We were lucky to catch up with Javonna Gist recently and have shared our conversation below.

Javonna, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

I am extremely passionate about what I do. Everything I do is with a genuine heart. I’ve done so many amazing things to give back to my clients to assure them that I care more about them,than the money. I will say out of the many great things I’ve done thus far, there is one specific moment that stands out the most. I have a client who is a very hard working mother. She puts herself on the back burner a lot. She recently lost her mother and she was extremely full of grief and self neglect. I decided to treat her to a makeover day. She got a pedicure,facial,hair style and I even booked a photoshoot for her. I really wanted to remind her just how beautiful she is and how loved she is. I wanted her to feel valued. She was overwhelmed with joy, and she indeed felt a major boost of self love and confidence.

Javonna, 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?

I am a 29 yr old licensed cosmetologist. I have been in the professional field for 4 years now.I specialize in locs and color. I have been doing hair since I was a little girl. I started on my Barbie dolls, and then moved on to my little sister’s hair. Once she got old enough she then turned into my life-sized barbie doll. As I continued to experiment on my sister’s hair, the styles I would do on her began to draw the attention of others who then began to inquire about my services.For many years doing hair was something that I enjoyed but it was always just a hobby. As I went on through life and started college I struggled trying
to figure out exactly what my purpose was. It took me a while to figure out my purpose was within me all along. I started cosmetology school and I became extremely passionate in the field. I was the first student to finish my program and found an amazing salon home to work in. What I do is much deeper than just hair, this is my ministry. I get the daily opportunity to uplift,encourage,motivate and love others.All while making them look and feel beautiful. I pride myself on making my clients as comfortable as possible, ensuring them that my chair is a safe space, and that they can be as transparent and vulnerable as they desire.I grow deeper in love with what I do everyday, my brand is my baby, I look forward to expanding my brand name Authentic Beauty Jay LLC across the world.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Doing hair started off as a side hustle for me. I never had any intention of pursuing it professionally. It wasn’t until my late 20’s when I came to realize that not only was I really good at doing hair, but I really loved doing it. Making the transition to becoming a full time stylist was not easy by any means. It took a lot of blood, sweat, faith and tears. This is a very competitive industry, there are tons of people that can do the same things I do.This industry is truly survival of the fittest, I was determined to be successful. I really had to start from the bottom up. I hustled very hard to get to the point of being an independent stylist. I started out being a salon receptionist, to a commission based stylist, to an assistant stylist, and finally where I am not as an independent stylist. I had to be okay with starting out as an underdog and working my way up, because I knew those positions were temporary. The journey has not been easy, I’ve had to learn so much along the way, but I knew If i worked hard enough I would reach my goals and dreams. I have accomplished so much now and I’ve come so far. My next step is becoming a salon suite owner.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

A near death experience for my business was also a near death experience for myself. I have a history of being a bit of a workaholic. I used to have a hard time saying no to clients so I would overbook my schedule trying to accommodate everyone. I felt the physical and mental impact that had on me but i kept pushing through, well that method of working came to bite me in the butt. My body began to shut down. One day after work I felt extremely fatigued. I thought a good nap would do the trick, but little did I know how serious my situation really was. I was later found unresponsive and I was rushed to the hospital.I was at risk of having a massive stroke. I was hospitalized for nearly a week. I’m thankful to be here today to share my story. But I learned a very valuable lesson after that experience. I nearly lost it all, and as much as I love my business, I needed to love myself more. Health and wellness should be top priority always. listen to your body, it will warn you when you’ve done more than enough.That experience has taught me how to make healthy boundaries and a healthy work life balance. As hard as it is for me, I have learned how to say no when it’s just too much for me. I want to continue to provide quality service to my clients and I now understand that the best way to do that is to make sure my mental and physical wellness is intact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://authenticbeautyjay.as.me/
• Instagram: @authentic_beauty_jay
• Facebook: Javonna Authenticbeautyjay Gist
• Other: TikTok: @authenticbeautyjay

Image Credits
ajrphotography