We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nya Southerland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

If I could go back in time, I would absolutely have started my business earlier. I found my love for skincare very early in my journey before I even knew what an Esthetician was. I started selling skincare products out of my dorm room at Howard University as my side hustle (also known as my Howard Hustle). I was making face wash and body scrubs in the kitchen and making my friends model with my products.

If I knew the education that was necessary to really be an entrepreneur in this field, I would’ve dually enrolled in Esthetician school while I was still in undergrad. Had I done that, I probably would’ve found my love and passion for waxing A LOT sooner!

I always think about, had I started this journey while I was in college, how successful I could’ve been by now. However, my journey is my journey and I absolutely love where I am in my Entrepreneurial path right now. Had I started back in DC, I probably wouldn’t have met any of the amazing clients I have now.

Nya, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Nya Southerland, I am a Licensed Esthetician and Brazilian Wax Specialist with a growing waxing business located in Smyrna, GA.

I graduated from Howard University with my BBA in Marketing in 2020
during the pandemic. After I graduated, I moved from Washington, D.c. to Marietta, GA. At this point, I was no longer pushing my Howard Hustle and was focusing on finding a career in Corporate America like all the rest of my college friends. After 8 months at my completely virtual big girl job, I decided that I wasn’t passionate and was also overworked and underpaid. So I enrolled into Esthetician School to follow my dreams of creating an organic skincare line. I planned on doing it the right way this time; getting my license, finding a chemist and working side by side to create the most amazing product.

Not even TWO full months into my 12 month Esthetics program did I realize that was no longer my dream. I found waxing a lot more exciting, instantly gratifying and fun than the study of skin care products. I shifted my focus and knew at that moment that waxing was going to be what I specialized in as an Esthetician.

Now I wake up everyday and have the pleasure of servicing the most amazing clients ever! While I consider myself a Brazilian Wax Specialist, my clients trust me to do their legs, arms, eye brows, vajacials, extractions and every other service you can think of.

I’m extremely proud of how far I’ve come and how my social media presence has reached so many people who are interested in waxing but are hesitant.

I focus my business on providing amazing customer service, an amazing experience and building relationships with not only my clients but anyone who follows me on any of my platforms.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I consider myself a micro-influencer. While my following isn’t ginormous, my followers always show up and show out for me because they feel we have a personal connection. I started my very first TikTok account in 2020, during the pandemic. Once I shifted over to waxing content, I had to learn the do’s and don’ts of social media. It was hard and my account was definitely banned a few times. Once I understood what was and wasn’t allowed, all I had to do was be consistent! Consistency is key with social media and building followers. Keep posting, even if you feel like you’re not getting the traffic that you deserve. It will come with consistency!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I would recommend every single new business owner to take a financial literacy class. I was lucky enough to have a mom that taught me everything I needed to know about building credit, credit worthiness, APR, interest, and much more. When I first started Nya Amani Aesthetics, LLC, I applied for a business credit card that was running an 18 month no APR promotion. I put all of my initial expenses on that credit card. I used my savings from my short lived big girl job and the money I was making from new clients to pay off my credit card.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/nyaamani
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyaamani.aesthetics?igsh=MXRxbGp5ajV3ZmhrZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyasoutherland?trk=contact-info