We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annique Pierre-Louis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annique below.

Annique, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

Being an apprentice was an amazing experience for me! The stylist I was under became my best friend and mentor. There were many times when we’d be working on a guest together and we would communicate without words; it’s something special to know someone so well you’re one step ahead of them. As an apprentice I learned a lot of skills that are outside of the box which made me the stylist I am today. The most important thing you learn as an apprentice is the reasons why you’re doing what you’re doing. In school they always say you’ll learn when you become a stylist, and that couldn’t be more true! Overall my 32 weeks as an apprentice was a very beneficial experience that enhanced my skill level right out of school!

Annique, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I joined the beauty world in 2018! I had just moved to a new state and was no longer interested in working corporate. I knew I wanted something fun and I had always been interested in fashion and beauty. My Google searches would probably make you laugh as I tried to figure out how to become a beauty professional.

When I was in high school, I didn’t know beauty was a profession and I hadn’t ever been to an actual salon so I went straight to university to study psychology! As I started receiving hair and skin care services, I wanted more and more to become a beauty professional. Once I figured out how to get into the industry, I wanted to be an esthetician and perform eyelash extensions and microblading. Things changed when I went on my school tour I realized becoming a cosmetologist would be more up my ally.

When I came to Tennessee in 2020 I opened my salon immediately without knowing anyone or working at a salon. I knew I wanted a space that would bridge the gap in the beauty world; I wanted to create a space where all textures of hair and races were welcome. All too often a person of color or a person with uncommon hair goes into a salon space and is unsure if they will be able to be serviced and I wanted to start the change in the industry. I created Sand + Sol to offer many beauty services to be able to service all people!

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Attending regular classes outside of what you learn in beauty school is critical to being successful in this field! Trends, techniques and products are constantly changing and you have to be up to date with it all to be able to offer the best service.

I would strongly encourage beauty professionals to also take business courses outside of the traditional beauty business courses and take those findings and apply them to your beauty business.

Having an open mind, being adaptable and always learning will set you ahead when it comes to being a successful Beauty professional!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My entrepreneur journey in Tennessee is definitely a resilient one. Starting a business where not a single person knows you and you have no connections is not easy. There were times where I would tell myself to wait to start my own and just work in a salon to grow some clientele. Each time I would tell myself that, I would feel like I was quitting before I even started. I decided to take my extra time during the pandemic to leverage social media to attract clients for when the salon opened up.

I think any entrepreneurial endeavor you need to tuck your head, focus & achieve results. You need to think outside the box to gain knowledge in all areas in order to be successful! This is a constant battle almost three years later with keeping up the grind to grow the salon and get the desired results!

Contact Info:

• Website: SandSolco.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/beautybyannique
• Facebook: Facebook.com/sandsolcollective

Image Credits
@morganphotoco