We were lucky to catch up with Angie Yoh and Eleazar Chinne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Angie and Eleazar, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today
The beginning of Angie Hairr is a journey. My business partner and I met at my former place of employment. We had the first job of envisioning what it was that we wanted. a clear goal, a clear plan, a clear vision. If I said that was the process we took to a “T”, I would be lying. We had a slight idea of what we wanted. I had my instagram page already running and we decided to go for it! I really did not have an actual name. However, the passion was there, the lit spark could not be estinguished. A planted seed. The idea was there. We ran with it.
One thing for sure would be realizing and planning an identity. Who are you? What are you? What do you do? What do you want to be known for or as? What do you provide? What do you offer of value? When you have the answers to that, move on to realize. Who are you appealing to? Who are your audience/clients? When you have an idea of that you finally have to figure out one more thing, what do they like? Obviously, these are a lot of questions, and they can get extremely overwhelming. I did not have all the answers when I Noah Lylesed my way into the industry. I knew what I wanted to do and I had a catalogue of my work with my instagram to prove it (@AngieHairr). I won’t ever tell anybody when to jump, I was not quite “ready” myself. However, having an idea of your identity it will save you a lot of hassle.
One important thing that we both figured out was how much a market there was catered to new business owners. As a new business owner you would think you would be the. pone soliciting and initiating sales calls, but what surprised us the most was many we would receive! We were desperate to get ourselves out there. The months after starting we signed up for various platforms on their premium accounts and services. As time went on, we became aware of other cheap and easy to use platforms. Basically, not to jump the gun. The offers you would receive will seem like a steal and almost too good to be true. To be honest it kind of is! Read online and follow up on other networks or providers that offer similar services. We had a baptism of fire. After signing up for services that promise to increase visibility and bring us closer to clients, we discovered that there were cheaper alternatives. The prices we paid for this particular one was 90% more than we are paying with current vendors. Again, read through the lines and evaluate your options. That is something I would definitely not be doing again if I had a chance.
Lastly, I would say to myself to just do it. Just like anything, you have to get your hands muddy. Soak your feet in the water. Everyone makes mistake when doing something, especially for the first time. The most import lessons we have learnt has come from mistakes. Sure, you do not want to be ignorant and make avoidable errs. Whenever one occurs, look at the problem, analyze what went wrong, refocus your lens and keep pushing. I am glad that we took that step when we did, it has been a lot of “learning” but that is the journey. We are loving every part of it so far.
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.
Our business, Angie Hairr Stylist has been in the boiler for a while. From a young age I have always found myself in hair salons, offering hair services to friends and family. Braiding my sister’s hair. I found a joy and affinity in it, most importantly I was good at it. This fueled my drive and desire to pursue it and keep moving in that direction. I have been a stylist ever since.
Coming to Orange County, I noticed a dearth of quality braiders at an affordable price. I made it my mission to solve that issue. In August of 2023, I quit my job and decided to get in pursuit of that singular goal. Eleazar and I started getting busy garnishing my instagram and social media. Afterwards, we went to solidify our online presence. Created an LLC, working within state and city guidelines. The first four months, as exciting and fun as they were, also came with proportionate stress. Stress to succeed. Pressure to bring in new customers. Pressure to keep the lights on and pay the bills. After those months, things started to unfold, and business began to align.
My area of expertise is hair braiding. I provide a vast portfolio of braiding services. Not limited to box braids, bohemian braids, cornrow braids, stitch braids, lemonade braids, dreadlocks and goddess braids. I offer my services to men, women and children. We pride ourselves in the quality of our work. Our clients can proudly say they got their work done at Angie Hairr Stylist! Whenever a satisfied client walks out with a grin on their face, our job is done. Angie Hairr Stylist should not just be a place to get hair done, we strive to make clients as welcome and comfortable as possible. We refer to ourselves as “La Maison de Chevaux”, which translates to “The Home for Your Hair”.
