We were lucky to catch up with Myriam recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Myriam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

From the age of 10, I’ve always had a passion for beauty starting with braiding hair in my neighborhood , then learning to style my own after moving to America at 12, I mastered protective styles like micro and box braids.
By high school, as a track athlete, I began experimenting with lightweight, stylish Quick weave looks and quickly fell in love with trying new hairstyles.

After teaching myself through YouTube and completing over 3,200 hours of cosmetology training, my creativity took off. I constantly switched up my looks, shared them online, and the compliments started pouring in. Soon, people kept asking me to do their hair and that’s when the lightbulb went off

What began as an in-home salon in 2015 quickly grew into a full business. I became a licensed cosmetologist , opened my LLC and turned my lifelong love for beauty into Allure By Myko a brand built on helping others look and feel their absolute best.

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 Myriam Konate, a licensed cosmetologist and loctician, and the owner of Allure Myko and Locs by Myko. The name Allure represents attraction, beauty, and confidence serving as a reminder that caring for ourselves is powerful and rewarding. I’m passionate about enhancing my clients’ best features and helping them look and feel amazing, because when we feel our best, we show up stronger in every area of life.

I specialize in all things locs, including starter locs, maintenance, repairs, extensions, wicks, and custom transformations. Turning “dream hair” inspiration into reality and watching my clients light up is my favorite part of what I do.

I also share free tutorials, tips, and education on my online communities ,Skool , YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook under the user names “Locs by Myko”. Thanks to incredible support from the city of Cincinnati, I’ve expanded my skills to Las Vegas and beyond.

As an African immigrant, family support and faith in my talents truly shaped the beginning of my journey. Today, I’m passionate about mentoring and empowering the next generation of locticians and beauticians by helping them start and build successful, six-figure businesses and believe that with dedication and guidance, their goals are absolutely attainable.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Two major pivots shaped my journey. The first was choosing to fully commit to my business and walk away from a full-time job after realizing I was turning down more clients and income than my job could ever offer. Taking that leap of faith allowed me to focus completely on growing my passion into a thriving business.

The second was an even bigger leap: closing my successful, fully staffed salon in Cincinnati with over 1,000 clients to start fresh in Las Vegas. I felt mentally stagnant and knew I needed a new challenge. Rebuilding from the ground up proved that my “how to build a six-figure loc business” strategy truly works.

These experiences confirmed my purpose to give back, mentor, and help beauty professionals confidently start, grow, and scale profitable loc and beauty businesses of their own.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My funding story is simple. I actually never waited to have it all figured out. I started my beauty career with the tools I had, faith, a dollar, and a dream then built from there. One of my biggest lessons as an entrepreneur is that lack of capital should never stop you from pursuing your passion. Believing in yourself and starting where you are as long as you are ready makes all the difference.

Since launching my business, I’ve consistently reinvested my income back into growth and plan to continue doing so while exploring additional funding opportunities to scale faster. I’m proud that, so far, my business has been self-funded through skill, dedication, and purpose. I’m extremely grateful that my talent continues to fuel my vision while the rest flows to me easily, effortlessly, in increasing quantities, through multiple never ending sources .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/AllureMyko
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allure_myko?igsh=enpmZnE1NGxucHJv&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17xM7sqF1z/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@locsbymyko?si=yXNR-Q118AcQVolI
• Other: https://alluremyko.com/

Image Credits

Lexus Tromas -Smile4Lexx
Vernell Dillingham – Dillingham film & photography
Matthew Carter- LV Action Images
Adam Delane-Give me Face