Tuesday started #WeekOfTwists and boy has it lived up to the name. This week we meet Simone, owner of Twisted Strandzz. We had a chance to sit and chat, virtually of course, ahead of tomorrow’s live sessions. Here’s how it went.
Brief Description of Business
Twisted Strandzz is a small, home based hair styling business who currently offers quite a few protective styles for all hair textures. On February 23rd, 2020, the Instagram page was officially launched with the intention to showcase only our various natural hair styles (cornrows, twist cornrows etc.). A few months later, on the 2nd of June, the business branched out a bit and added faux locs as a service. Later adding a variety of twists styles such as Rope twists, Marley twists and Spring twists. Recently we have been looking to add a few more styles to our list of services like ponytails and sew-ins. In March, we introduced our very first product the loc 'n' go hat, which is basically a hat wig with locs. It was officially launched on May 2nd, 2021. That’s only the beginning, in the near future we hope to add a few more products under this brand.
What has been your inspiration to become a business owner?
Three major things contributed to me becoming a business owner, the first being my grandmother. My gran was the person that taught me how to braid and from then I always loved playing in hair. Unfortunately, I lost her last year and that was my biggest push. It sucks that it took losing her for me to realize I should start a business with the skill she taught me, but it is my reality. I wanted to make her proud, so I started Twisted Strandzz for her. The initials of the business (T.S) are actually her initials . Secondly, after learning how to braid I always loved the feeling I got when completing a style, I always felt accomplished knowing I helped beautify someone and fixed their crown as well as I knew how to. Lastly, the most obvious push was that obtaining a job in these times were extremely difficult and I really did not want to be depending on my mother constantly. So, I wanted to start making my own money.
Can you speak on the challenges you face as an entrepreneur and measures you put in place to overcome them?
My biggest challenges are time management and organization. I am a Part-time student at U.W.I so I have to find the balance between working on new ideas for my business and getting my assignments and studying done. To overcome these challenges, I try my best to focus on one task as a time and try to prioritize where necessary. Some other residual challenges are my anxiety and self-doubt. My nerves get the best of me in many situations, specifically ones that require me having to socialize. I’m typically a pretty soft-spoken, shy individual. I overcome this by trying to get out of my head, get my adrenaline pumping, give myself a pep talk or get somebody to talk me down. This usually works because when I’m done, I’m super happy with the outcome.
What is your greatest aspiration for your business?
Right now, it’s to become as great as I possibly could be in this field, so I could one day start teaching young girls how to do hair. Additionally, I would like to specialize in bridal hair styling. I’ve always admired those elegant up do bridal hairstyles, being able to make someone feel so beautiful on their big day would be such an accomplishment. I’ve done it once for one of my friends, it is nerve wrecking but that one moment made me fall in love with the idea.
Des' Synopsis:
Simone’s passion shines through everything she touches. She carries a certain tenacity that will take her far in her brand progression. I look forward to seeing what she does next.
♥ Destinee Aliyah
