We were lucky to catch up with Raven Brooks recently and have shared our conversation below.

Raven, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I graduated with my Masters in Clinical Psychology in 2020, right after the COVID-19 pandemic started. My mindset was “what job can I secure right now and how do I get it?” After some time, I landed a research assistant job in a field I thought would allow me to progress smoothly. While it did meet the financial needs, it didn’t meet my interests.

Since 2010, I‘d always done hair as a side hustle. Not because I needed to but because I loved it. And it wasn’t until May 2022 that I realized I could actually become a hairstylist, specifically a loctician, full time. It was the biggest risk I’d ever considered taking and I was terrified. I’d always had a “primary” job plus hair but never JUST hair. Will I have enough clients? Can I pay my bills and have enough for savings? How do you even run a business?!

I asked myself every question except the most important one was “has God ever put you in a position to fail?” With no being the obvious answer, June 2022 I decided to go full time at The Heir Salon! Since then I’ve been fully booked every month and have had dozens of potential clients contact me directly!

Doubt is such a silly thing when you have ample evidence to prove you are capable of anything. Having 12 years of experience, 150+ clients, and portfolio of breathtaking work is more than enough proof that I am a dope Loctician.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Since childhood, I have always found myself in hair. I had of all the Barbie’s, the Bratz, and every hair accessory you could need. I even called myself giving myself a haircut and chopped off an entire pigtail because I didn’t like hair in my face!

Everyone knew I loved doing hair but it wasn’t seen as a successful profession. That, or those around me saw me doing more with my talents. So, my entrance into the beauty industry wasn’t a surprise but more of a slow burn. Now that I’m here, I am having so much fun!

I am a Loctician. I maintain, install, and establish the Afro-centric hairstyle widely known as Locs or Locks. Given this hairstyle’s perceived low maintenance, I like to provide a more holistic approach to Loc’d Hair Care. Instead of limiting my clients to what they can and can’t do, I like to meet them where they are and guide them to where they want to be. Notice I said where they want to be and not where I want them to be. Yes, I am the Loctician but that’s all. I am not the client and I cannot control their aesthetic, desires, or goals for their hair.

My biggest goal for each of my clients is for them to love their hair and want to care for their Locs, not feel like it’s a chore. My suggested product list consists of 5 items, I recommend routines based on the clients lifestyle, and I refer them to dermatologists when I believe there is a scalp issue that cannot be handled by over-the-counter products. Most importantly, I make my clients feel welcomed. I take pride in answering as many messages as possible and accommodating clients to the best of my ability. The last thing I want a client to feel is neglected.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Great customer service and beautiful work has helped me grow my clientele more than I could imagine. Many times I will ask new clients how they found me and the top answers are word of mouth or they saw my work on Instagram. The power of social media and the tongue are unmatched! Being one woman, I don’t have much time to post on social media frequently or hand out business cards, so having supportive coworkers and clients to share my information for me is truly a blessing.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

For some reason, I had the belief that my work wasn’t good and other people were better Locticians just because they had a bigger audience than me. That mindset limited me. Some days it would stop me from posting my work or opening my calendar for new clients. I couldn’t wrap my mind around having people want me as thrir Loctician. It wasn’t until I began to admire my own work and just keep going day after day that I realized the clients will come and my work will always speak for itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: thelocsurgeon.booksy.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.locsurgeon?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravenlbrooks

Image Credits
Ronald Godbee