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

Lataysha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

At just 15 or 16 years old, I took one of the biggest risks of my life: starting a hair brand with zero dollars to my name. At the time, I was working at Zaxby’s making $7.25 an hour, and I already knew deep down that I didn’t want to work for someone else for the rest of my life. I wanted to be the boss, make my own rules, and build something that could create real financial freedom.

Even while working that job, I was already doing hair on the side. I charged as little as $25 for sew-ins, but one day I made my first $1,000 in a single day just from installing hair. That moment changed my mindset completely. I started thinking, If I can make this much just installing hair, imagine how much I could make if I provided the hair too.

In September 2016, I decided to take the leap. With no upfront money, I posted a hair sale online and asked for preorders. Almost immediately, people began trusting me with their money. I saw nearly $5,000 come in right away. I used those funds to order the hair, carefully packaged each order with shampoo in cute bags, and personally handled drop-offs and shipping. What started locally quickly grew my hair brand shipped from Florence, South Carolina to places like California, Chicago, New York, Texas, and even the Virgin Islands.

At the beginning, my biggest fear was that no one would trust me. I worried people wouldn’t be interested or would hesitate because I was young and a stranger. Instead, the opposite happened. Customers supported me, left reviews, and continued to come back. What began with selling bundles grew into bundles with closures and eventually wigs.

In the end, every time I posted a sale, I consistently received at least 10–15 orders. Seeing people believe in me especially people who didn’t even know me personally was an incredibly rewarding feeling. That risk not only paid off financially, but it also gave me confidence in my abilities as an entrepreneur.

This experience taught me that starting a business requires an open mind, a positive heart, and optimism. Challenges will always come before something great, but if I hadn’t taken that risk, I would have never realized how powerful entrepreneurship and dropshipping could be. That decision at such a young age showed me what was possible and it’s a lesson that still guides me today.

Lataysha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a serial entrepreneur and preschool teacher who has always believed in building something meaningful whether that’s a business, a brand, or a strong foundation for children during their earliest years of development. My journey started early, driven by independence, creativity, and a deep desire to create opportunities instead of waiting for them.

I was introduced to entrepreneurship as a teenager when I began doing hair while working a minimum-wage job. What started as a skill quickly turned into a business mindset. I learned firsthand how to attract customers, manage money, market myself, and deliver quality service. Over time, that grew into launching a hair brand, expanding into product-based businesses, and continuously finding ways to turn ideas into income. I didn’t come from money or formal business training at the time I learned by doing, failing, adjusting, and trying again.

At the same time, I’ve always had a passion for working with children. Becoming a preschool teacher allowed me to pour into young minds during the most important stage of their growth. In the classroom, I focus on structure, creativity, emotional development, and building confidence. I understand that early childhood education isn’t just about learning letters and numbers it’s about shaping how children see themselves, how they communicate, and how they interact with the world around them.

Today, I provide a mix of services, products, and creative work. On the entrepreneurial side, that includes beauty services, product-based brands, and digital content centered around lifestyle, business, and self-growth. On the education side, I provide nurturing, intentional care and learning experiences for young children while also creating engaging classroom environments and activities that support development.

The problems I solve depend on the space I’m in. For my clients and customers, I offer convenience, quality, and authenticity whether that’s through beauty services, products, or content that feels real and relatable. For families and children, I provide trust, consistency, and a safe environment where children can grow emotionally and academically. In both worlds, I aim to make people feel seen, supported, and confident in the choices they’re making.

What sets me apart is that I don’t fit into one box. I understand both structure and creativity, business and care, strategy and heart. I bring real-life experience into everything I do. I know what it’s like to start with nothing, to work while building, and to keep going even when the path isn’t clear. That perspective allows me to connect with people on a deeper level.

What I’m most proud of is my resilience. I’ve built businesses from scratch, balanced motherhood, education, and entrepreneurship, and continued to evolve without giving up on myself. I’m proud that I lead by example showing that it’s possible to grow, pivot, and pursue multiple passions without choosing just one.

What I want potential clients, followers, and supporters to know is that everything I create comes from intention. I care deeply about impact, not just income. Whether you’re trusting me with your child, your hair, your purchase, or your time online, you’re supporting someone who values integrity, growth, and community. My brand and my work will always reflect that.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me build my reputation was consistency, authenticity, and delivering what I promised every single time. From the beginning, I treated my clients and customers with respect, whether I was doing hair, selling products, or creating content. I focused on quality, communication, and showing up the same way online as I did in real life.

I also didn’t try to skip steps. I allowed myself to grow publicly, learn through experience, and let my work speak for itself. Reviews, word-of-mouth, and repeat customers played a huge role in building trust. People could see that I genuinely cared about what I was offering and about the people I was serving. Over time, that reliability turned into a strong reputation one built on trust, results, and real connections.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is seeing my ideas turn into something real that impacts other people. Whether it’s a service, a product, or content that resonates, there’s something powerful about creating from your own vision and watching it connect with others.

I also love the freedom that creativity gives me the ability to express myself, pivot when needed, and build on my own terms. Knowing that my creativity can inspire, help, or motivate someone else makes the work feel purposeful. It’s not just about making money; it’s about creating something meaningful and leaving a mark through what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://girlbosstayda.gumroad.com/?utm_id=97759_v0_s00_e0_tv3
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefamoustayy?igsh=amNtbTQybWFheDkz&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18vw9kRFxq/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@taydab?si=_upS2sEjg4D0Ekvx
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/6ScAnZgvIn
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@taijuuuh?_r=1&_t=ZP-96T9UWK0Vcl

  https://snapchat.com/t/jzF5LOeF

Image Credits

Lataysha Harley, Demerous Robinson