We were lucky to catch up with Philesha Alise Stern recently and have shared our conversation below.

Philesha Alise, appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My parents made sure at a very young age, my sisters and I always understood the value and importance of entrepreneurship.

Growing up, they shopped local, supported POC business and taught us to give back to our communities.

Philesha Alise, 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 was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA in the late 80’s. LA was such a vibe and I quickly became obsessed with Hollywood glamour and bold styles. I was a theater and performing arts kid and that’s where my love for hairstyling came from.

My father was pretty strict about hair and our general appearance, so I wasn’t always able to express myself through my hair, and that felt limiting. So I decided as soon as I moved out, I would do all kinds of cuts and colors to my hair!! That freedom was so important to my creativity. It allowed me to truly see my hair for the first time and recognize its beauty. I knew this is what I wanted to do forever… so I enrolled in cosmetology school at Toni and Guy and was forever changed!

I always loved my curly hair and after realizing I wouldn’t learn much about curls in school, I decided to make that my focus. I knew other girls like me that never relaxed their hair needed a safe place to learn and allow their natural curls to thrive. I wanted to create a safe space to uplift curly hair and encourage all women and men with texture to embrace their hair. In 2017, I opened my first salon studio with a sole focus on curls! 5 years later, I have a full service salon dedicated to all curly, wavy, coily and kinky textures!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The best marketing strategy I’ve learned in this industry is integrity!! It will open doors you didn’t know existed. Aside from having good work ethic, I’ve learned to listen, be helpful and always truthful with clients and gain their trust.

I always want my clients to feel warm and welcomed into my space. I’ve learned that listening is sometimes more important than any information I can give. Allow clients to share their experiences, listen to their wants and goals for their hair and execute only what you are training and skilled at doing. Always educate from a place of grace and empathy rather than judgment and condemnation.

I remind myself daily how blessed I am to have so many people trust me with their crowns, so I do my best to honor that. Integrity will carry you in all aspects of life..

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The Pivot- in 2017, after just finding out we were pregnant with number 2, the salon I was working at decided to close its doors for good. In two weeks! Yeah….

I literally had two weeks to figure out my next move. So I decided to take THE BIGGEST leap of faith and open my own location. I had a pretty stable clientele and knew there were so many more curlies to work with, so I opened a studio in downtown Long Beach and hit the pavement advertising! It was one of the scariest transitions of my life but I knew and truly understood the importance of what I was creating!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BoujeeCurls.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/BoujeeCurls_
• Twitter: @Boujee_Curls

Image Credits
@LarryWrightPhotography