We recently connected with Kanesha Hearn and have shared our conversation below.
Kanesha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
May 2017 I packed a plastic tub with little to no clothing,I had a couple hundred dollars,a bunch of prayers and a rental my best friends uncle helped me get and drove down to Atlanta,Ga with my friends in another car following me to an Extended stay located in Roswell,Marietta
Really no direction but I had a plan and whatever I had to do to not return back home was the goal..I applied for a job that paid commission due to being scared of the move I had made and needed something to make sense.. one morning I told myself “check out the apartments next door” just see what the rent is going for and when the numbers were presented to me I knew the job wasn’t going to make ends meet… I walked out mid shift still confused but at this point all I had left to dwell on was my talent so I took a drive down to Decatur,Ga and introduced myself to the owners of “THE BRAID BAR”
Previous before actually moving to Atlanta I was back and fourth so conversations were exchanged for a few months between me & them..the expectations,quality I had to provide to be considered an option,my first visit was a flop because you needed a model to present your talent and I didn’t have one so I had to reschedule.. once I actually moved I pulled back up and showed my face again still no model but I had the chance to actually show my craft outside of just my IG platform
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I noticed I had a hidden talent at maybe 9/10 years old I was playing on a dolls head I showed my mom and that’s all she needed to see..lol I was doing everyone’s hair in the family,my friends in the middle of class and my own hair every 2/3 days
$10-$20 was the most folks would pay me If that and I would save up my money to purchase the newest Jordan releases and buy 2 for $25 Aeropostale color shirts in all colors… if discipline was a person it was me
Once I set my mind on a Goal/idea if it means I may have to go without having fun,new clothes,the best food etc than that’s just what it has to be but with discipline you also have to be focused and tune out outside noise
Moving to Atlanta I drowned myself in prayer/conversations between me and God daily..my main goal was to have a place of my own for me and my baby before the year was up.so for six months straight I was grinding sun up/sun down… I ate outside food if someone offered to buy me some but I still had my foodstamp card from back home so I would make sure to renew my information in Louisville to survive in Georgia
I didn’t have any clientele in Georgia I was building from the ground up literally but the more I showed up and put my best work forward folks started requesting my services so now I’m getting tips on top of my daily commission pay
People would ask me all the time “How did you do it” “your not scared” and of course I was scared as hell but I wanted better so whatever that took i accepted the challenge… folks would always tell me how “brave” I was which I never understood why cause I figured if I can do it… little ol’ misunderstood/abandoned/foster care/child anybody can do it
Looking forward I’ve realized a ton of ppl can not do what I did so that’s something to be proud about
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I wanted to “save money” by switching extended stays so I left Marietta and moved to Columbia drive..during the day it looked cool,maintenance was cleaning out the rooms,smelled do-able nothing compared to where I was coming from but it was cheaper… At night chhiilleeee’ I had been in Georgia by myself broke,confused and didn’t drop a tear but this night I cried like a baby.. my shower looked like the people before me washed their dog in it,the drawers had old clothes in them,the covers had a smell so strong I was scared to pull them back,blinds were broke I mean the list goes on and there was no way this is the same place I seen when the sun was out.. for the first time ever I wanted to go home I wanted to give up,me and God couldn’t have been on the main line cause ain’t no way… I was in a trapped out bando and couldn’t get my money back
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
“Take your emotions out of it”
With doing business/meeting new ppl etc literally take nothing personal..yes be observant and ask God to help you with discernment but understand it’s just business nothing personal..
Ppl will do and say whatever to appear genuine and really want you to win but there’s most likely always a hidden agenda..
and everyone wants the most talented ppl to keep their business buzzing..
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shebraids19.as.me/
- Instagram: __sheBraids