We recently connected with Nadia Edet and have shared our conversation below.

Nadia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Being a business owner is a lifestyle that is challenging to describe in one word, but I can say that I love it & I would not have it any other way.

I’ve been a business owner for just about all my life & from around 12 years old when I started my hair business, I knew that I always wanted to be. What I didn’t know was whether I wanted to be a business owner more than I wanted to have a “regular” job or if I would do both since I had no experience.

I would say that I’ve always been a fairly book smart kid, and my Nigerian background coupled with my great performance in school kind of by default made me assume that getting a corporate Job was the best & only way for success.

After high school, I attended the University of Maryland in college park for International Business. It was during my time there that the thoughts of working a “regular” job and what that would be like became constant. After-all, I was obviously working towards a degree so I could land a good job after graduating, right?

Wrong.

By the time I was a junior in college, I knew that Entrepreneurship was what I wanted to do. The things I learned in school both academically and socially (because living on campus will really teach you things about life ) were really helping me in the business that I was running. Instead of having to graduate with a job before I could apply some of the knowledge I was gaining in school, I was able to apply it to my business simultaneously.

That was a very underrated blessing that I can appreciate very much in hindsight.
Running a business while in school full-time felt like hell, but looking back, it taught me so much!

Once I came to terms that Business is what I wanted for myself, I committed to it fully!
I’ve always known this is what I was called to do, but societal norms, opinions of others, and fear of failure, almost made me forfeit one of the biggest blessings I have.

This Business owner Life comes with a lot and there really is no blue-print for this thing, especially in the area of hair-braiding. Despite those “obstacles” I’m okay with being amongst the first to make
hair-braiding an excellent business idea. I will be an example for those coming after me.

Happiness is an understatement when it comes to describing my experience as a business owner.

Running a Business brings me Joy, satisfaction, and purpose.

Nadia , 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 have been braiding hair since I was about 12 years old. I grew up wearing braids often and I loved them! I always loved hair even as a young girl because I felt that it was one of the most important and noticeable features in a woman. That made me want to learn to do my own & also help others. Getting hair braided is not always the easiest process— finding a braider who won’t damage your hair, that is also kind and professional can seem impossible! I knew that I wanted to change that. Braiding for me is not just about delivering the style, but its about boosting self-confidence, the experience, and retaining hair health. Braiding is not usually a quick style, so I enjoy connecting with and learning from my clients in the time that we spend together. While I am very proud of my work, I am most proud of the fact that people come in to get service by us, and leave with more confidence, not just because they look good, but because we have poured knowledge and love into each other as well.
BlessedBraids & Beauty is a brand that prioritizes being a blessing to our clients in as many ways as we can.

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

In my business career, I have definitely had to pivot. Honestly, I would say that I am in the middle of a pivotal moment in my business right now. When I started out with my business and for years after, I had the idea of my business being centered around me. I would be the service provider, the marketer, the janitor, and every other role needed to make my business run. The most collaborative idea I had in my business at the time was renting out booths in my shop to other beauty professionals, but that didn’t require us working together. When I realized how important teamwork is, I began to pivot in the direction of training, teaching, and hiring other braiders as part of our team.
Many braiders come and go and they do not last due to burnout from doing everything on their own, leaving clients without a reliable braider, leaving them with depleted energy and other joint issues such as carpal tunnel. To promote longevity in my business I knew I had to take a different route, which is to build s family and transfer the skills I have to others.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a business owner requires resilience as a character trait because unexpected things can happen at any time. In 2019, I moved my business to a new location. However, I was unaware that this Location had severe flooding issues. About 7 months into our lease there, the flooding began to worsen, equipment was getting damaged, and many other issues were coming up as a result. At that point, I knew we had to leave that location. This quick change required resilience because moving a business is no joke, and finding affordable commercial space in a limited time, in the area of choice, can be difficult. But I was able to keep faith and search until I found a suitable place to move to. In between moving , we were serving clients at a temporary location which was highly inconvenient for everyone, but we were able to get through it successfully.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blessedbraidsandbeautyllc.com
• Instagram: Blessedbraids_

Image Credits
Jvnni Studios LLC