We recently connected with Courtney Pinkk and have shared our conversation below.
Courtney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have any advice regarding quality control and maintaining quality as your brand grows?
I managed to maintain quality by limiting the services that I offer so that I can continue to perfect the craft that I possess and make sure that I’m putting forth my best efforts. To add, I invest in good hair care products to maintain the overall health of clients hair and provide consultative services for new and current clients as well as a safe and productive environment. There are 3 quality controls I put in place: Limited services, closing off my calendar, and a deposit policy. Instead of offering every type of hair service, I chose to stick with the main services I specialized in and that I’m good at. By closing my calendar off, It helps me with time management and shows that my clients are equally invested in the process by securing deposits for services. Implementing a deposit policy proves that the client is serious about solidifying their booking with me and neither party’s time is being wasted.
My deposit policy has been helpful and effective because it helps me to avoid no call no show situations that may hinder me from missing certain opportunities.
My advice for the concerned individuals would be to consistently grow in your talent and don’t sell yourself short. Be careful, courteous, and remain professional. Always be innovative and create. Market and invest in yourself. Never be afraid to take risks and chances … scared money don’t make no money!
Courtney, 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?
Answer for Question #2: I grew up in city called Savannah Georgia. I was a young girl playing around in the salon while watching my mother style her clients. Growing up as a teenager, my friends would let me play around in their hair, which actually turned out pretty good!
While in college, I would work in the salon under my mother as her apprentice, and gradually built clientele. My clients primarily consisted of younger girls from surrounding high schools in the city. Two of my previous clients (whom have now taken Social media by storm) were Jayda and Dessi, also known on Instagram as @jaydacheaves & @1dessdior. This is how my career, as well as theirs began. People started taking notice when Jayda would post her hair and she was constantly asked, “Who does your hair, I love it”? Jayda would refer individuals to me. Whether it be directly or indirectly, the girls were coming! Dessi being her sidekick and best friend, they both were in my chair 24/7 getting slayed all while posting on social media which eventually lead to their now massive careers.
Honestly, I was never one for wanting to be in the spotlight, so I tried to end doing hair in 2013. (That didn’t happen)
Years later, a good client and friend called me and said “Girl, you need to get back to the old Courtney. No one does bobs like you, you have a gift and you need to share it with the world.” I actually listened to her and I’m so glad I did! In 2020, I called that same client who happens to be a model and asked her if I could do microlinks in her hair. (Microlinks was and still is a trending style which exemplifies one’s own natural hair) The rest is history. When I posted her hair, I started getting tons of calls, texts and DM’s on IG not just for the Microlink style, but for my Signature bob styles as well, unbeknownst. From there on, I moved to Atlanta, Ga and I stay, as they say “booked and busy!”
I’ve been blessed to work closely with one of my wonderful clients from Savannah Georgia, Shayna Render which is the wife of the legendary Rapper Killer Mike on set of their commercial for Cadillac. My work has also been seen on Netflix, E! tv, BET and MTv. I’ve styled Abir Gordon who models and worked on set of Bravo styling the amazing Tameka Harris a.k.a Tiny (T.I’s wife). My life has taken off once transitioning to Atlanta. I give all acknowledgment to God and my team for helping me stay organized and busy. I’m truly grateful for all my supporters and faithful clients. Some fun facts about me that I would like to share:
⁃ I love to skate and enjoy doing DIY projects (which ties in with my craft for hair)
⁃ I’m big on self-care (massages, manicures, spa days, aromatherapy, etc.)
⁃ I learned to drive by driving a STICK SHIFT
⁃ I’m a neat freak and perfectionist
⁃ I attended an HBCU (S/O to Savannah State University) and studied biology which temporarily led me into the nursing field
⁃ I’m a devoted dog mom
⁃ I am obsessed with Reese’s Buttercups and Smart Water
P.S. I’M A SUCKER FOR SOFT MUSIC WITH A WATERMELON LEMONADE BATH AND BODY WORKS CANDLE BURNING!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been Instagram. Social media has taken the world by storm. Everywhere you look, someone has their head down in their cellular devices strolling through their timelines. So any time I may see someone on their IG I just simply share my page with them and promote myself and the work that I do. It easily gravitates new clients my way.
How did you build your audience on social media?
One of the ways I built my audience on social media was creating consistent content that expanded behind just pictures on my IG. I started to incorporate videos and reels. My reels are what create the most foot traffic for individuals to me find me and inquire about my services. The largest number of plays I have on a reel right now is 1.4 Million. My advice for those starting to build social media presence is to be patient with this process, success doesn’t happen overnight. Also, be creative with what you posts, individuals like to see things that are appealing to the eye. Be consistent because people are watching and are always waiting for what’s next.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Linktr.ee/Courtneypinkk
- Instagram: @Courtneypinkk
- Facebook: Courtney Pinkk