We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alisa Shamauree a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
I would have to say that my best investment as a business owner was hiring a Business Coach! Ive been in the beauty industry over 10 years now, and along the journey, you discover a lot of pros and cons. Before creating Mane Glamour, I worked in other salons to gain behind the chair experience as well as learning to build exceptional rapports with clients. While working for these salons it taught me how to market myself to potential clients and to build on services in areas that I excelled. I noticed that after several years in the industry that there was a demand in MY services (which at the time were simply, Blowouts).
Fast forward, I decided to work in a full service salon and after gaining a loyal clientele, I decided to become an independent stylist and create Mane Glamour.
MG has been operating since early 2016, mainly focusing on Weddings and other special occasions, simply because I was working out of a salon that was building its name in the community and I honestly didn’t know the proper steps to advertise and build my business along side of the salon.
As years passed, I realized that being a hair stylist is my passion and I should take MG to the next level and properly offer an experience to all of the women that I service daily. As I imagined how to make my dreams a reality, I decided that 2023 was going to be the year that I invested in myself and Mane Glamour wholeheartedly. I reached out to who I now call my mentor and serial entrepreneur (Tiffany Pauldon), and told her that I was serious about expanding my business and exceeding the vision of the brand. We created a game plan and were now finalizing all things Mane Glamour. She introduced me to broadening my expectation and venturing into the future of MG and what that looks like for me. Within a few months, we created a new logo, created a website, set the tone of Mane Glamour, had a photoshoot with client involvement and were also planning to add seasonal merchandise! With that being said Mane Glamour is growing into what will be an amazing experience and community for all women being serviced and encountering us around the city!
Moral is: it takes 110% dedication and trust. Although we haven’t officially launched all of the new things that Mane Glamour will be offering, were well on our way and Im excited to bring everyone along on our journey!
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.
I’m originally from Chattanooga, TN! I moved to Washington, DC right out of high school and attended a Paul Mitchell school in Rockville, MD, where I received my Cosmetology license in 2010. After graduating, I began working for a blowout salon (the newest trend in the hair biz lol).
After working there for several years, I was able to build a decent size freelance clientele. A few clients would then ask me to come to their homes to style their hair for the week, special events, to assist their actual hairstylist (simply because I had perfected my ‘blowouts’), etc. Unfortunately, once that business grew, I craved to move to a different city/state to venture out a little more.
About 8 years, I moved to NASHVILLE, TN!!! With zero clientele, I thought it would be worth the shot to market myself by working for another local blowout company. Instead, I ended up working 3 jobs, while attending college; which was very short-lived lol.
I finally graduated with my Associates in Business Management, left 2 jobs, and became a full-time hairstylist, at SALON 1797/ Mane Glamour specializing in cut and color, especially blondes! Do I have a bit of a waitlist these days, kinda lol but this journey has definitely humbled me in more ways than one, and I have enjoyed every milestone.
So feel free to come to see me… I’m still there – at the salon that is lol.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect to me would be being able to meet so many different women and families, enhancing their beauty, giving them a safe place to relax and just enjoy themselves, and seeing each person to walk away feeling a tad bit better than when they arrived!
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish that I knew there were high schools that offered Cosmetology, therefore I could have started my career a little sooner, lol. I also wish that I would have learned how to manage social media better…. its not too late, so I’m working on that one.
Contact Info:
- Website: ManeGlamour.com
- Instagram: @Mane_Glamour
- Facebook: Mane Glamour
- Other: Threads: Mane_Glamour
Image Credits
Abby Sholar @Abbysholarphoto @kindlythestudio