We recently connected with Renay bossy Graham and have shared our conversation below.
Renay bossy , appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
The biggest risk that I’ve ever taken as a cosmetologist or as a business owner was definitely working with the national Cancer society/Texas oncology Bedford.
I was a sole proprietorship extremely ambitious. I’m not the weight on anybody kind of person. I lost a lot of people that I love to this horrible disease called cancer. I made wigs hair pieces and hair serums. For a lot of my family members and friends that had cancer. So I knew there was a need for me in that particular market. I just had no way and no idea of getting into it. Me being me ambitious Sagittarius I am. I completely believe in myself so I cold called the national Cancer society no one will believe me. that one phone call changed my life.. that one phone call changed the trajectory of my business completely. I was able to link up with an executive that ran the national stride Cancer society walk for the southern district. And I was one of the first sole proprietorships to have a tent table and complete setup for my business at the walk right next to Sam’s club. I was able to meet several different people my business was able to get great exposure and I was able to get further into the medical wig making business. I cold call Texas oncology..lol. I am very determined I got a meeting with the executive directors at that location . I was able to show all of my products they allowed me to put my advertisement in the locations.. I’ll tell anybody believing in yourself is key . it’s okay to take the stairs in business. The elevator ain’t all its cracked up to be. What worked for one person may not work for you. It’s all business you got to do what feels right for you. So maybe I had to take a side door but either way I’m there I’m in the space now grateful to be here. my product is 100% better than these plastic horrible wigs that they give these incredible brave women. My advice be brave and stand in front of your business not behind it sometimes you have to run through a brick wall.. moral of the story believe in yourself. Because no one believed that I would ever be able to work with these large companies and be a sole proprietorship The Little engine that could but I did look at the pinned picture video on my Instagram run your own race.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a licensed cosmetologist. Respectfully there’s a difference between us and everybody else. I love my industry the beauty industry good bad or indifferent. I got into the beauty industry because I’m literally a shop baby. I had to be babysit and my mom didn’t believe in letting everybody watch me. So it was family and a lot of my aunties that did hair they all did something very different. My love for braiding came from my Auntie Lori shout out to her pjs-watts . She was incredible with braids everybody around the neighborhood would get their hair braided by her. she ran her own business from her home paid for her home cars put her kid through,school everything just by doing braids. Then there was my auntie Marnique the license cosmetologist who went to school for it all the fancy stuff. She made me fall in love with weaving. She was the best at weaving it would definitely be seamless and it looked like your own natural hair. Braiding came so natural and easy to me I started to be able to do any hairstyle that I looked at. At a very young age by the age of 12 my dad had built me a small salon in the second garage at his house. I had a couple friends and cousins working with me on the weekends. We started our charging under $100 for any hairstyle $75 /85to be exact. By the time I was 14 I was doing here on the weekends. I started to make a name for myself around the West Coast. The rest is actual history I started doing hair on video shoots commercials print ads all without a license. That was way back in the day when things were a bit easier for us. I realize I had reached my unlicensed ceiling. I had bigger and better dreams for myself than doing great work and allowing another licensed stylist to put their name on my work. So I went to cosmetology school. Cosmetology school for me was honestly pure hell I went to a horrible horrific School. At the time I know I had to get done. I couldn’t let anything or anybody stop me especially not the terrible environment that the school provided. They’re not even worth saying their name shameful…
I received my license . Fast forward almost a decade and I had to put together a plan for my business.
I wanted my salon to stand out I’ve been around enough salons to know what to do and what not to do.
I very well knew working for another person or company probably wouldn’t be the best fit or the best environment for me. I’m really a free spirit and I know I wanted to provide all different types of services.
My Salon is set apart from the rest of the hair industry. My salon is a place where all people can feel comfortable special , unjudged.
Real ’90s feel as far as the professionalism the fun atmosphere and the real girls girls vibe.
My services are different because I specialize in hair growth .I actually can grow back a full head of hair in under a year. Especially for people who experience cancer I’ve had great success with people with alopecia. My grandmother was an amazing healer kind of woman. She taught me how to make my products I have three grandmothers and two aunts that helped me develop my skill for making my products. I have serums and hair oils that definitely work and grow your hair back see my Instagram and my website. Shameless plug.lol…
I offer braiding and weaving services hair comes included with price.
Most of my services are packaged together especially my color services & extensions .
As to where I’m not nickel and diamond you for every single separate service. Look just give them the one price up front .lol … I run my salon from the point of a consumer. I place myself in a position of the customer at all times I want them to feel great custom service . I want them to feel like they’re getting their money’s worth.
