Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsea Doleman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Chelsea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I am a loctician, & a product manufacturer, with the mission to make a difference. As a single mother, I find being an entrepreneur challenging yet rewarding, but my children are the key to my success. So many single moms feel as though they can’t live out their dreams because they have children, but I’m here to say yes, you can! My mission revolves around making a difference, so not only do I want to inspire single mothers to chase their dreams, I want to inspire my customers & clients to love themselves & their natural hair. I have come to see how challenging it can be to love yourself for who you are. The world is accustomed to well-groomed individuals & people who wear their natural hair are looked down upon frequently. Natural hair is often referred to as “nappy hair”. Little do people know, this phrase destroys confidence; it makes the person feel bad about themselves for wearing their natural hair. I am here to bring all of the confidence & joy back into the natural hair community, opening the door for them to find the comfort with the way they choose to wear their hair. Every client that I service, & every product that I sale, I make it my duty to be sure I’ve made a difference.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Chelsea, the Momprenuer. I have 9 years of experience as a loctician, someone who works with dreadlocks & natural hair. I found interest in the behaviors of naturla how; how it coils, how it locks, how it grows, etc. I have always been fascinated with long locs, how women would style them up so nicely; how men would embrace the many years of growth with how long they would hang. It came a time where my coworker was looking for someone to maintain his locs, which the term “retwist” comes into use. He could not find anyone & I was in the same setting at the time of his search, so I offered to do it for him. I mean, I didn’t think it would be too hard! I was right, it was not hard at all, & in fact, it drove me to want to take on more retwist sessions. So over the years I gained clients who gained my trust & were satisfied with my services, & eventually I started my own locs! With this new skill & interest I picked up, after about 2 years of servicing people at my home or theirs, I stepped out of my comfort zone & into a more public space, barbershops. I worked in & out of barbershops for 5 years, & at that 5 year mark I decided to chase my dream of becoming an entrepreneur. I put it in my plans to have my own shop & my own product line. Most of the products in stores are not made for natural hair & locs. My clients encounter issues like dry & itchy scalp, dandruff, & brittleness. With dreadlocs, we tend to have more issues with buildup in our hair because of our coils trapping various particles (lint, cotton, sweat, etc.). With all of these things in mind, I decided to make my own product line in 2021. I named my line “Love On My Locs”, because it is guaranteed that the customer will have love on their locs with each use. My products are so unique because I make them by hand with all natural ingredients. I use plants & herbs, & I avoid heavy chemicals & other ingredients that are potentially harmful to natural hair. After starting my product line, I was blessed to obtain keys to my own salon! In 2022, I opened “Locs’Of’Love – Dreadlocs & More” in Valdosta, Georgia. The name of my salon revolves around the love I have for what I do. Every client that sits in my chair, & every customer that purchases my products gives me an opportunity to restore self-love & confidence into their lives by providing them with something that works for their hair: that being my hands & my products! So I am very proud of my accomplishments this far, & I am determined to keep striving to make a difference. I want potential customers, followers, & everyone who is anyone to know that I truly love what I do, & I am here to help you be the best version of yourself & love doing it.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Back in July of 2023, I dealt with the misfortune of breaking my ankle. This injury hindered me from running my business successfully. I didn’t have a team of members who made my products for me, so I was unable to make products; I didn’t have an assistant or co-stylist to help me at my salon, so I wasn’t able to take clients or keep my salon maintained. Of course my first priority is taking care of my children, who were 3 & 7 at the time, & that was a challenge itself. Because there was a decline in my finances, I could no longer afford inventory for my products, so I had to stop making them. I was barely able to afford my salon, but I am grateful to still have had it up & running. I had gotten very discouraged & almost ready to give up on entrepreneurship, but my children are my biggest motivation. So in March of 2024, I reopened & relaunched my product line, & I am so grateful to be able to maintain my businesses to continue making a difference!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

So far, the most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been to be myself. For the longest I would see other business owners acting a certain way or doing a certain thing, & I would try to portray those same behaviors. Doing so caused me to lose myself, because I was trying to be like someone else. It was extremely hard because that was not me; it wasn’t something I was used to doing so I could not do it effectively. Once I found my own niche & what attracted my customers & clients to my business, it became more successful. So my advice to other upcoming business owners is to just be yourself so you can attract the right crowd/clientele. Another effective strategy I found was to remain consistent. Truthfully it isn’t easy with 2 little ones, but it is doable!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.loveonmylocs.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brietheeloctician
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theedreadlocfairy

Image Credits
Image credits to Iconic Queens Photography.