Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kenielle Jefferies. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kenielle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

My first loc client was my brother. 12 years ago he asked my mom to start his locs, but he did not like the parting style. He asked me to redo his grid pattern the same as box braids. At that time, I didn’t know how to comb coil. I started his locs with two strand twists and maintained them for several years. I also started and maintained locs for some of my family. I began to gain clientele from word of mouth in my hometown. I continued doing all styles, but realized I only enjoyed retwisting locs. Once I loc’d my hair in 2017, I awakened my passion for locs. I didn’t offer hair services to the public, I rarely advertised and wasn’t consistent with accepting appointments from my regulars due to juggling life and not wanting to do hair on my days off from my full time job. I felt a strong push to take my career as a stylist seriously after my mom’s passing in 2020. I began offering part time loc services to the public. Clientele quickly increased through social media and word of mouth. My clients also motivated me to go to hair school. I graduated in April 2022 from Millennium Trade Academy, a Natural hair school in Greensboro NC. I quit my job the week after graduating and have offered full time professional loc services ever since! I decided to consistently provide loc maintenance services, go to hair school and be a full time stylist all in one year.

Kenielle, 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 was born and raised in Salisbury, NC. I have resided in Lexington, NC for the past 6 yrs. I have maintained healthy locs for others for 12 years now. I began experimenting with hairstyles on my own hair in 5th grade. By 7th grade I was braiding for myself, family and friends. I pretty much did it all by the time I graduated high school. Box braids, pixie braids, micro braids, cornrows, sew-ins, quickweaves, relaxers, roller sets, Etc. I taught myself how to achieve those styles before I knew about Youtube. Once I became familiar with Youtube, some time in my 20’s, I would ask family and friends to try styles on them. I would watch a video one time and understand exactly what is needed to achieve the style. It was always good for my first try, but of course became better with practice. I gained all of my knowledge for locs through experience. I am very grateful that I am able to educate my clients with confidence based on my own knowledge and experience. My motto and slogan is “Your Locs, My Canvas.” I treat all client locs as if they’re mine because I really care and also because mishandling their locs would create problems to correct. I have great relationships with each client as if we’re family. Sometimes I am surprised yet proud of myself for the clientele I built within my first year as a Licensed Natural Hair Stylist!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I created business accounts on social media platforms January 2021. At the time I had a full time job working 9-5pm, was raising a toddler while working from home and went to hair school immediately after work. I didn’t have time to build an audience on the social accounts. I decided to devote time to Tiktok because I favored their editing tools. I would edit videos within the last 10-15mins of class. The distance from school to home was 40mins. By the time I would get home and ready for bed it would be midnight. I literally had no time for social media. I continued editing and posting videos in class when I could. One day I woke up to a Tiktok video I posted the night before going viral. My tiktok account has continuously increased ever since. I’ve gained a lot of supporters and clients from Tiktok. Usually the first thing a new client says when we meet is “I found you on Tiktok!”. My editing skills even improved and it’s a task that I enjoy. It is still very challenging to find time to edit, post, advertise and engage. It’s a whole job in itself. I recently began posting more on my Facebook business page. Followers increased from 480 to 1k in 3days. Which really proved to me that consistency is key! Make them see you!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I feel like my reputation was built in many ways, but most of all consistency. I try to capture enough content for my audience and post videos daily. That increased clientele through social media. I provide a salon experience and deliver quality work every time. Which created loyal clients! My loyal clients are a huge part of my success. There would be no revenue without them. They tag me in their selfies, social media posts, share my videos, referrals on social media and word of mouth. Even take business cards at each appointment. They have taught me that if I take care of my clients they will take care of me! I really love my clients!  

Contact Info:

• Website: Kdsartistry.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kds_artistry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076282511393&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kdsartistry