's right. Because by the time you get home, you can't be thinking about what your clients do. Imagine you being doing what you do. This is why you're just set apart. You're different. I can imagine doing that all day sitting there. Because now that I'm thinking about it, I've been sitting in your chair, like, oh, how many clients have you had today? And you're like, well, I have five. I got two more after you. You mean to tell me you've been talking to motherfuckers all day for nine hours? Like, you know what I mean? And don't let it be a 30-minute consultation. Mm-mm. Couldn't do it. Because when I leave this motherfucker, and I, you know, I only we this these met my episodes are literally like an hour. I never book two people in one day. Baby, when I leave here, I do the same shit you do. I go home and don't turn shit on. I don't know. I gotta go home and hear them kids too. Fuck that. Oh, yeah, and I even got them. Um I even got that. I'm so excited about what's in your future. I'm excited about what's happening now. I cannot wait until your products come out because I won't use a thing else but your products because I'm loyal to my soil. I'm working hard on those products. When I say I'm working hard behind the scenes, let me tell you something. Yeah. I got this chemist, right? Okay. I don't know what I'm doing, Alexis. I swear. I made the phone call, set up the consultation, got the first product, testing everything, got ingredients. When I say I didn't know nothing about shipping, no nothing. And when I got off the the the phone call, I said, Laure, you funny. Ain't nobody here to help me do this but you, huh?

SPEAKER_01 54:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:34

I just gotta go with the flow. They asking me questions, and I'm just like, Yep, I'm up to GBT live. That's hilarious. But it's a fun journey. I'm enjoying it. This is really one of those things where it's like you gotta just do it because nobody else has done it. Yeah, nobody you know has done this. Nobody I know, you know, so it's just kind of like you're trying to make a product for people to purchase and use in their hair. Yeah, girl, yeah, you gotta be mindful. Yeah, like it's very tedious. Then you don't want your product to be a mess because then you're gonna get talked about. Yeah. So you gotta be. Yeah, people read an ingredient. And the cold part about it is people don't realize some product, I mean, all products, you're gonna have a product that will flourish with someone and then somebody might be allergic to something or whatever, whatever. And what's Pandora? Me and my man just got a match of Pandora bracelets. You cannot forget that. I did. It's in the bag. What's his name? Dre. Apologize to Dre. Sorry, baby. Sorry, Dre. Um, but what was I saying? So the products may work for you, they may not work for this person. Absolutely. But the person that it don't work for, they go. Yeah. And it could just be something that you're doing wrong, or you could be using the product wrong, or you could be mixing the product with something else. So yeah, I'm just saying, like the point, but yes, you know, your your products are gonna are gonna do right by people, but it sometimes it just it's just case by case. You know what I mean? But um, there's something there for you. There's something there for you. Yeah, we gotta lock, we we y'all gonna see special special lock styles flourishing. I cannot wait. I'm gonna wait for that. First of all, I wasn't even supposed to be doing hair, like I said. Yeah. So not the convention again. I cannot babe because the thing about me is once I see it, I because that's how I trust, that's how I know. Like, my gift has always worked. Once God show me something, that's it. I'm never like, oh, that'll be cool if that'll happen. No, it's happening. Yeah. And it always does. So I'm like, not the first thing. You know it's coming. If people out here like special, I I go to shows and I see people do lock work and I'll be like, they should have had special up there. Yeah. You know, and I've applied for certain things. I've applied for LA Lockfest. Have you seen that? I don't know what that is. Okay, it's the new little um, I think it's LA Lockfest, or it's coming in August or whatever. I applied for the whole um on stage thing, but because my page is not giving all the artsy and all that, you know, it's just not giving all of that. Um, of course, they don't accept that. They accept who they see has more of the aesthetics. And that's okay, because whoever got it, that's their time. Your time. Absolutely. And I, you know, I'm just like, oh okay, but that's when people be like, hey, you should have been up there. And then you should be like, it's not my time. Ain't my time to be up there. And you know what's so crazy, special, or not necessarily crazy, but the way that guy's gonna have it. Your thing is not gonna be set up by somebody else's thing. Your thing is gonna be more inclusive, yeah, uh secluded thing that's a special thing. Exactly. It's not special being sponsored by it's special things. Exactly. And I always said I don't want to be, I'm not gonna be under anybody. No, that's not because you don't have to be. No, I I can't do that. Um, I see people that work under like it's pretty much like a union or whatever. Like, you know, stylish you can work under somebody or you work with somebody and that's what you do behind the scenes and things like that. I won't, I just can't do that. You can use my product behind the scenes. Okay, yeah. That's what I that's what I want to see. I want to get off, I wanna, I want to get off this thing because I want to know the name of the of the product. Y'all, we have special hairs in the building today, your favorite loctitian. Yes, the only loctitian that you need to be getting your hair done by, okay? Yay. We're gonna put her information below in the captions and on the YouTube channel, um, so you can go ahead and book with her. We're gonna put her website um and keep her booked and busy, y'all. This was special parents. Peace out. See y'all.