Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandy Sims . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brandy , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Before determining what it takes to be successful, one must determine what success means to them as an individual. I think a lot of times, success is determined predominantly by a financial level, but I believe this is only one part of the puzzle. My definition of success is achieving a level of financial freedom that fits the needs of your lifestyle, while having work life balance to enjoy your finances, peace within what you do, and affecting lives in a positive way.

Achieving these elements together definitely takes a journey of commitment. Many people will speak on having hard work ethics, determination, organization skills, etc to be successful. While these are all true, I like to dig deeper. In order to be truly successful and bring the best version of yourself into all that you do, it takes a lot of self-reflection and healing. Being able to see the flaws, negative habits, and hindering mindset that you bring to the table enables you to achieve success more quickly. Everyone has negative habits, behavioral traits, and insecurities that can hinder them or even stop them on the path to success. We sometimes also allow unresolved issues from our past or issues that arise with other people to make us believe we are alone or don’t need help on our journey. Continually overcoming these elements, self-reflecting, and adjusting along the way have been key to me unlocking each level of success that I have achieved.

Brandy , 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?

While I have now founded multiple brands and continually unlock levels of success, I know that the foundation and heart of my brand- healing and female empowerment, all stem from my personal journey. It is all because of this journey that I am able to impact others and have the drive to push forward and excel in my endeavors.

Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, the daughter of a single parent, salon owner, activist, and former mayor (yep!) and the granddaughter of the boldest woman I’ve ever met, full of sass and a business savvy spirit, I should have known that entrepreneurship was deep within my soul. I’ve always been highly ambitious, but in my early years, I struggled with balancing my analytical and creative sides, in conjunction with many insecurities and emotional issues.

I was a severe empath, although I didn’t truly know it at the time. Although I was a major overachiever, I silently struggled with anxiety and lack of confidence, never knowing where I fit in. On the outside I had it all put together, was outgoing, bubbly, and thrived in school. Receiving the most scholarship offers in my high school class and a full ride to all of the schools I applied to, I decided that college had to be the right path for me, so I moved to Atlanta, GA to pursue an Economics degree at Spelman College.

Let’s fast forward and say that while I loved this school, I learned about about myself during my 2 years at Spelman. Enough to know that I had no idea what I wanted to do in life, or who I was, and the rebel in me decided to leave a full scholarship and set out on a journey to figure it out. Although I later finished my degree at The Pennsylvania State University, God has continually pushed me to not go corporate and stay in the beauty industry.

I am now a wife, and mother of 2, that has used every lesson in life and every hurdle, to build my brand, brick by brick. For almost a decade, I have been Co-CEO/Founder of the Replenish Haircare Brand which includes the top rated natural hair salon in Atlanta, GA, Replenish Salon, Naturally Replenish Haircare products, Replenished Apparel, and educate stylists and clients through my online academy, Textured Training Academy. I have built a successful brand where I am able to impact many women on a daily basis, provide a foundation to other stylists and their careers, and most importantly, use my brand as a vessel to help others heal and feel empowered.

My brand has been my school of life. I’m a multifaceted kinda chick: A child of God, a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, a female empowerment enthusiast, an analytic, a creative, an empath, a future mogul, and a dash of sash! I somehow roll all of these characteristics into my crafts.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been me always seeking the balance of my creative and analytical sides. Most stylists want to be creative and express themselves artistically, but you must ALSO know how to conquer the sides of being detailed, organized, and knowledgeable. I get to express my creative side through hair color, which I call hair art, but always make sure I have a foundation of understanding chemistry, being detailed with my clients through the education that I provide them, and feeling free to be myself. I pour all of me into my services- my personality, knowledge, skills, and creativity, and it has led me to grow a clientele in which I am booked solid at least 3-4 months in advance, have many clients that book a year in advance, and have built a brand to allow multiple stylists to grow a successful clientele as well. In Atlanta, GA there are many salons to choose from, so I always teach that services have to be deeper than a polished style or silk press to have longevity in the industry.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my business partner, Stephanie Lipsey while working in another salon almost a decade ago. We worked for a popular brand as a small 2 person studio in Atlanta. Our clients were so used to us being together, so when we decided that our goals and the new goals of the business no longer aligned, we wanted to give it a shot at working together. We had no idea when we started that our brand would grow to what it has become or the plans that we have for the future of our brand. We often get asked how we are able to successfully work together and grow multiple brands as two black women, and the answer is that we are both always open to hear from God and humble ourselves to his direction, not our own. We are not perfect, and we have had arguments here and there, but are thankful that these are very rare and that we always communicate, self-reflect and humbles ourselves, and move forward towards the greater goal. We say that we both have a husband, but this is our “work wife relationship” lol Working alongside someone daily and building a business together takes a lot of communication, self-reflection, and prayer, but after almost 10 years, we are still going strong!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brandycsims.com www.naturallyreplenish.com www.replenishsalon.com
• Instagram: @BrandyCSims @BrandySimsHairArt @NaturallyReplenish @ReplenishSalon

Image Credits
Photographers: Brandy Sims, LaJoyPhotography, and NadiaAnochiephoto