We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mercedes Garrison a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mercedes , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To be successful it takes consistency and trial and error. Within the last few years, I’ve evaluated the services I offer to see which hair services I enjoy doing the most as well as which services I’ve mastered the time to a T. That helped me ensure that I would be able to service each client on time by eliminating getting behind no matter the hair texture or length. Doing that helped me gain retention which helped me ensure my clients would be serviced on time as well as providing them with quality services.
A big part of my business is selling hair extensions. I’ve sold hair extensions such as bundles and lace closures for about 12 years. I’ve been making and selling wig units for about 8 years. Selling hair products such as extensions can be very time-consuming and stressful making sure the quality and quantity of my hair boutique is up to par. I spend quite a few nights staying up very late communicating with hair vendors on the other side of the world, placing orders, negotiating, and getting updated on what’s new.
Before I sell any new hair products, I try it out for about 3-6 months to test the quality. Although selling hair extensions can be great income, there are plenty of times I have taken loss. Shipping fees, bad quality, loss packages, just to name a few.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Mercedes Garrison. I am from Burlington NC. I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and a salon owner for 10 years.
Majority of my childhood I lived with my grandparents or with my great-grandmother who happened to live next door to each other. My great-grandmother was a cosmetologist and had a salon that was built onto her house, “Wood’s Beauty Nook”. When I was younger, my mom would do her and my hair there. Then in middle school, I started to do my friends and family’s hair in the salon. It became my thing. I enrolled in the cosmetology program in high school to get a head start and became licensed in the state of North Carolina soon after. I used to make flyers and hit all the malls and colleges in Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem. I just knew this is what I wanted to do, so I was eager to put myself out there.
I got my first opportunity to work in a salon when I met Tracey Milton, the salon owner of A New Look Hair Salon in Burlington NC. I became the shampoo girl for Tracey and my Aunt Aletta Johnson (now the owner of Luv Lee Hair Lounge in Burlington NC). I worked at A New Look for a while, while I explored working in Durham and Greensboro. Tracey always welcomed me back with open arms. Then eventually I ended up settling in Greensboro NC.
Being a cosmetologist making my own hours helped me be present for my son during his time in school and his sporting events. I made my schedule around his and I am very grateful that I was able to do that.
As a business owner, I do marketing for the salon through social media, newsletters, etc, but a lot of my clients come from word of mouth which brings me the most joy. It makes me happy knowing my clients love my services enough to promote my business.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic I launched my Non-Profit Organization “Crown The Cure” which provided wigs for women battling cancer (as well as other medical conditions that caused hair loss) in honor of two of my aunts battling breast cancer. We were able to help woman gain their confidence back by helping them feel beautiful on the inside and out. It was also a learning experience for me getting to know what these women were going through. To hear their stories was very inspiring. A very humbling experience. About a year later, I and my board members decided to step away from this project.
At the beginning of this year, 2024, I took a step in the same direction and started Bee Flawless Hair Loss Solutions becoming a non-surgical hair loss specialist and a dural medical equipment facility. Bee Flawless Hair HLS supplies cranial prosthetics to women (and men) suffering from cancer, alopecia, lupus, trichotillomania, as well as other medical conditions causing hair loss. Clients are able to get hair units, toupees, and hair systems custom-made specifically for their medical hair loss situation. The majority of these client’s services are eligible for coverage or reimbursement by their insurance companies. Bee Flawless Hair Loss Solutions will officially launch this summer.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
At the beginning of my career, I spent a lot of time promoting my business to grow my clientele through social media. I’ve now learned that client relationships and good customer service are the best way to grow. My clientele consists mostly of working women who want to feel good about themselves by looking good, but it’s deeper than that. When my clients open up about their lives and lifestyles, it makes it easy for me to offer and educate them with services that fit their lifestyle. When they leave the salon, they look good, feel good and spread the word about my services. I do what I love to do and they pay me in return with referrals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BeeFlawless.com
- Instagram: BeeFlawless_Salon
- Facebook: Bee Flawless Salon and Hair Boutique