The larger vision for the brand is to show aspiring entrepreneurs that it is possible. It will be a lot of hard work but it’s not impossible. Many young people coming from high school, or even college students interested in pursuing a trade, we are here to encourage. School is fundamental, office jobs are essential, but so is the value of craftsmanship, artisan work and skilled labor. We want to show people there are many routes to success. To the underground artists, the the seamstresses and tailors, do not give up. Hone your craft and your work will be your biggest advocate.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
We have found genuineness and consistency to be the key. We love the work we do and we put our hearts and soul into every project, focusing on the best outcome for our clients. Treat every client like your first, hustle like it is your last. That is the mindset that has kept us going strong. Social media is our main form of advertising. We make sure to post content daily, sometimes many times a day. Instagram being our strongest and most active, all the way down to tik tok, youtube, twitter and pinterest. The goal is to make ourselves as visible as possible. Leaving no stones unturned. The major issue many new business owners face, ourselves included is being seen. If you do not have the funds for advertising or connections, it can get really discouraging seeing your post with minimal visibility. That is where being consistent comes in handy. You cannot relent. Have a set schedule, post your work. Keep posting, keep growing your portfolio. Even if you have no clients today to see it, when you eventually do, you have an arsenal of work to back you up. Being genuine in your work. There may be a strong temptation to use stock images or random photos from the internet. In my experience, our clients tend to react best to work that has been done by us here at Angie Hairr Stylist. They want the real deal. Authentic. I hope it goes without saying that you can sprinkle a dash of sauce on it. Own it, have fun with your brand, add those special flavors that make you different. What makes you unique? Our clients like us for us. They want to see what Angie Hairr Stylist does that nobody else does, well we can say we provide the best hairstyling and branding services at the best prices in Orange County. Our social media is there to prove it.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
It has been almost 5 years now, feels just like a blink. Although they say time flies when you’re having fun. We met at my previous job as a manager in a hair salon. He came in as an employee right before the lockdowns. Eleazar is also a braider, we work at times on clients together. His specialty mainly being the loctician. He handles all the dreadlocks ranging from starters, retwists, styling (two strand twists, barrel rolls). While Angie handles almost all the braids. We have been business partners for over a year, and friends for five times that.
Prior to resigning my post, I had the idea for my business brewing. There were a few dominos left to fall in place. I needed to create a website, technical support and a person to monitor interaction behind the scenes. Thankfully, Eleazar had some knowledge on the field and has been a strong supporter of me. Eventually, when I decided to close that chapter and open a new one, I had a person to work in tandem with.
I usually joke with Angie and say to her, “You are the brand and I am here to try and realize your vision”. I take pride in the work we have done so far. Angie is amazing, she is honest, caring and motivated! When there is a target in her crosshairs, she goes full throttle to achieve that aim! It is impossible not to be motivated. We try our best to keep each other focused, try learning from each other and pushing ourselves to strive for excellence. Angie told me she was planning on opening her own place, it was a no brainer. As a computer science major with a slight understanding of graphic design and a no web design experience. We took it and ran. She needed a loctician and I answered that call with vim. Neither of us have a degree in business or economics, but the opportunity was too great to let pass by. Working with Angie has helped polish my skills and pulled me out of my comfort zone. I would be amiss to say it has been all easy sailing. Sometimes our ideas do not mesh properly, completely differ or are executed differently. We both constantly try to grow and evolve. Teamwork has been a cornerstone in our story so far. Sometimes we braid together, because as the famous philosopher Angie Yoh once said, “Four hands are better than two”. If you ever find yourself at Angie Hairr Stylist, who knows, you might have four hands on your hair. We will be glad to meet you and work with you to bejewel your crown in style.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.angiehairr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angiehairr/
- Twitter: https://x.com/angiehairrstylt
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Angiehairrstylist
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/angie-hairr-stylist-santa-ana?osq=Angie+Hairr
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/angiehairrstylist/_created/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@angiehairrstylist
Image Credits
Angie Hairr Stylist