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

Noelani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Throughout my 3 years as a hairstylist, the most unexpected problem that I have faced is communication. Ever since I was younger, I was always the girl who loved to talk and I mean LOVED to talk. I attended every celebration, every gathering, and I can humbly say that I was the life of the party. It never occurred to me that when it came to actually communicating with people whether through emails or texts it would be challenging for me. I always thought that when I started my business, it would be easy to have conversations with potential clients and build relationships prior to their scheduled appointment because of my welcoming personality. However, I was highly disappointed when in my second year of doing hair, I realized that it had become rather difficult for me to keep up conversations with my clients online. I am not sure whether I had been apart of the collective who had been affected by the isolation of the pandemic or rather that I was no longer a “social butterfly”. I noticed that my response time grew longer to simple questions asked by my clients or it would take about 5-10 minutes to answer questions after overthinking what would be the kindest way to respond. I realized at that time I was undergoing a period of my life where I was emotionally stagnant and unwilling to engage in any form of conversations which then began to reflect poorly in my business. However, I would have hate for this to be the downfall of something that I had worked so hard for. To resolve this, I devoted an hour a day to specifically respond to my clients. This method saved me and allowed me to prepare myself before engaging in conversations with potential clients. Soon, I look forward to working with a team that would support the communications part of Hair By Noelani Jaide.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Noelani ! Pronounced nuh-lani. I am the founder of Hair By Noelani Jaide, located in the Bronx, NY. I started doing hair (braiding specifically) when I was 14 years old and I am now 17. In my business, I provide braiding services, loc services, ponytail services and natural hair services catered to both men and women; as well as creating content to support other hair stylists and anyone who wants to learn how to care for their hair. The most frequent question asked by my new clients is “Why did I start doing hair?” The first encounter I had with actually doing hair was with my little sister. My mom was always the one who took care of our hair but over time, my sister started to want braids. Curiously, one afternoon I decided to pick up a comb and a gel that I had found lying around the house and I gave her some large knotless braids. For my first attempt, I was surprised at my ability to simply attach the braiding hair. I was never really worried about parting since I had always been a perfectionist even at doing my own hair . After this day, I would go on to doing my little sisters braids and practicing on my mannequin. This mannequin would probably be one of the best purchases I have ever made! Every style that I would create beyond that day would be on that mannequin. I’m surprised that there is still hair on it 3 years later. Soon I started posting on my snapchat about my progress and my friends began to encourage me to “start a business” being that that was a trend in 2020. It wasn’t until the trend began to slow in which I made my Instagram account, and thus my brand Hair By Noelani Jaide began to take form. As I began my business, I noticed that one thing to take note of is that followers do not equate to dollars. Many people will follow to support but would not book your services. Likewise, many people may book your services but you would still have a low following. I have encountered both situations and in both situations the lesson remains constant- Keep Going because you never know who is watching. It took a lot of discipline, consistency, long nights and prayer to get me to the clientele I have today. I think that in a world full of people who provide similar services to me, I think that what sets me apart is the speed of my services and my ability to replicate any style that is requested. Additionally, my faith is before me and is an essential part of my business. I find it necessary to pray over my clients and to pray that they will find all that they desire when they leave. Hair By Noelani Jaide is not just a service business but also a business where God has the opportunity to work in people’s lives. I would love for potential clients and supporters to know that I am always working to elevate and expand my brand. I am a creator and I will always be creating new styles, and working on ways to become an asset to society. I would also want potential clients to know that I love to be challenged! Bring on all the hair styles that you are tempted to do but scared that it can not be replicated the way that you would like. Hair By Noelani Jaide is the place for you! I am mostly proud of my discernment throughout the past 3 years. I have learned when to say no and when to put my pride aside and say yes. It takes a lot of strength to be an entrepreneur -pulling many strings at once. However, it is through the foundation of entrepreneurship that huge businesses and companies are built.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the love ! There are so many opportunities as a service provider to pour into people’s lives during their services or just to make it an opportunity to make them feel loved. The joy that people get after they are pleased with your work is so beautiful to see. I have had clients cry, I have had clients hug and squeeze me so tightly after viewing themselves in the mirror. I am just happy to be apart of making people feel genuinely good about themselves while still encouraging them that they were beautiful before they even came. It is important for me to spread love and through my business is one way that I have been able to do so. As a creative, it encourages you to create even more, knowing that you are adding to people’s lives. Knowing that I have contributed to the joy that they feel is more than enough for me.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best way to support artists is through opportunities and exposure. There has been many artists and huge social media influencers who use the same people to perform services because of popularity when there are so many exceptional creatives who can use the opportunity and exposure. It is important to create room such as events, conferences, gatherings that allow creatives to network with each other and help each other up. I think that in the hair industry specifically, it is difficult to reach certain heights because of the standard that is required. These standards can include, social media folllowing, likes, or even views. I believe that many media outlets should begin to push out more small influencers, businesses and brands content to assist in these artists and creatives gaining more notice that they deserve.

Contact Info:

• Website: hairbynoelanijaide.as.me
• Instagram: hairbynoelanijaide
• Youtube: Noelani Jaidee TV
• Other: Main Instagram Page for further contact: @noelanijaidee