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

Briana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

I pride myself on customer service! A small piece of me feels like it has become a lost art amongst the small business owner community. There was a time that I had a client that had a very close family member pass away a few days prior to her appointment. Due to ongoing funeral processes taking place, the client was over 45 minutes late to their appointment. At the time, I only allowed for a 15 minute grace period. Understanding that the client was going through a rough time, I still serviced them and offered a shampoo and blow dry free of service to the client. I also made it a point to offer complimentary snacks and drinks. More importantly, in the moment, I was able to serve as a sense of peace. Offering advice, allowing room to vent and simply being present made the client feel safe and at home. The late arrival no longer mattered as I was more focused on making sure that the client was comfortable and content. We did have to make a few adjustments to the service due to time constraints however the client left completely satisfied and was very appreciative of the entire experience.

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.

I started doing my own yarn faux locs when I was a senior in high school. I went on to college where I continued doing yarn faux locs on myself and soon began experimenting with other protective styles. Family, friends and classmates soon became interested in me providing services for them as my skills improved. As time went on people became more interested in me trying other styles and services on them like, natural loc retwist and style, natural braids, and a wide variety of other protective styles. By my senior year of college, I had a hand full of regular clientele that I knew would continue even after college. Following graduation, my clientele slowed down a bit due to work constraints however, I still had a few regular clients. My primary focus became my corporate job for about 6-8 months until I finally decided to pick up more clientele as a means of creating another stream of income. I created a booking link and the rest was history! At 22 I moved out of my parents’ home to a rental property with my sister where we had an extra bedroom that I was able to convert into a small space to continue doing hair. That continued for about 2 years until I made the decision to become a licensed braider and begin working in a shop. Today, I am a licensed braider specializing in braiding and natural/faux loc services.

I am most proud of and pride myself on customer service! I think this sets me a part from others as I strive to I provide an amazing experience while also providing a safe space for each and every one of my clients. My clients depart not only looking beautiful but feeling beautiful as well (or handsome). I also provide consultations and an amazing hair oil for my clients that have any questions or struggle with maintaining their natural hair. I am most proud of the experience(s) I get to create. For all future clients, please know that I will not only take care of your hair, but I will also take care of you! Anything you want or need I will be willing to make an honest effort to make sure you leave satisfied.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to stop being so cheap! LOL. When I first began doing hair, I had no booking platform form clients to schedule their appointments. After I while I began using a free platform that got the job done, but simply was not enough. It was simple, too bland and did not allow much room for creativity. I wanted a more professional and elegant look. I paid to have a professional business logo created and even began paying for a new booking site. I learned that with great things comes great responsibility. You WILL get what you pay for. I knew that in order to be successful, you had to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone in order to produce great things. Staying trapped inside your own ideology limits you to the endless amounts of possibility. As a result, clientele has increased and so has ease of access. Clients no longer have to rely on me to book appointments. Something as simple as a consultation can be booked directly online.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I was able to build my audience on social media by staying consistent. Overall, people want to see your work just as much as they want to see that you’re working with different kinds of people and different kinds of hair texture. They also want to see you! In order to capture all of that, you have to be willing to create different kinds of content and ensure you are capturing what makes you…you! When building social media, keep in mind that building a successful business starts with you. You will get out of it what you are willing to put into it. Be willing to invest in yourself and take time to perfect your craft and how you present yourself. Social media is just as much of an audience as your client is. Social media is the key to building a business in 2023.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bristyled.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bristyled