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

Nicolle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success cannot be defined in one answer. It has different definitions to different people. The meaning of success to me, is being able to achieve your goal that you truly feel is meant for you and your purpose.

My goal in life is to succeed in anything I do, to strive for better and to learn the game the best. I never knew what I wanted to become in life, but I knew I wanted to work hard and hustle in a business field, whichever it was. For me, I found it was in beauty by becoming the most unique and different hair stylist – at first – which then turned into becoming a unique salon owner then branching into different sectors. The world is so diverse and there is so many success stories in different fields.

Success can be defined by achieving your dream career, finally passing LSATs, selling your first new home, creating a charity and shelter, and so much more. It is where you choose to devote your life and do it to the best of your ability.

On the contrary, being able to reach your definition of success is the same as everyone else. Success is a long journey, it comes with hardships and struggles that we all know, but don’t know it when it is happening. What sets people apart is being able to push yourself in the mental game of success. You need to believe in yourself that you can soar high and achieve what you have set out for yourself especially during dark times. Being able to take one struggle, learn from it and use it to overcome another until the obstacles get bigger and bigger — the success gets bigger and bigger. Never letting yourself fall during a hard time, showing yourself the light in the tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel is. At the end of the tunnel is so much light and joy to give us strength till the next tunnel comes. To never forget your purpose and end goal will keep you on track, which many people lose sight along the way. The journey is long, but it is the best part of it all. Success = hard work. I haven’t even made 1% of my success story.

Nicolle, 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 Nicolle Toribio. I am a 20 year old salon owner and hair stylist in Toronto, Canada.

As funny as it sounds, my story wasn’t all that pretty though I am in the beauty industry. I see myself more as a business woman rather than a woman into beauty, however through beauty was my way of showcasing it. I have not lived that many years of experience yet however I’ve had my fair shares of experiences into a short span. I wouldn’t compare my struggles and hardships of a teenager to any regular teenager. I grew up really fast. As soon as I was 18 years old, I was living on my own. I’ve struggled a homeless life, an empty life and a struggling life all throughout the journey of being a hair stylist.

Since I was younger, during elementary to high school, I found different ways to create money for myself. I would sell my clothes and travel to different locations to meet buyers, I’ve designed different types of clothing and sewn them from scratch to sell and travel to a buyer for. I’ve looked for different ways to earn money in a creative but yet well deserving way. When my life started to become serious, I started working 3 jobs which I didn’t have to, but I loved being busy and hustling every hour of my day. I had enrolled and paid for university but didn’t pull through since it didn’t feel right. I found myself getting into beauty-specifically hair. I decided to give up everything and solely focus on hair. As much as I looked at hair as a passion, I looked at it as a business which made it a passion for me. This was the best decision I ever made for myself — to go all in.

At this time of my life, I wasn’t living at home. It was a hard time, but I found myself happy when doing hair. This happiness was so strong, I was working until 12:00AM, 2:00AM, early mornings where my own clients friends and family wouldn’t even believe she was at the hair salon. Passion and purpose is what drove me every single day to work harder and harder. There were plenty of slow and empty days where I found a way to still work because I loved it. I would offer free services to friends, create content, clean, etc just to be in the environment. If you had to ask any person that has encountered me, the one thing they would say about me is I work hard. I don’t purposely intend to work hard either, but it feels so good to. I’ve struggled so many personal and business hardships where I’ve never let it get in the way to break me. I would truly and honestly say I’ve experience so much inhumane and traumatic experiences that an average person would not be able to imagine, nonetheless experience. Through all the darkness my life has brought me, I found light in believing that I could achieve all the dreams and goals through hair. Till this day, I still struggle to heal from the trauma I have been through but I put it into my work.

Through all the hardships, I was able to work my way up to getting my own hair salon along the street of a very busy and well known road, Yonge Street. The details of my history and experience is very blurry for me to share and describe. However, it is what sets me apart from everyone else. I devote my whole life and risk everything to be where I am. My business, clients and all things related, I take very personal. I solely focus on my business 24/7, every hour of the day and never take a break. This is how I developed my unique thinking and understanding of the industry.

I am so happy and proud to announce my new storefront hair salon in Toronto located on Yonge and Lawrence. Where all things hair related will be provided by only specialist in the field and bridal services. There will be Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists whom specializes in Bridal Services; Hair Extension Specialist, Hair Colorists and Hair Treatment Specialists. The salon will not only be a hair salon, but an environment and safe space I always dreamt of. The salon will be a destination place for all females and female hustlers in Toronto. We will be an environment where you will experience new versions of yourself through beauty and inspiration to become better. We are all about being positive, healthy, strong, well rounded rather than superficial beauty. Our services are strong, but our team and environment is stronger. This will be a place to meet others and also maintain relationships. It is the new evolution of beauty.

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

My business started from scratch. I didn’t have any funds to start my business but I knew I wanted to do it. I pushed myself to save enough money to enrol in a hair extension course. It took a few months of saving where I had saved every dollar I made into an untouchable envelope. I was only allowed to touch this envelope when I would enroll to the course.

After a few months, I was able to take a hair extension course which jump started my business. At this point, I had devoted my entire life to my business with no back up plan or second source of income. This was all I had to fall back on, so it had to succeed. I put every dollar of mine back into the business because what you put in, is what you will get back. Business is a game where your level of work ethic and devotion will reflect your level of success. I continuously and blindly invest my income into the business praying one day, it will all be worth it and come back to me. I presented my most professional and best self at work with what I had. I went plenty of months starving, in the same outfits, thugging — pushing out everything I had in me for this. Till this day, I stand by my same morals and ethics to which has gotten me this far.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a hot topic and is drastically changing every single day. It controls our lives, Instagram – TikTok it has all become the new Google of our generation. Social media presence is essential in this day of age. I started my business through social media, specifically Instagram.

Instagram allows business owners and influencers to create a portfolio where their persona and vibe can be felt through a couple of photos and reels. I utilized social media to directly target the group of individuals I wanted to attract. Most of my social media portfolio is different stages and personalities of myself in those times. My work and socials are highly influenced by my passion at the moment. For the beauty industry, our competition is amongst ourselves. Clients pick the provider they feel most comfortable with. Showing our potential audience our unique differences is eye catching. When building a social media presence, you must put yourself in your audience’s shoes and think like one of them. What makes you stand out? What will make you more appealing than the person from the left or right of you? What do you want people’s initial thought of you? What do you stand for? What is your vibe? Social media allows those who are different to become viral.

Nonetheless, content may be important however social media is highly dependant on consistency. Social media is an additional job to your current. Just as business, what you put into it is what you will get out of it; this also applies to social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://MAJESTICCROWN.square.site/
• Instagram: Majestic Crown Salon

Image Credits

Luisa Valarezo
Anthony Delia