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

Bre, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

When I was younger, it was always the question of “what do you want to be when you grow up”? The question of what you want your legacy to be isn’t something that gets asked very often especially while you’re alive to actually answer the question. Now that I have kids and have reached a point in my life when that type of question matters, I feel like my legacy will be that taking risks and not letting your past trauma determine your future can open doors you never thought would. I just want my legacy to show that I rose above everything I doubted would happen in my life and that success is more than just money. Most importantly, make my children proud to call me mom.

Bre, 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?

So, I am a license cosmetologist, but I specialize in Locs. I’ve always played around with hair, but I didn’t take it seriously until i graduated high school. honestly, I wanted to go into forensic, but I changed my mind after giving birth to my son and only completing one semester of college. when I first started cosmetology school, I love everything about hair and wanted to do everything. Once I realized that everything isn’t for me, I narrowed it down to braids and Locs to only doing Locs. I love everything about the uniqueness that comes with starting and maintaining Locs. my mission is to help each individual embrace their unique loc journey. what sets me apart is my clean parts, private appointment setting and making sure they are able to get their hair done and still have time to run errands or other arrangements in the same day. lets be real no one want to be in the salon all day like when I was growing up. i want my potential clients/followers to know that if you’re looking to start your journey or just need a monthly maintenace i am here to make sure you are comfortable every step of the way. i will make sure they don’t have to be scared of the myth of an “ugly stage” when joining the loc community. i also retail products to my clients to help them with at home maintenace.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

i think what helped me build my reputation is taking myself seriously. i know that may not be the answer you were expecting but it’s true. i was literally giving up on myself not only due to life issues but because i was thinkng after i graduated cosmetology school, i was supposed to be booked and busy. once i started taking the steps to finding my niche and invest in my craft that’s when i saw the rewards. everyday i still think to myself like wow i quit my full time job 3 years ago with no steady clientele to a full time entrepreneur who has people waiting to book with me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

to truly know me, you would know that just being me illustrates resilience. it’s not what you see on social media. it’s the stories of motherhood, childhood trauma, adult trauma, and being an entrepreneur all wrapped in one. i don’t want to throw the word strong out there because it takes more than that to build a brand while battling everyday issues. they want to make it look nice with the money, cars and designer things but what about the long nights and early mornings, the losing money in taking risks, the balance of separating personal from business, and most importantly the mental strain it takes on you. there have been plenty times i wanted to give up and even though it’s a lot of things i wish i knew then that i know now, i still wouldn’t trade taking that risk 3 years ago. my advice to anyone would be, have people in your corner that can motivate you when your energy is low, don’t be afraid to get a mentor, be smart about your decisions and have a plan. please know that your vision isn’t for everyone to see to so don’t waste your time trying. always think big and don’t let no one tell you different. even when life throws you all types of curve balls pick yourself back up in the way you see fit to get you back on track.

Contact Info:

• Website: thelocdstudio18.com
• Instagram: locstudio18
• Facebook: locstudio18
• Other: tiktok: locstudio18

Image Credits
professional pictures by @impact_lyfe client photos by Bre shaneke