We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michea Mellette-Turner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michea , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.
Initially, I started out doing random styles in my hair just for me.. You know, seeing certain styles and recreating them myself. So,one day while attending an event at a local church a young lady walked up to me inquiring about how long I’ve been growing my “Locs” and expressing how pretty they were and she always wanted locs but was afraid of the commitment that came with having locs. Once I told her that they were faux loc extensions that I installed myself…. She was amazed! She asked a few questions about the process and what was my pricing. Up until that point I had only ever done styles on myself and family members. I charged her $75 for a full head of locs.. I remember standing up in my living room servicing my very first customer. The smile on her face when she looked in the mirror. The way her face lit up with happiness did something to me. Knowing that particular glow, I played a part in and from that moment forward I knew. A few days later my Facebook inbox went crazy with inquiries from potential clients that had seen posts with photos of both myself and my new customer’s hair. All it took was literally one person’s review of their new protective hair style. Literally, just 1. Her word of mouth and Facebook post alone was just the beginning for Getloc’d. I would go to work and do hair in between; until the demand for the locs alone turned it in to doing hair and going to work in between and that was in 2015. Fast forward to today where Getloc’d is now a part of my beauty bar , The Gleaux House Beauty Bar and Aesthetics LLC Nearly all of my hair clients have also become my aesthetic clients, and their word of mouth has introduced me to so many amazing people and opportunities and I get to relive that first time feeling all over again. To my very first client, who has since then become “family”, I’m forever grateful for meeting you. Thank you for trusting and believing in me.
Michea , 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?
My name is Michea Mellette-Turner (most people know me as “Kea”) I am a licensed braider,esthetician and the owner of The Gleaux House Beauty Bar and Aesthetics . We’re located downtown Florence, SC .and offer private salon suites to other beauty professionals as well as offering to a wide variety of services. I entered the beauty industry in 2015 and I have since expanded my service menu and portfolio to where it is now with an appetite to add more. The feeling of adding that extra Gleaux (Glow) to a person’s life no matter if we had a 15 min skincare consult or wax appointment or a 3 hr hair appointment is magical to me.. So I created some what of a safe haven where clients can come in get pampered and are completely at ease even with the most sensitive of services. The Gleaux House Beauty Bar and Aesthetics offers a clean, inviting and peaceful environment where clients are encouraged to come in relax, and experience a gleaux like no other. A place where you can feel right at home. I openly and proudly allow my clients to have full control of how their appointment experiences will go by offering “peaceful appointments” to those clients that simply just need “me-time” and a little or a lot of time to collect their thoughts with no noise, conversation or distractions . The options to choose which beverage will be waiting on you upon arrival and whether or not you want to be photographed and/or recorded for promotional use.I also understand how serious anxiety and other mental issues are especially in today’s society. I respect my clients as well as their time and boundaries on all scales while providing quality services and client care. At The Gleaux House Beauty Bar and Aesthetics, my primary focus is you, the client and anticipating your needs and concerns to provide the absolute best experience.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Sure, and only a few people know this but when I enrolled in to esthetics school we were introduced to “key aprons “ and the highest badge of honor “the golden apron” I locked in on getting the golden apron. It was an award that no esthetics student had ever won and I wanted it. While in school I had a health scare midway through, that sat me down for about a month. I literally was a few days away from being dropped and basically losing everything I had worked so hard for up until that point. I had to push myself (within my doctors guidelines of course). I was released back to school the day before I was scheduled to be dropped. It discouraged me a lot because I was so far behind and a lot had changed for me. Then I remembered why I started and went into full grind mode, finished my hours, got my diploma and I won the golden apron! The first to ever win it even with so many obstacles that arose. Aced my exams for licensure and here we are.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clients for me has really been word of mouth. Rather it be previous clients that I have serviced and have been servicing for years or a new client that refers someone new before even leaving my salon. That’s literally been my biggest source of advertisement. Of course social media plays it’s part but the constant referrals are the best. It just says something about your business that a social media post or commercial can’t, you know?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegleauxhouse.com
- Instagram: @The_Gleauxhouse
- Facebook: The Gleaux House, Beauty Bar and Aesthetics
Image Credits
Edward Collins at SnappedByEdward