We recently connected with Dani Glover and have shared our conversation below.
Dani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
How did I get my first client? I believe my first paying client was Tamara. She was a teacher at the daycare my daughter attended. I remember getting my daughter ready for her first day and thinking “yes, my baby looks cute, her hair is laid, all the moms will want their daughter’s hair done”. I think a few weeks had gone by and although everyone kept saying my daughter’s hair was cute, no one was booking. So, I said forget this I’m going to say something to one of the teachers today. The thought of me going up to someone, a stranger and saying “hey I’m a hair stylist and I’d love to do your hair” always gave me anxiety lol. I had lowkey been watching Tamaras beautiful head of sandy brown hair and was itching to do a silk press. I said a quick prayer and in my highest voice tone I said “Hey girl! I’ve been stalking your hair and I’d love to do a silk press”. We both laughed and she was super excited because she had been looking for someone to become her stylist. She came to my house, and I gave her the shampoo of her life right in my kitchen sink. She loved her hair and when she went back to work, I ended up getting 2 more clients from the daycare.
Dani, 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?
My name is Dani Glover and I am the owner of Twelve23 Beauty. Twelve23 Beauty is your go to shop for all things hair and fashion bags. We were founded in 2015 as an online Shoetique and have expanded to a full-service hair salon. I’ve always had a thing for doing hair but never took it serious until moving to Georgia in 2017. Prior to becoming a hairstylist, I lived a completely different, more structured life. I worked in corporate America for 10 years for a fortune 500 company. I learned a lot within those 10 years of working in corporate America and a lot of it has helped to shape my business.
Twelve23 Beauty takes pride in making sure every person who sits in our chair looks and feels their best. We not only provide the trending hair styles we also provide exceptional natural hair care. Our business has grown tremendously over the last 2 years, and I believe it’s because we genuinely care about your hair. What sets us apart from other small salons is our versatility and professionalism. We offer natural hair care, weave extension, braiding, coloring, hair removal and permanent cosmetics. We can service a client for almost anything they need which allows us to properly treat the hair when needed. I’ve had several clients who’ve had several sets of hands in their head because one person only specialized in this and the other specialized in that. When you have multiple people in your hair there is bound to be some type of damage. I tell my clients all the time its best to find one good person who does it all because they will see your hair in its entirety. For example, salon A might not be licensed and doesn’t know when it’s time for a trim or a treatment, but they can slay a lace. Salon B might not know anything about lace, but they stitch braids go crazy. Then you have Salon C (let’s call her Twelve23 Beauty lol) where they are licensed, can slay lace, feedin braids and wax your brows.!. Which salon are you picking.
In 2021 we did a BIG thing. We signed a management contract with Texture Management. Texture Management is based in LA and they represent some of the hottest hair and makeup artist within the beauty industry who service some of your favorite celebrities, and YES I’m on the team (GO DANI!). I had the pleasure of doing hair for the 2021 Emmy’s as well as the 2022 Oscars. This was by far the highlight of 2021 and 2022.
I want my clients to know that I genuinely love them and I’m so grateful for them. I’ve been in business for almost 5 years, and I wouldn’t ask for any other group of clients. I learn from my clients, they pour into me, and they keep me going. I’m blessed and forever thankful!
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is a must if you are a business owner. Social media is how I first introduced the world to my skills. You can reach so many people on social media. I built my audience on social media by staying consistent, being an expert in my field, and using hash tags. Those three things are important if you want to have a growing social media audience. You want to make sure you post at least 2 times a day or share a story, even if it’s something funny. Consistently showing up on feeds will get people to clicking and looking around and before you know it there’s a new client. Being an expert in your field of work is also important. Let’s face it, you are not the only person doing whatever it is you’re doing. How will you set yourself apart from the rest? People use social media for knowledge also so it’s important to make sur you are educating your audience on what it is you do. Show them you are a know it all when it comes to your line of work. Educate your audience and the audience will keep growing. Hash tags! Hash tags are the cheat codes to social media. Use them as if your life depended on them. People find things on social media by using hash tags! They work, trust me!!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Reputation is everything. I think what helped me to build my reputation within this market is professionalism, my willingness to work, being consistent, and my customer service. I’ve always treated everyone I encountered with respect. I treat others the way I would want to be treated. I’ve had early mornings and long nights in the salon and at clients’ homes. I understood and I understand where I am in my journey of being a small business owner and I do what I must do now, so I can do what I want to do later.
Contact Info:
- Website: Twelve23beauty.com
- Instagram: @twelve23_beauty
- Facebook: Twelve23 Beauty
- Other: Tik Tok: Twelve23_beauty
Image Credits
Alistair Edwards – @aedwards_photos