We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angela Robinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Angela, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
Am I happier being an business owner? Yes I am. I enjoy making my own schedule. I enjoy the extra free time I have to be a full time mother and I also like being my own boss. Yes I do think about having a regular job all the time. I miss the consistency. I miss being around others and working 8hr shifts. I think about getting a regular job all the time then someone needs me. I always go from no appointments booked to all available days filled up in a matter of hours or no sales for 2 weeks then boom sold out… That’s when the want for a job goes away because the need for my services over powers it. Being an entrepreneur you have to understand that some weeks will be better than others so I always prepare for those down times just as well as I prepare for the highs. My conclusion to this matter is to always show up and show out for my clients and customers so that they will always be excited to need me for my services, they know each time it will be nothing but great vibes and that will always keep my books filled and items sold out.
Angela, 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?
Well since I was a very young girl I kinda always wanted to be my own boss.. I always wanted my own business and being a creative was my thing.. beauty was my thing and once I realized that I don’t think too much could stop. I believe braiding my younger sister hair is what helped ground my calling. I would braid her hair and add all types of cute little clips and accessories. From there it was my mom and close friends who wanted their hair braided. About 14 years old is when I started making money. Guys from the neighborhood would ask me to wash and braid their hair. I became a kitchen stylist lol as I got older women started noticing the neatness of my braids and that’s when I switched from doing men hair to braiding women’s hair with weave. It hasn’t been a consistent journey. I didn’t braid for at least 9 years because I was living in a new city. However in 2017 when I decided to move back home. I always knew u could reach more people with social media it just never dawned on me that it could be beneficial to me until I moved home. I was inspired I was motivated and the amount of people that asked me to do their hair when I got back home made me feel needed. Just posting on Facebook and Instagram helped build my following and also word of mouth… I love braiding I love making my clients feel beautiful. Sometimes I’m a therapist for them and other time they are a therapist for me. I’ve made some great memories and some great connections throughout my years and it’s truly a blessing to be able to help. What I’m most proud of is my resilience to bounce back. The beauty industry can be a tough one. All you have to do is get sick or take a mental break and boom all of your clients are gone LOL but when your good at what u do then building a clientele isn’t hard… It’s time consuming but it’s doable. It shows strength, resilience, determination, and goodness… That’s just braiding hair, Im also the owner of an online clothing store catered to women of all ages. Uniquely Gorgeous. I’ve been in business 3 years now and it’s definitely up and down, I’m in a down period now…. I’ve had my ego tested many times, I’ve lost so much money but I’ve also gained a lot and the freedom that comes with it is worth it. I’ve made some great connections that I’m grateful for.. what sets me apart is me, my drive my personality my customer service skills and my willingness to take care of my clients/customers. I don’t think it’s different from what anyone else has to offer it’s just different because it’s me and I pride myself in being a stand up person. I pride myself on being authentic and genuine and down to earth. Plus you can get your hair braided and some get cute accessories like earrings or a purse. A one stop shop 😉
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My whole life is built around being resilient. Life is hard and I had to learn how to navigate it at a young age. A lot of the knowledge I’ve learned over the years are from failing at 1st. Making mistakes at first. Resilience keeps you going despite feeling discouraged. Resilience keeps u grounded whenever your frustrated. Resilience understands that’s just because today isn’t your day that you still have to keep going because tomorrow may just be that grand fantastic day… Resilience keeps me going for my children..
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What I think helped me build my reputation is me being genuine and authentic. Showing up for others in ways I would want someone to show up for me has help ground my reputation. Being kind and showing empathy has help me tremendously. Being down to earth and also being knowledgeable of my industry also contributed to my reputation. Years of working in customer service and years of unlearning behaviors I learned while being misinformed helped. I definitely could go on and on but yea everything I listed, for me, has helped me gain a wonderful reputation.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: UniquelyGorgeousFashion
- Facebook: Uniquely Gorgeous
