We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kiara Juniorr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiara, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I don’t think I would have started my hairbraiding journey sooner. I’m a firm believer in perfect timing & everything will happen when it’s SUPPOSED to.

I didn’t start taking on clients until 2020 when COVID hit. That was a hectic moment in history for EVERYONE but I’m actually glad I decided to step out on faith & start up my business during that time. I was working at a warehouse and the entire staff got laid off due to the pandemic so I figured “why not FINALLY start putting one of my many talents to use?” Then low and behold, in January 2021 that’s when JuJuBeads was born. So to reiterate, I don’t think I should have started sooner… I also don’t think I should have started later than I did because when you’re a procrastinator like me-you just HAVE to follow your gut and jump on the opportunity when it shows up on your doorstep.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Ever since I can remember, My mom was the one to braid my hair growing up & keep it all done up with all kinds of colorful bows and beads. When I got old enough, I took an interest in braiding myself. & learned to do my first braid at 9 practicing in my Aunt’s hair. When I turned 12, the roles reversed and I started braiding my & my mom’s hair & a few friends/family as the years went by. In 2016, I had my beautiful daughter & one of the things about being a mom that I just couldn’t wait to do was when hair got long and strong enough, i could do her hair just like my mom did mine. In 2017, my mom passed away from stage 4 breast cancer & I made a small promise to myself that even though I made her heart happy giving her another grandchild, I will still make her proud by doing something I love whether it’s dancing or braiding hair.

When I started our braiding, I only knew how to do the basics: box braids, French braids, & crochet. As my clientele grew, so did my skills. I now offer almost ALL braiding services from Knotless braids to soft Locs and even actual Locs-you name it I’m for certain I can do it! I even got inspired to make my own hair growth oil/grease: Juju Oil, which I’m most proud of based off the feedback I’ve gotten from my clients.. I just loooove that my clients trust me with hair & that they know they’re in great hands not just because I provide QUALITY service, but it’s also at an AFFORDABLE price that’s not going to break the bank.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Braiding hair was definitely my side hustle that’s slowly turning into my main career. I know if I apply myself and devote my time into my craft some more-I can succeed in making this my main business and flourish going forward. I personally believe everyone has a side hustle that they can turn into a full time business. But as I stated before, perfect timing is everything & when that time is right, I’ll know.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is that when you’re dealing with clients, and even potential clients, it’s best to always put yourself first.. As a stylist, OF COURSE you want to do your best to fulfill your clients’ every need, but sadly you don’t always get that reciprocated. At the end of the day, yes you’re a stylist and you knew what you signed up for BUT you’re a human first. Humans have needs, humans make mistakes, & you should always take that into consideration in every situation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jujubeads.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/juju.beadsss?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juju.beadsss