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

Millie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

On this particular day I was working on a life long client (Probably the realist client, and your about to find out why). I was four years into my career. My client is a sweetheart who was attending Harvard at the time of this incident. I asked all the right questions and went through my regular client intake questions. Everything was asked properly and everything was answered with no problem in sight.

I thoroughly checked my clients hair and began on her color service service (going from natural black hair to bright red. And for any stylist you will know that the process of going from a level 1 to a level 6 red you have to lighten the hair a couple of shades before applying the color. Now we started on the ever so fun process of coloring my client to her desired color. I applied the lightener using the foiling technique and placed her under the dryer…

A few moments later, my client got up from under the client and stood awkwardly next to the dryer fiddling with her foils. I see her in my peripheral vision standing there, thinking to myself “why the heck is she standing there”. We made eye contact and the first thing out of her mouth is, “is it supposed to burn” in front of a jam packed salon. I left my heart laying on the floor as I walked up to her trying to maintain my composure and keeping cool. I gave her reassurance that its not burning. I was under the impression she was referring to the dryer. My client tells me “No it’s burning, I hear things” at this point I sat her down at my wash bowl, as I’m going through the foils, all I see at the crown of the head was smoke as though there was a little person sending me S>O>S smoke signals. Folks her head was literally sizzling. I opened the foil and I see a plume of smoke escaping from the released foil. I quickly removed all of the foils and washed her hair. The damage was only in one spot of her head in a two inch diameter of melted burnt off hair. As I continued to wash her hair I felt myself feeling nauseated and as if I was hit by a dump truck. I calmly excused myself to the color room. How I got to the color room is a actually sprint walked because I couldn’t get there quick enough

As soon as I took my first step into the color room, I squatted into a fetal position and I let out the loudest cry. PEOPLE THAT IS THE DAY I QUIT. I told everyone I quit my career as a stylist. Before you decide you judge my mishaps (were all human and we all make and learn from mistakes). After this day I decided that education is the most important part of this field and to a stylist. I made it a mission to fix her hair and learn from this experience and after 12 years of being in this field, I proudly own my own business and she is STILL my client and I guarantee she has the best and healthiest hair and that is why I said she is the realist. Get you a client like this.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

My name is Amal known as Millie. I grew up in Dearborn, MI and this is where I chose to open up my flagship Millie & Maz Co location. I Originally was going into fashion design until I found a new love for beauty and hair. I felt like I wanted to have more of a personal relationship with my clientele. I wanted to witness and experience the raw reactions of my clients which I knew it was going to give me as much gratification as the clients were getting with my services. I wanted to develop a platform where women can go to boost self confidence, and empower them by bringing out their inner beauty which exists in every single women out here.

I felt like getting into the hair and beauty industry was a great way to explore and put out my artistic side where both my client and I are able to work with one another and make incredible things come to life. I do so by transforming the way a client looks by color services and color corrections, the seamless installation of extensions and properly performing Brazilian Blowouts using custom tailored products and techniques.

Im most proud of working on my clients at their personalized time, allowing me to fully focus on that individual client and not having an assembly line salon. I am able to custom tailor what the client is looking for and putting out the desired product. My full attention is with the client who is sitting in front of me at that particular time and, we as a brand, focus solely on the person who is being worked on. Our clients are treated with the utmost respect and dignity. Their styles are curated to their particular needs and desires. This equation is necessary for our clients to be empowered and be seen as individuals among the rest.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

It’s quite an interesting story how I met my business partner. He actually puts the “Maz” in Millie & Maz Co.

Thirteen years before I opened up my flagship location, I was literally stranded on the side of the road feeling lost without GPS and helpless with a flat tire in an unknown location to me. Along comes Maz to help me with this flat tire. He helped me push my car off to the side of the road and he had the audacity to try to pass his number to me, which I not so nicely declined.

About 3 months later, he “miraculously” found me on Facebook and had the nerve to slide into my DM’s. Funny thing is he forgot he helped me 3 months prior and I didn’t know who he was because he didn’t have a photo up. We sparked up a conversation and became very good friends.

Through the years he became my biggest fan and forced me to push my boundaries to the point of no return. He must have seen something in me which, at the time, I didn’t see in myself. To ease my nervous feeling, he offered his support and help, always telling me to focus on what I do best and he would handle the rest and that he did. We put our minds together and our finances together to make this business work. And the rest is history….

Oh I forgot to mention I made Maz my husband 12 years before starting my journey.

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

If you ask Maz he’ll say I’m a perfectionist. I look at it as doing things the right way without cutting corners and being lazy about things I put education before anything and utilized it to perfect my technique. I take on the hardest challenges knowing that its going to push me to greatness by successfully completing the desired look my client is searching for.

Most of my clients come from word of mouth. This is due to a satisfied client being sent out into the world empowered and gorgeous, strutting the world as if it was her runway and rightfully so. I send them away with a glow to them which is seen by other while they approach my clients complimenting their look asking “WOW who did that to you”? Most of the time those clients are sent to me and the other times those girls like the look we achieved together and keep me as their exclusive stylist.

Call it perfection, I’ll go with doing it right by understanding what your client wants and don’t cut corners to make a dollar. Listen to what your client wants and achieve greatness with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.millieandmazco.com
• Instagram: Millie_and_maz
• Facebook: Hair by Millie and Maz
• Youtube: Coming soon!!!
• Other: We are a new business and we will be adding to our social media accounts. Get with us if your good at running social media accounts.

Image Credits
Create More Productions Photographer: Shota Sprunger