We recently connected with Ebony Everette and have shared our conversation below.
Ebony, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
Being in this business we all know that you can not please everyone as hard as we may try and want to it’s sometimes impossible. This particular client was new they originally booked two services upon arrival they come in with a bag of hair I’m instantly confused cause the service they booked did not call for extra hair they then begin to say they needed a repair for some of the locs they have lost ( this was the hair that was in the bag ) depending on my time frame I typically will not allow extra services to be added but after listening to her story in how she had color damage from a previous stylist it tugged at my heart so I wanted to make sure she left feeling absolutely beautiful despite what she had been through previously (that’s always been my main goal make my clients feel like super stars when they leave ) as I’m doing the services I am educating her on things she can do for at home care in between visits to come and see me. I finish the service and as I always do I hand the mirror to them so that they can see the final results, she is happy she has the biggest smile on her face , touching her hair running her fingers through her full set of locs!!! My heart is jumping from the excitement on her face ,as we are finishing up we are talking about setting up another appointment And she says add this amount for the tip ($30)
Tips are always appreciated but not mandatory, She leaves and about 30 mins later I get a Bing notification that I have a review from her, I open it and begin to read it and instantly my heart sinks!!!!! She is so unsatisfied with her service ( let’s just say she went in on me )I was soo confused and heartbroken I didn’t understand why she would say this when I always ask every client new or old how do they like it is there anything you want me to change or fix,and nothing was said quite the opposite before she left . I called my big sister as I always do and start to tell her what happened, I’m upset because reviews are something you can’t take away and it will make clients not want to book ( people really do read reviews )my name / business is all that I have to stand on so when that gets questioned i definitely feel some kind of way. After talking to my sister I instantly went into fix it mode, what can I do to make it right to fix it ,I called no answer I emailed no answer did absolutely everything I could to fix whatever problem she had. At the end of the day I had to take a moment and think Ebony you did everything you where supposed to do, you went over and beyond you did your part!!!!! Times like this because I love what I do it definitely bothered me but it also taught me that no matter how much you go over and beyond you just can’t please everyone.
Ebony, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Ebony Everette I was born and raised in Jacksonville NC,I now reside in San Antonio TX with my daughter Lazariah Everette. Growing up I use to watch my mom working many jobs to make sure me and my two sisters were well taken care of, but the job that stood out the most to me was seeing my mom be a salon owner. Being a kid and practically growing up in the Salon I watched my mom do so many different hairstyles come in contact with so many different people and I was so amazed and at young age I knew that this what I wanted to do, I will tell anyone watching my mom slay some finger waves , and other styles would just make me think yep this is what I want. seeing how both men and women would leave the shop with an extra pep in their step and have the biggest smiles, I wanted to give that same feeling.I am in this business because I watched my mom change folks lives just by doing hair, she may not know this but she is definitely my reason for being in this business now for almost 20+ years. She showed me what determination was, how to stand on my own and to always go after what I wanted. Carolyn Dove I want to thank you for being such a great role model and opening my eyes to a industry that I absolutely love.
Business has not alway been as steady as it is now we all have to start from the bottom and honey when I say the bottom I mean the bottom, i remember it was times I was working so much I would watch the sun come up cause I was trying to finish clients from the night before running on 2 hours of sleep sometimes and still having to be a mom and work a 9 to 5. BUT I was determined to make a name for myself and provide for my daughter and give her the lifestyle she deserved. Why because I saw my mom hustle and provide for her girls.
When it comes to discipline this was an area I definitely had some growth in, especially when it came to time management cause as I stated earlier I was working off 2 hours of sleep, and felt like I couldn’t say no and in the end I was hurting myself, I had to learn to set limits and boundaries. Another form of discipline I had to learn was being able to take criticism weather it was good or bad I have always been a people pleaser so when someone would criticize my work I would get defensive ,quickly learned that it came with the territory and had to get tougher skin and listen to the criticism and learn from it.
My craft is limitless ,I love doing a lil bit of everything but I’m definitely known for my braids and speed ,I use to time myself and see how fast I could finish a full head. I use a variety of products, it depends on what service I am doing for instance when doing a silk press I use design essentials agave and lavender of their silk press collection I also incorporate the wow products that helps with anti-frizz, when doing braids I use a variety of products as every client hair texture is different, so with that I use shine n jam, braid formula and braiding gel by taha.
I can honestly say thankfully that in all my years of being in this business I haven’t had a lot of clients who have been a problem one thing that I try and do before every client is say a prayer that God guides me and my hands and words so that my client will leave my chair feeling better then when they came, all though that is not the case in every situation when a problem does come up I’m always transparent and will talk about whatever the problem is and ways we can fix it. I never want a Client old or new to ever think that they can not voice a problem to me.
I set myself apart from other stylist by just being me and no-one else can be me!!! I’m a open book and clients feel comfortable talking to me, I know I’m not the only one but as stylist we are therapists and when one feels comfortable they will sometimes lay out all there issues and to me that is a big form of trust and the fact that they trust me not only with their hair but life stories says a lot. I’m forever grateful
What am I most proud of well the list can go on and on about things I am super proud of but the few things that stick out is 2023 I had my first invite to New York fashion week as lead hairstylist and I was soooooo nervous! once my nerves calmed down I zoned out and did what I was there to do, i actually got invited back for fall 2024 again was lead stylist!!! lets not forget the opportunity to be able to have my second article with voyage/canvas rebel its truly an experience and opportunity I will never forget and so thankful that I was chosen .
The one thing I want my current and new clients or followers to know is that I love what I do I pour my heart and soul into my business, I am a mother first then a business owner. I am human and every day isn’t always rainbows and flowers but even on my bad days you will not know I am having them because when you sit in my chair it is all about you for the time you are here getting serviced. I will go over and beyond for my clients just as long as we keep an open line of communication which is so important.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
so although I always wanted to do hair full time it didn’t start that way, I had to work 9-5 jobs I was a server for about 7 years working at Cracker Barrel ,and a few other restaurants I also was a health care provider for about 3 years taking care of different patients had to do what I had too do to get the bills paid but hair was always in the back of my head, I instantly was trying to find ways to get back to doing hair and to be able to do it full Time. so I would work my regular jobs then get home and put in another few hours in doing clients .I quickly learned that in order to be full Time I had to put myself out there more ,and was scared because low key I’m really a behind the scenes kind of person but in order to get the clientele I had to put my fear aside and boss up!!
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
my hd oil was created right before the pandemic , I got tired of using products that caused the hair to feel yucky after taking your hair down from a protective style or just your daily moisturizing, so I started doing research on different natural oils that would work together but still give you good benifits like hair growth and moisture. I got into it more after I had to cut all my hair off due to being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes ,the medication I was taking had my hair feeling like it had died!!!!!! I’ve always had beautiful long hair and I was devastated and that pushed me more to find something that not only worked for me but others as well and that is when HD oil was born.
just like any other business it has not always been easy and with doing it own my own it can be a lot,having to make the oil by hand filling bottles and pushing advertising along with still working my clients but in the end it as all been worth it my oils are still flying off the shelf and I have seen so many before and after pic of results from clients and even regular customers
Contact Info:
- Website: https://haiarbyebony.booksy.com
- Instagram: hair_by_ebony02
- Facebook: Hair by ebony
Image Credits
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