We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nivea Earl-Chapple a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nivea, 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?
I am very happy as an entrepreneur! I absolutely love it! Entrepreneurship has afforded me the opportunity to have the freedom to truly live life. As a salon owner and master loctician I am able to combine creativity with community. I did work a regular job as an assistant property manager prior to starting Twistykinks Natural Hair & Locs, LLC. The job I had as asst. property manager was very time consuming and I spent the majority of my time at work and unable to be involved and supportive of my family. My moment of clarity took place when I really needed to take off of work for a school event for my son and was unable to do so. I said to myself, there is no need to invest myself and my time for a company that does not appreciate me nor my values, I can put that energy into my own business full time instead of occasionally and not have to ask for permission to take off work! I put in my two week notice and never looked back!
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.
Hello, to all! My name is Nivea Earl-Chapple. I am the founder of Twistykinks Natural Hair & Locs, LLC. I provide a healthy alternative to traditional salons for men, women, and children of color by specializing in natural hair, locs, and braids with sisterlocks being my primary service. Twistykinks is ideal for individuals who have a busy lifestyle and are looking for a professionally low maintenance natural hair style.
I set out to start my company in 2013; however, this start began with making all-natural hair care products for those with natural hair and locs. In this process, I had more people ask about hair services rather than purchasing products. I took on a few clients for hair services and then realized quickly that there was a greater need for people of color to have someone to cater to the need and education of having natural hair. As I took on more clients, it was apparent that I needed a brick-and-mortar location. I then decided that it would be best for me to become legally licensed to offer nonchemical natural hair services only, such as hair braiding and sisterlocks. This led me to find out that in the state of Arkansas it was illegal to perform such hair services without a cosmetology license! The kicker was that cosmetology did not teach locs nor hair braiding and these schools specialized in working on hair that was already chemically altered. This is when I found The Institute of Justice, to help me get the laws changed here in the state of Arkansas. The law change would allow braiders and non-chemical natural hair stylist the market inclusiveness of having a hair business establishment without the requirement of a cosmetology license. I won this case in 2015, which is now called “The Natural Hair Braiding Protection Act”. This is my proudest moment as it opened the door for many other women, like myself, to provide a financial means for their family and also become entrepreneurs. It also paved the way for later legislation passing in Arkansas such as “The Crown Act of 2023”, which is an amendment to the Arkansas Civil Rights Act by prohibiting discrimination based on natural, protective, or cultural hairstyles within schools and the workplace. I am set apart from other businesses by bringing a safe space of a home-like setting to a business environment. My clients know that they can take shoes off, grab a blanket (if needed) and relax in a non-judgmental environment with light refreshments offered, along with one on one personalized open conversation or personalized movie selection! Over the years I have been able to continue to grow the business, as Twistykinks was selected in 2017 to speak at the Federal Trade Commision’s “Fireside Chat” and in 2023 for Goldman Sachs “One Million Black Women Black in Business”; awarded in 2024 “The Jacksonville, Arkansas Leadership Academy Award” from the Jacksonville, Arkansas Chamber of Commerce; and awarded in 2023 and 2024 “The Platinum Award” for Best Hair Salons in the Little Rock Metro Area via CommunityVotes.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Pivoting within a business means understanding the market that is being served, continuously thinking about the future of the business, staying abreast of the economy, and most importantly, staying aligned with the business owner’s core values. My first pivot was shortly after I began Twistykinks. The intent was to sell hair products only, however, the community desired hair services more so than having the products. This is because having products still implies that the hair has to be groomed and maintained by the individual. So after keeping a mental note of how many requested hair services vs products sales, in addition to the cost of making the 100% natural products vs the overall market saturation of natural hair products being sold in stores. It was a no-brainer to stop making hair products and expand more on natural hair and braiding services. The second pivot occurred as I began to pay closer attention to the type of clientele I serviced vs what aligns with my core values. I wanted clients who truly cared about taking care of their hair and who would work in conjunction with me to maintain and grow their hair. This is also achieved through staying on track for scheduled appointments. As I continued to observe this, I realized that women especially wanted to just get up and go as far as taking care of their hair, along with low maintenance, and also growth retention. Sisterlocks was the answer to this challenge. I slowly started to limit box braid services and focus more on Sisterlocks. Pivoting to this service brought in a more professional clientele of mature character and mature-minded women. The culture of my establishment, plus the inclusion of this service helped my business soar!
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
When I was in high school, I had to take a business class that entailed creating a business plan. The business I chose was a hair salon establishment, not realizing that many years down the road I would be doing just that. I understood the concept of how to acquire funds for starting a business. The primary selection choice is starting a loan at a bank or seeking grant funding. I knew that I did not want a large overhead to manage while creating the stability of Twistykinks. So, years prior, I purchased shampoo bowls from garage sales and held them in storage for use at some point in my life. While I worked as the assistant property manager, I was also occasionally seeing clients. I then decided to go to other salons and barbers shops asking if they had equipment they no longer used. I used some of the funds from that job and my clients to purchase these items and kept them in storage as well. The ripped chairs sold for a very low cost and I would completely reupholstered them. I purchased remaining necessities such as tables, mirrors, benches, decor etc. from flea markets and garage sales. All of this allowed me to open my brick-and-mortar location without the extreme cost of taking out a loan for funding. It also created the trajectory for that at-home feel! Once I worked at the salon full time I invested one third of those funds back into the business, purchasing a little bit at time starting with necessities first and wants later. It was my philosophy to pay for salon utilities and rent first. Then whatever is remaining divide that between home and the business. Then I would save or use the available funds to support my business. This philosophy kept me going and growing for many years to come. Even til this day it is still at the heart of my business!
Contact Info:
- Website: twistykinksnaturalhairandlocsllc.com
- Facebook: @twistykinks
- Youtube: twistykinks
- Other: www.vagaro.com/twistykinks, https://ij.org/client/nivea-earl/, https://ij.org/case/arkansas-hair-braiding/, www.twistykinks.com
Image Credits
Twistykinks, Nivea Earl-Chapple