We recently connected with Ebony Gordon and have shared our conversation below.

Ebony, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

The inception of my business, Hairista will forever be near to my heart. When I first went off to college at Hampton University, I didn’t even know the meaning of being an entrepreneur. But it was freshmen year when I realized the importance of “looking good” on an HBCU campus. And as a young black girl, I was familiar with the culture of the “black hair salon”, but when I went off to college, my parents made it clear that I would need to find a way to fund that luxury on my own. But how? I’m a broke college student!… this desire to “look good” sparked curiosity & creativity within me that I didn’t know existed. YouTube was starting to become a thing at the time, so I dove in! I educated myself on how to do my own hair. Then, the compliments from my colleagues started rolling in. Then, with each compliment, came a client booked, then another one. Then eventually, I formed an on campus business called “Hairista” that birthed one of Hampton University’s first ever hair & fashion shows. Then the rest was history!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! My name is Ebony and I’m the founder and CEO of Hairista. We’re a beloved hair brand that means Hair is the Accessory. We have been servicing clients all over Hampton Virginia thanks to the success of our salon Hairista Studio which is located on the campus of my alma mater, The Hampton University. In 2016, With the help of my late father, who was a brilliant medicinal chemist, & the driving force behind the R & D process, Hairista Essentials leave in protein creme was born! Our leave in is a versatile moisturizer formulated to optimize healthy hair and promote hair growth in addition to over 10 other essential benefits.
The key ingredient is a Silk protein amino acid blend which is virtually an untapped formulation missing in most hair products available today. Hairista Essentials stands on our mission of Healthy Hair with Attitude!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

It’s funny how entrepreneurship “fell in my lap”. Growing up, as a young black girl, the right of passage into womanhood was going to the hair salon every two weeks. I’ve always been a girly girl, but I never had to do my own hair. Well, until I went off to college. In 2005, my parents made it clear that due to paying for college, I would have to give up some of my luxuries, or pay for them myself. I was terrified because I knew I wanted to maintain my “girly” lifestyle, but I had no idea how I could as a broke college student. Lucky for me, this moment in time was also the beginning of “YouTube”. I quickly adapted to my new normal by immersing myself into weekly hair tutorials. I realized, the more I watched & practiced on myself, the more I enjoyed it. It became a hobby I didn’t know I had genuine interest in. This was my first time associating “looking good and feeling good”. So, the more I got compliments from colleagues, the more I wanted to share my newfound joy with others. While researching the beauty industry, in my Entrepreneurship class, I realized how lucrative it could be. So, my Sophomore year as a Business major, I launched my first on campus business called, Parallel. Turning my dorm room into my hair salon. I connected with so many people from my University, that it just exploded into a word of mouth success! And this was before social media, so that was a blessing at the time! I enjoyed the stories my clients would share, the insight they would provide on a new perspective on life and ultimately, I was elated that they left my chair looking AND feeling more beautiful than when they arrived… Shortly after graduating college, the name “Hairista” came to me in a dream. And ever since, I’ve made it a mission to provide Healthy Hair with Attitude because a true Hairista would honor their hair by accessorizing their crown because “Hair is the Accessory”!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

If you asked anyone that knows me or that’s familiar with my business, they would tell you that Hairista is my first born baby! I have extreme pride in the product and services provided in a business that I curated. Although Ive been in business for 10 years now, its still shocking to look back on everything Ive accomplished with some of the most talented people by my side. Im beyond proud of the feeling and emotion my business gives to some many people. I honestly feel a sense of pride every time I walk through the door of Hairista Studio. To look at our chairs filled with men, women and children from all backgrounds and walks of life, I am constantly reminded just how essential we truly are. Im overcome with emotion seeing the happiness and smiles on their faces as they leave. I am so proud of every positive review left on our social media pages and the endless “thank you, you made my day” sentiments given to us almost daily. Although I went to college wanting to work in the field of business, I had NO IDEA that the business I would be working for, would be my own. 10 years later, and it still surprises me and makes me feel eternally happy AND proud that I stepped out on faith to do something that not only I had an untapped skill in, but was so passionate about. What most people may not understand about entrepreneurship, is that our “job” is truly never done. We wake up thinking about the welfare of our businesses and we go to bed thinking about how we can make it better each day. Entrepreneurship is truly a 24/7 commitment, but Im a firm believer that if you’re passionate about it, it will never feel like “work”. It will feel like its a calling for you to make the world a better place. And as a new mom, my biggest accomplishment is showing my daughter that she can do ANYTHING she puts her mind to. Creating legacy is a goal that drives me every single day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.HairistaStudio.com
• Instagram: @Hairista / @HairistaStudio
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@xoHairista?si=bcNWaZXky_1IP_Mq

Image Credits
Headshots by @_JohnathanHenderson Makeup by @AllinclusiveArtistry