We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Argentina Harris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Argentina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I actually stumbled across the idea for my business. Actually, I had already been in business for 6 years prior to discovering the product that would change the trajectory of my business. I would not label myself as a business owner prior because I was still working a full-time job and being a hairstylist in my spare time. As a busy professional, I was always looking for ways to save time and cut down on the care and maintenance of my own hair. I have always worn my hair short and loved the ease and convenience of it all. I was also experiencing hair loss from the grueling styling regimen and as a result of stress, I had adopted. I couldn’t find solutions in beauty stores or online so I decided to create a custom hair unit that could be worn with the least amount of hassle and time. Thus The 60-Second Clip N-Go Hair TopperTM was born. After discovering such a fantastic solution that helped me and it was a tremendous boost to my confidence, I decided to share the good news with my small online following. I started getting questions from other women who were wondering having the same experience and they were wondering if the hair unit could help them. I began to manufacture and sell the units online and after selling a few units I began to get feedback about how amazing the units are and how they’ve helped restore confidence for women who had given up on finding a solution to their problem. As I continued creating the units and offering more selections and sizing options, I also discovered that offerings for products similar to mine were limited. My product was different because it was a beginner-friendly introduction to wearing hair extensions for hair replacement and it offers women the option to “DIY.” My product is different from other commercial hair units as it allows women to replace the hair in the crown (top) area of their head without wearing a full wig. There are clips attached that make my product easy to install and remove without damaging the natural hair and scalp They can select from various styles, sizes, and textures, and they can remove the unit daily and care for their hair and the scalp underneath. There are no toxic chemicals or adhesives required for use. The momentum for the 60-Second Clip N Go Hair TopperTM continued to build as women discovered the high quality of the hair units as they began to take back control of their lives and rebuild their confidence.

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

Sure! My name is Argentina but most people I know personally call me Tina. I am a mother of 3 amazing kids (two of which are adults) and a grandmother of 2! My husband and I have been together for 28 years and we have lived in Charlotte, NC for all of that time. I am a US Army veteran who served honorably. I started attending cosmetology school at night while serving in the military at Fort Knox, KY. Immediately after being discharged, I completed my certificate in Cosmetology at Dudley’s Beauty College. As I said, I have known since I was 7 years old that I wanted to be a hairstylist and I was determined to see it through. I styled my dolls and during high school, I styled all of my friends regularly for free! I learned the power of beauty early on and I wanted to be a part of that process. By nature, I am a problem solver, a helper, and a doer, I’m the one who looks for the solution to every challenge. There was a huge need for a solution to an everyday problem that women from all walks of life were experiencing, hair loss. It’s a real challenge for both men and women and I believe in a perfect world, most would prefer to wear their natural hair. Unfortunately, that’s not a reality for a lot of people and it has had an impact on the way people feel about themselves and how they show up in the world. The 60-Second Clip N Go Hair TopperTM has been able to help in many ways in the restoration process for people by giving them their power back. I am most proud that my product has not only been a feasible at-home hair replacement option but has also helped to restore dignity and improve the level of self-confidence. In addition to being a licensed cosmetologist for the past 23 years, I am a licensed cosmetology instructor, a certified Holistic Trichologist, and a business owner and product inventor.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Okay, so this story blows my mind every time I think about it or say it out loud! I get very emotional because I think back to all of the times that I was not taking my business seriously. I didn’t realize that it was just a side hustle and not a business until I stumbled upon all of the hard work it takes to run a legitimate business. I had been doing things wrong for a very long time. During Covid, I had grown tired of doing “business” and I was ready to walk away from my business. Up until the pandemic, it felt as though something had me tied to my failing business for what had been the 6 years prior. I had been working a full-time job to pay rent for the salon and pay my personal living expenses and I had finally had enough. I sold my salon equipment, terminated the lease for my salon studio and I walked away. I decided I would work and enjoy my life and would not worry about my failed business any longer. At this time I had been casually creating custom hair toppers for about a year and selling them via social media. I had no name for the hair toppers, I did not have a website and I had no idea of the value the custom hair units provided for my small client base. Although the hair units were beautifully constructed, I decided that I wanted to explore ways to enhance the units and make them longer lasting. I learned how to sew back in 2009 but had not consistently used a sewing machine in 12 years but now was the time! I wanted to begin sewing the units instead of using glue because it would help make the units longer-lasting and more visually appealing. After a few practice runs and I could see the immediate benefit of the enhancements and decided that I was going to dedicate my energy and focus to building my business by doing things the right way. I set some serious goals for my business and determined that I would need to apply discipline to the way I do things if I wanted to be successful. I applied for my LLC, opened a business bank account, and I updated my website to include the product while I used paid ads on social media for marketing. My sales skyrocketed seemingly overnight. After 6 months, I resigned from my full-time job and became a full-time entrepreneur! The business has been booming ever since and sometimes I still pinch myself because I could have never imagined this happening. As I look back, I realize things didn’t turn around for me until I decided that I wanted more. I set some attainable goals and became focused on reaching milestones like the number of sales per week, and earned amount per month and I knew I needed those numbers to be specific before I could be eligible to sustain.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been relatability. Having a product that solves a problem that people can relate to has been life-changing for me and my business. As a woman, I was experiencing something that so many other people could relate to, the challenges I faced having hair loss and not being able to find products that worked. As a beauty professional, I know the importance of having hair or being able to express oneself through hair and fashion. Letting people know that I understand their struggles because I too have had them and now here’s a solution to the problem has been the key to growth. Also, word of mouth has been a powerful marketing tool. In the beginning, that wasn’t an option because not many people knew about my business or product. But as women began to share their experiences, it helped to make others aware, they witnessed the transformation and they wanted the experience as well. Being transparent and honest, not making false promises, and creating a high-quality product have helped me build brand awareness and sustain a growing clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stylesontopbeauty.com
• Instagram: @stylesontopbeautyllc
• Facebook: stylesontopbeautyllc
• Youtube: believeinbeauty