We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful MIKO BRANCH. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with MIKO below.

MIKO, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

LEARNING MY CRAFT:

As a young girl growing up in Queens New York I was always drawn to things that were beautiful and fashionable.

In the 70s my mother was an artist and attended The School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute in New York so art and beauty was no stranger in our household.

My dad wanted me to be independent so at a young age he put my sister Titi and I to work. We did everything from cleaning to painting and spackling homes to help him and his real estate business.

Ultimately my visual and artistic abilities combined with my tactical abilities led me to become the go to girl for styling everyone’s hair in our neighborhood in Queens, NY.

As a young adult, I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC to earn a degree in fashion but was adamant that the garment industry was not for me after understanding all that it would take to get a fashion line from soup to nuts. Not wanting to be known as a failure, I enrolled in hair school the day after graduating from FIT where I could realize my finished end product quickly while getting paid on the spot.

In looking back, I see the value in paying attention to what I did not want to do in order to find my path to my prosperous passion.
I made it my business to work in the top salons in New York City to hone in on my craft. My name really began to ring bells once I partnered with my sister Titi Branch who became my agent and booked me for editorial work in magazines and paid ad campaigns with chain store retailers like Ashley Stewart where we were able to use our earning of 8K as the seed money to open up our first salon in the Boerum Hill section of Broooklyn, NY.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
The skills that I believe were most essential was the attention that I placed on satisfying my client. My strong desire to perfect my craft to make my customers happy lead to my ultimate success. The combination of being professional, punctual and skilled in my craft made me stand out in a very competitive industry but my ultimate success came after my sister Titi Branch and I decided to special in all things curly to create trailblazing hair products like Curly Pudding in the early 2000’s!

The partnership was the key and our unique way of working side by side, with love (even when we had our sister spats), to create a niche in the beauty industry came from our amazing sister dynamic. The skill of working together and dividing the labor while building an empire never felt like work even when we were making Curly Pudding in our basement in the wee hours of the night.

OBSTACLES THAT STOOD IN THE WAY OF LEARNING MORE:
Fortunately, my sister Titi was able to receive her recognition as a trailblazing pioneer in the hair and beauty industry before she passed away in 2014. At this moment, my work began as a solo act no longer having my sister and partner to lean on and share the load. Many businesses would have likely folded during such a difficult time both personally and professionally but I knew how hard we both worked so I made it my business to learn and grow from the seeds we planted together. I matured very quickly and spent more time on the business side learning everything that I could while maintaining and building our precious company to the next level. Although I am fatigued most of the time, I am very proud to carry on the great legacy in the amazing company we built together from scratch, with love – Miss Jessie’s, The Best Darn Curl Cremes Period! Found at Target, Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

LEARNING MY CRAFT:

As a young girl growing up in Queens New York I was always drawn to things that were beautiful and fashionable.

In the 70s my mother was an artist and attended The School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute in New York so art and beauty was no stranger in our household.

My dad wanted me to be independent so at a young age he put my sister Titi and I to work. We did everything from cleaning to painting and spackling homes to help him and his real estate business.

Ultimately my visual and artistic abilities combined with my tactical abilities led me to become the go to girl for styling everyone’s hair in our neighborhood in Queens, NY.

As a young adult, I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC to earn a degree in fashion but was adamant that the garment industry was not for me after understanding all that it would take to get a fashion line from soup to nuts. Not wanting to be known as a failure, I enrolled in hair school the day after graduating from FIT where I could realize my finished end product quickly while getting paid on the spot.

In looking back, I see the value in paying attention to what I did not want to do in order to find my path to my prosperous passion.
I made it my business to work in the top salons in New York City to hone in on my craft. My name really began to ring bells once I partnered with my sister Titi Branch who became my agent and booked me for editorial work in magazines and paid ad campaigns with chain store retailers like Ashley Stewart where we were able to use our earning of 8K as the seed money to open up our first salon in the Boerum Hill section of Broooklyn, NY.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
The skills that I believe were most essential was the attention that I placed on satisfying my client. My strong desire to perfect my craft to make my customers happy lead to my ultimate success. The combination of being professional, punctual and skilled in my craft made me stand out in a very competitive industry but my ultimate success came after my sister Titi Branch and I decided to special in all things curly to create trailblazing hair products like Curly Pudding in the early 2000’s!

The partnership was the key and our unique way of working side by side, with love (even when we had our sister spats), to create a niche in the beauty industry came from our amazing sister dynamic. The skill of working together and dividing the labor while building an empire never felt like work even when we were making Curly Pudding in our basement in the wee hours of the night.

OBSTACLES THAT STOOD IN THE WAY OF LEARNING MORE:
Fortunately, my sister Titi was able to receive her recognition as a trailblazing pioneer in the hair and beauty industry before she passed away in 2014. At this moment, my work began as a solo act no longer having my sister and partner to lean on and share the load. Many businesses would have likely folded during such a difficult time both personally and professionally but I knew how hard we both worked so I made it my business to learn and grow from the seeds we planted together. I matured very quickly and spent more time on the business side learning everything that I could while maintaining and building our precious company to the next level. Although I am fatigued most of the time, I am very proud to carry on the great legacy in the amazing company we built together from scratch, with love – Miss Jessie’s, The Best Darn Curl Cremes Period! Found at Target, Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

LEARNING MY CRAFT:

As a young girl growing up in Queens New York I was always drawn to things that were beautiful and fashionable.

