We recently connected with Nihija Collins and have shared our conversation below.

Nihija, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I had always said I wanted to start a hair business back in 2019. I would say it so much but I was scared to just jump out there and go for it, you know.. even though I kind of had it mapped out. I was worried about the support mainly and me being such an introverted person it was way out my comfort zone. I never really told anyone what I was planning, so when I took the idea and ran with it I had no clue what I was doing fully just a vision. A year later, I decided to start my hair business in 2020. I taught myself everything I know and I’m still learning as I evolve. There were plenty of times when I felt overwhelmed and had to reevaluate. However, God allowed everything to just fall into place. I knew this would be something worthwhile when I had random people rooting for me, telling me I inspire and motivate them. The amount of support I got from people I didn’t even know was heart warming, I think this is what made me most excited. I was just starting and I had so many people already interested in shopping with my brand. It’s like everything I was so worried about didn’t really matter because the support came, everything I needed eventually came. All I needed to do was just start.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Nihija Collins, originally from Tunica, Mississippi. Aside from having a business. I am currently in my senior year of nursing school, and I work as well! I know it seems like a lot to handle but with the right mindset, it’s not.

Upon starting my hair business in 2020, I took a huge risk and put myself out there. I had to teach myself the basics, honestly, didn’t know where to start. I just started. My hair brand is TheNCWay and it is known for its soft silky hair bundles and lace, and recently added a wig collection. I think what sets me and my business apart is that I’m very compassionate and always willing to learn and pour knowledge into others. TheNCWay offers quality bundles, wigs, and lace. My mission is to continue to provide my customers with excellent customer service and a great shopping experience. I’d say my customer service and my ability to take accountability sets me aside from others. What I mean by this is that if there’s an issue with anything, I do my best to make sure my customers are satisfied. I try to resolve the issue instead of pointing fingers or making excuses because at the end of the day you want to leave customers with a rememberable experience.

I’m most proud of not giving up despite everything thrown at me. I’m proud of the dedication, hard work, and motivation. I’m proud and thankful for all of my support and customers. I’m proud of not quitting even when I was so overwhelmed. In the midst of all this, my face and my brand touched six billboards last year and I did my first magazine article interview this year. I always say to myself who would’ve thought I’d even get this far. Im grateful for it all! To whomever reads start that business, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know everything just start!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was being scared to step out of my comfort zone. I consider myself a very introverted person. I feel like a person can never fully reach their potential sometimes being stuck in what is familiar. I know it’s kind of ironic coming from a person who just said their introverted. Sometimes taking that leap of faith is all it takes. So it’s like me wanting to start my business and deal with tons of people was bizarre to me because my social anxiety can be real bad! The funny thing is though I would start to see random post about people being stuck in their comfort zone that has so much potential they don’t even know it yet (I’d say I am definitely one of those people hiding so much potential). I would say to myself this is literally a sign from God saying to just take that leap of faith he’ll handle the rest.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

This was probably the most hardest part about starting a business funding it yourself. I spent a lot of money sampling hair from different vendors, getting things branded, flyers, photoshoots, graphic designers, etc. I mean don’t get me wrong it is well worth it because you don’t want to just sell anything. My best advice would be to not try doing it all at once, it’s okay to not have everything all together when you’re starting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thencway.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thencway_/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thencway

Image Credits
@Madebyglyde Briana Lashon