We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natalie Sullivan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Natalie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I’m very happy that I took the risk to become a business owner. I must admit that there was a level of fear that kept me from starting but …the leap is sometimes what we fear most. What mostly makes me happy as a business owner is the ability to have freedom of choice in what clients or projects to move forward in. Honestly there have been plenty of times where I wanted to quit to pursue another job along my journey, but no matter how many resume’s I sent out to no avail, there was an inner voice that told me to continue to finish what I started and continue to move forward!
Natalie, 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?
I’m Natalie Sullivan from Simpsonville SC. A mother of two and spiritual practitioner/facilitator. I got into my field due to my love for the hair and beauty industry. Always experimenting through my creative side. After my oldest son was born my hair began to change drastically, so that was my cue to go natural while simultaneously starting my hair styling career. A common theme that I kept seeing was that most people had no clue on how to properly take care of their curly textured hair, so one of my main disciplines until this day is continued education. In the beginning of my hair styling career there weren’t many professional natural hair care products to use so I began to mix my own. After years of trial and error I came up with Thirsty for Moisture. The multiplicity of the product enables me to use it on all textures of curls while providing the right moisture balance. SIsterly Luv’s brand speaks to a community of women who share there desires and needs, while Forging Formidable bonds through textures and experiences. It is a magical place! A sisterhood of curls. I’m mostly proud of the opportunity to create services for clients with naturally curly hair, while educating them on how to take care of their specific hair type helps give confidence in who they are. Some women don’t feel good in the hair that they’re in due to several factors such as the lack of knowledge, products or social standards to name a few. Sisterly Luv is here to bridge the gap for them. Helping them feel beautiful one strand at a time. Sisterly Luv hopes to continue to maximize our growth in all communities and continue to provide great natural hair care.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson that I had to unlearn was to stop shrinking myself and doing everything by myself. Not being open to accepting help from others due to past hurts was holding me back;nor would that type of behavior foster any business growth. One thing about being in business is that you have to learn that wearing all the hats gets tiresome really fast, but it took me a bit longer to realize that after getting burnt out and having extreme fatigue. Learning from others that had greater business wisdom than me and expanding my mind really helped. Listening to people like Noelle Randall and reading books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad enabled me to see a bigger picture. I had to release control. It takes a team of people that have specific expertise in certain areas to help you be more efficient with your business goals. It has helped me tremendously. At some point you have to reach out to others. Asking for help also opened the door for others to come into my space that were trustworthy and reliable for my business. The more that I held onto the energy of playing small and distrustful for not only others but myself .I began to trust my choices, then things shifted, now I can see how much movement and success is all around me. Self care is literally the best care, along with therapy that gave me the tools necessary to build . I learned that it’s ok to shine bright in my own way. You don’t have to be the brightest star as long as you accept your own light and how it shines.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Utilizing ads helped me to release that hustle culture mentality which can sometimes get a little toxic and embrace attraction. That’s where the utilization of ads was quite helpful because it allowed me to bring in the type of people within my business that I wanted to service. Of course also word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising to date.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sisterlyluvnatural.com
- Instagram: sisterlyluvnatural
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sisterly-Luv-Natural-Hair-Studio/100082815735233/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-sullivan-79814b6b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4RpZ0apBJBEALjqfeLKaog
Image Credits
Natalie Sullivan