In the 70s my mother was an artist and attended The School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute in New York so art and beauty was no stranger in our household.

My dad wanted me to be independent so at a young age he put my sister Titi and I to work. We did everything from cleaning to painting and spackling homes to help him and his real estate business.

Ultimately my visual and artistic abilities combined with my tactical abilities led me to become the go to girl for styling everyone’s hair in our neighborhood in Queens, NY.

As a young adult, I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC to earn a degree in fashion but was adamant that the garment industry was not for me after understanding all that it would take to get a fashion line from soup to nuts. Not wanting to be known as a failure, I enrolled in hair school the day after graduating from FIT where I could realize my finished end product quickly while getting paid on the spot.

In looking back, I see the value in paying attention to what I did not want to do in order to find my path to my prosperous passion.
I made it my business to work in the top salons in New York City to hone in on my craft. My name really began to ring bells once I partnered with my sister Titi Branch who became my agent and booked me for editorial work in magazines and paid ad campaigns with chain store retailers like Ashley Stewart where we were able to use our earning of 8K as the seed money to open up our first salon in the Boerum Hill section of Broooklyn, NY.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
The skills that I believe were most essential was the attention that I placed on satisfying my client. My strong desire to perfect my craft to make my customers happy lead to my ultimate success. The combination of being professional, punctual and skilled in my craft made me stand out in a very competitive industry but my ultimate success came after my sister Titi Branch and I decided to special in all things curly to create trailblazing hair products like Curly Pudding in the early 2000’s!

The partnership was the key and our unique way of working side by side, with love (even when we had our sister spats), to create a niche in the beauty industry came from our amazing sister dynamic. The skill of working together and dividing the labor while building an empire never felt like work even when we were making Curly Pudding in our basement in the wee hours of the night.

OBSTACLES THAT STOOD IN THE WAY OF LEARNING MORE:
Fortunately, my sister Titi was able to receive her recognition as a trailblazing pioneer in the hair and beauty industry before she passed away in 2014. At this moment, my work began as a solo act no longer having my sister and partner to lean on and share the load. Many businesses would have likely folded during such a difficult time both personally and professionally but I knew how hard we both worked so I made it my business to learn and grow from the seeds we planted together. I matured very quickly and spent more time on the business side learning everything that I could while maintaining and building our precious company to the next level. Although I am fatigued most of the time, I am very proud to carry on the great legacy in the amazing company we built together from scratch, with love – Miss Jessie’s, The Best Darn Curl Cremes Period! Found at Target, Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

LEARNING MY CRAFT:

As a young girl growing up in Queens New York I was always drawn to things that were beautiful and fashionable.

In the 70s my mother was an artist and attended The School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute in New York so art and beauty was no stranger in our household.

My dad wanted me to be independent so at a young age he put my sister Titi and I to work. We did everything from cleaning to painting and spackling homes to help him and his real estate business.

Ultimately my visual and artistic abilities combined with my tactical abilities led me to become the go to girl for styling everyone’s hair in our neighborhood in Queens, NY.

As a young adult, I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC to earn a degree in fashion but was adamant that the garment industry was not for me after understanding all that it would take to get a fashion line from soup to nuts. Not wanting to be known as a failure, I enrolled in hair school the day after graduating from FIT where I could realize my finished end product quickly while getting paid on the spot.

In looking back, I see the value in paying attention to what I did not want to do in order to find my path to my prosperous passion.
I made it my business to work in the top salons in New York City to hone in on my craft. My name really began to ring bells once I partnered with my sister Titi Branch who became my agent and booked me for editorial work in magazines and paid ad campaigns with chain store retailers like Ashley Stewart where we were able to use our earning of 8K as the seed money to open up our first salon in the Boerum Hill section of Broooklyn, NY.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
The skills that I believe were most essential was the attention that I placed on satisfying my client. My strong desire to perfect my craft to make my customers happy lead to my ultimate success. The combination of being professional, punctual and skilled in my craft made me stand out in a very competitive industry but my ultimate success came after my sister Titi Branch and I decided to special in all things curly to create trailblazing hair products like Curly Pudding in the early 2000’s!

The partnership was the key and our unique way of working side by side, with love (even when we had our sister spats), to create a niche in the beauty industry came from our amazing sister dynamic. The skill of working together and dividing the labor while building an empire never felt like work even when we were making Curly Pudding in our basement in the wee hours of the night.

OBSTACLES THAT STOOD IN THE WAY OF LEARNING MORE:
Fortunately, my sister Titi was able to receive her recognition as a trailblazing pioneer in the hair and beauty industry before she passed away in 2014. At this moment, my work began as a solo act no longer having my sister and partner to lean on and share the load. Many businesses would have likely folded during such a difficult time both personally and professionally but I knew how hard we both worked so I made it my business to learn and grow from the seeds we planted together. I matured very quickly and spent more time on the business side learning everything that I could while maintaining and building our precious company to the next level. Although I am fatigued most of the time, I am very proud to carry on the great legacy in the amazing company we built together from scratch, with love – Miss Jessie’s, The Best Darn Curl Cremes Period! Found at Target, Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.

Contact Info:

• Website: missjessies.com
• Instagram: miss-jesses
• Twitter: miss_jessies