We were lucky to catch up with Jonisha Garcia-Lindsey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jonisha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I try my best to live a somewhat “structured and “routined” life so entrepreneurship has been interesting to say the least. I wouldn’t label this experience as “happy”, but I am also not sad about it. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to do it because the benefits have outweighed the risks after some years of doing business. Running a business has given me the time freedom to be my creative self, offer financial stability for my family and I and have allowed me to positively impact the community of women we serve. I think that it would be very irresponsible of me not to mention some risks associated with owning a business; the truth is, there are a lot of moving parts that can be tricky and make you feel like it is time to give up.

After 2 years of being solo, I hired employees to increase profitability and to upscale the business. The most challenging part was relinquishing control and trust that employees would give our clientele base the same level of professionalism and high quality hair care services we promised. When the aftermath was different from the desired outcome, I started to fantasize about getting a regular job. In another instance, the pandemic had started and business was extremely slow so I figured it would be best to close up shop completely and pursue something else. On both occasions, I realized that there is a mental space I must be in to continue to pursue entrepreneurship, so I invested in my mental health to keep the engine going. Mental and spiritual strength has helped my business grow. I realized that my self-confidence has to be strong so that I can continue to believe in my abilities to execute these considerable tasks.

Recently, I took on a position as a research coordinator at a private college here in Los Angeles that will allow me to continue my business venture due to its flexible nature. I wouldn’t have signed up for the job if it interfered with HLT because I have put in a lot of hard work to keep my business afloat. My purpose in doing this is to use my degree and to continue on the path of uplifting women. I am grateful that I am able to do both.

Jonisha, 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?

I am a native of the beautiful country, Belize. I migrated to the United States in 2007 and have been a resident of LA ever since. I graduated from beauty school in 2011 but I have been hairstyling since I was 8 years old. I have worked in different salons and spaces to build my clientele, work on my craft and hone down on my specialty. In 2019, I started my company, Hair, Love, Therapy LLC to provide high quality hair extensions services such as micro-links, tape-ins etc and raise mental health awareness. I am proud of the love, care and positivity that is in HLT. Over the years, I have heard clients say “it feels so light in your shop, it’s so warm and welcoming.” I am most proud of this because my clients have a safe space to do self-care.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Absolutely, the theme of this years’ work for Hair, Love, Therapy is to create passive income streams! Being a service based business is not always easiest and can be short lived if there aren’t other streams of income. Before I say anything further, I would like to mention that there are things in the works that I do not wish to disclose until they are complete. What I can share is that we are currently building a platform to sell products and online courses to teach hairstylists how to survive the beauty industry by building a solid financial foundation. Topics span from LLC formation, to the mental health aspect of running a business, to building business credit and capital.

We also have a children’s book on Amazon called Beauty from the inside out, which was written to normalize conversations about mental health with young children and parents. It can be used as a great conversation starter for families to talk about mental health and to teach young children how to ask for help. These are just some of the supplementary revenue streams that are embedded in the company that are “shareable” for now.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I truly believe that the life I am currently living illustrates a great deal of resilience. I grew up in a poverty stricken and unstable environment. Most days, I didn’t have food to eat, I slept on the bare floor at night and prayed to God that I wouldn’t be tired for school in the morning. I didn’t have the care and comfort of my parents and I often felt abandoned. However, I made the choice at a very young age to be great and to not live in the shadow of those who hurt me. Honestly, I think that my life could have gone another way because we often carry the hurt and pain inflicted upon us and give those who hurt us the power to determine the trajectory of our lives. I realized I had the ability to take back my own power and be who God destined me to be. To go from living a life of poverty and pain to being an entrepreneur with a healthy family and some success, took a lot of strength and tenacity. It took years of investing in my mental health, forming a bond with God and having the determination to keep going. It is not always easy but my presence alone will always be a revolutionary act of resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: hairlovetherapy.as.me
• Instagram: @hairlovetherapy
• Facebook: Facebook/hairlovetherapy

Image Credits
Jenniffer Solorzano