We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Kimble recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The mission behind Studio Plush comes from a need that was lacking in the industry for consumers as well as options for new and converting beauty professionals.

We represent the Plush side of customer driven service and a space for beauty professionals to grow into their own light.

Brittany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

During my second time transitioning to my natural hair state, I took it more seriously than the first time by researching more about my hair. At that time, YouTube and hair typing was on the rise and I learned so much. The problem I came to find was that there just weren’t enough stylists that understood healthy haircare for non relaxed textured hair. They would either want to relax my hair or promote braids, locs or straw sets that took 2 years to dry lol! So the more I researched, the more I styled and cared for my own hair.

During my transition, I also worked at a well known beauty store of multiple brands that also housed a salon/spa in the back of the store. I worked on the sales floor and would often run into customers of all different backgrounds with different types of hair. With me being new and not a hairstylist, it only made sense for me to grab a hairstylist to answer the customers questions. I would stay around to listen to what the stylist had to say for a better understanding for the next person with this hair type and similar product question. I started keeping a small memo pad and pen in my smock to write the question and notes, to later google these questions myself and research even further. In this short amount of time I actually fell in love with Trichology (the study of hair).
At some point in my working at this job, the owner of a cosmetology school asked me if I’d ever considered going to cosmetology school. I had never heard of the word but I was so grateful to now know what the name of the schooling was called to become a hairstylist.

I researched schools for 9 months and enrolled in cosmetology school. Cosmetology school was a major eye opener for the lack of inclusion in the beauty industry. Textured hair was taboo. “Straight Hair” was considered “normal” and everything else was treated as abnormal. After realizing this, I took it upon myself to find a mentor for textured hair so I was more prepared for ALL hair types upon graduation.

I graduated 10 months after enrollment and hit the ground running doing EVERYTHING! I very quickly found out that I needed to find a niche lol! EVERYBODY did hair so I needed to find what would make me stand out. I leaned more to haircolor on textured hair and later found a certification course for eyelash extensions. This was in 2012 so it wasn’t wildly popular yet so I was able to actually grow a larger clientele for lashes than hair.

The more clientele I grew, the more serious I became with the development of my craft. I began to find flaws in the eyelash extension industry after learning this practice did not require licensure. I then decided to invest in training with Xtreme Lashes that would only certify licensed beauty and healthcare professionals who took their public safety state boards.

In the mean time leading up to this new training venture, I hoped to find a mentor with this certification whilst I await my certification class. I came across a situation where a lash stylist was gatekeeping and definitely was not trying to mentor at all. I decided that once I become certified, I would be to others what I wish someone would have been for me and continue to empower people to invest in their education the right way and share my story. I shared my story and met with others for coffee to answer their questions about my lash artistry experience and training with Xtreme Lashes and 2 years later after recertification, I became a National trainer for Xtreme Lashes.

After becoming a trainer, it enabled my love for educating to flourish. So one year after becoming a trainer I opened my own salon. From there began the journey to implement more helpful coaching to other professionals who were new to the industry, new to booth rent or just transitioning their business along the way. I’ve learned so many valuable lessons about myself as a leader as well and took the initiative to invest in other leadership and coaching avenues to better assist those that I work with. It’s definitely been a balancing act and a continuous calling for growth with every wrench and situation that’s been thrown my way. For every lesson learned and relationship established, I am grateful.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Omg in business don’t we always have to pivot? Lol! So last September, I invested a nice amount into opening a treatment room for skincare. I went through quite a few estheticians but the compatibility just wasn’t there. I had to 1. Strengthen my interviewing process and stop hiring everyone I knew just because I knew them; and 2. Take a different approach. Since I am a cosmetologist I was able to provide facial services, so I took a course to refresh my skincare knowledge and skill as well as taking a couple of hands on classes.

This helped so much because I’ve been able to grow the skincare clientele as well as more of an understanding on what to look for when hiring an esthetician for skincare services.

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

One lesson I had to unlearn or come to grips with was to lay my ego to rest and get my head out of the sand.

The pandemic had its ups and downs, but I literally did not ask for help with anything and bared all of the stress on my own. Being a black owned commission based salon when there just weren’t a lot of people that looked like me that understood what I was trying to achieve so I handled a lot on my own because I truly felt alone. I had to release my ego and reroute my mindset. Instead of looking at it as being one of few brown people in a room at this class or seminar, I am one of many with similar mindset and energy, ready to expand and grow my business.

Everything literally shifted. I’ve collected as well as shared so many gems. This shift has enabled me to be much more open to speaking with government, city and state offices concerning my business and they have all been so helpful. To think that I was literally holding on to this fear for nothing because I was being met with so much guidance and help from a system I was taught to fear. So many relationships have been built and doors have been opened because of my decision to drop the weight of that burden of fear and ego I had held onto for so long.

I AM a source for higher good because I AM more intentional of being guided fearlessly by THE SOURCE.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mystudioplush.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/MyStudioPlush
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MyStudioPlush

Image Credits
-Samantha Levi of Phare -Courtney Cobb of Southwind Creative co. -Brittany Kimble of Brittany Kimble Artistry