I saw a need me being a multicultural stylist. I’m literally a brown girl that does amazing vanilla hair. Shout out to all the unicorn girls in the industry .That’s a thing too Brown women do incredible vanilla hair because we have to work with all different textures. But from the other side of the fence in my opinion it’s not like that.. quick Segway there’s got to be said. -whole nother topic but schools don’t teach the way that they should when it comes to textured hair…
That led me to teaching other stylists how to.. you know you got to help the girl next to you so we can all be great.
I feel there’s a hot place in hell for women who don’t help other women..lol …
Back to me being a multicultural stylist. I saw a huge need for my hair my human hair 100% human hair. It took me a couple of years and a couple of different vendors that is a whole another conversation to find my custom blend of three to four different textures to make my hair. My hair is multicultural it matches literally every woman every nationality from 4C- to Jennifer Aniston lol no Angelina lol …
For any woman that reads this and needs a new stylist definitely check us out. .I knew I was a different type of business because if there is a hairstyle or a bleaching service. And I know you’re going to end up a snatch ball pigeon lol … I will refuse service and allow you to go somewhere else and become bald.. I feel like our business has gotten too money hungry we do things that we know don’t work out for the client or 100% will not look right.. remember clients are walking talking advertisements everything you do your name is attached to that. So if the client is looking crazy you did that. And I know from growing up and being around so many different stylists and salons that I didn’t want to be that salon.so out of a need that I saw in the market HIKEY YA GORGEOUS LLC SALON ™ WAS BORN. MY STORY IS I JUST WENT WITH WHAT I WAS GOOD AT .I WAS REALLY GOOD AT HAIR I UNDERSTOOD BUSINESS FROM AN EARLY AGE .I UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU HAVE TO BET ON YOURSELF.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
For me and my business . Professionalism is key being on time. Actually being a human being and being personable. People really fall in love with me the person before. Getting their hair done .they like my personality they love my advertisement. And they always say that I got 90s professionalism. And that I have 90 skill set really knowing how to do hair really knowing how to grow healthy hair. Word of mouth is key. Not being afraid or being ashamed to market your business. Everywhere I go I’m always passing out my advertisement I could care less I use 2024 social media but I go about it the old school way when I’m out in public. The same way my aunt’s did. The client always is going to feel more comfortable meeting you face to face having a quick conversation with you. Because they can gauge you as a human being as a person. Catch your vibe.Because nowadays getting a hair stylist is like Russian roulette baby. It’s worse than messing with Vegas at the crap tables lol… You rather be locked in the room with Suge Knight .lol I’m so serious-it’s so crazy now to find a new hair stylist it wasn’t like that before. I’m a millennial so I’m old enough and young enough at the same time lol ..
Finding a good stylist is horrible right now. I Hear all the horror stories about Instagram hair stylists and what happens bad attitudes /bad service your hair falling out etc. so I’m like a hybrid I’m a cross between both I do social media but my real clientele & all of my opportunities have came from me meeting people face to face. Women love to help other women nowadays. And I love that for us .so if you’re out in like Target. Look you see a woman give her your advertisement your card your small cute little flyer whatever it is introduce yourself. Let her know your salon or your business is in the area and what you do. That’s where my hair party service came from. I’m at Target , I meet an incredible lady inside of Target she happened to be a CEO of a large Bank. And they were in town for the week. She had four friends they needed a hair stylist because the person that they booked off Instagram was horrible and didn’t show up and cancel. I ended up booking the job right there inside of Target. they’re all forever clients now they fly in from Seattle to get their hair done. By the way women in corporate America are some of the best clients to have trust me. So my marketing strategy is always. Promote your business wherever you go. I go to local beauty supply stores meet the owners I leave my advertisement I get to know them. I’ve been able to leave my advertisement in law offices gyms all over the place. You just have to know your audience and pick your niche. Understand your pricing for the area that you’re in. You have to put the work in. I am a hustler we built different out west . You can’t sit around and wait on social media all the time it’s a good tool but it’s not everything. I’m just grateful to be a millennial and to see a different way of doing everything instead of just depending on social media. Because things can get crowded and then you start doing gimmicks embarrassing yourself and your brand and it’s just not a good look. And then remember whatever you put on social media is there forever so you have to have integrity. I was taught you protect yourself and your brand at all times. My strategy is just believe in yourself.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The craziest time of my life where I had to pivot was. I lost both my parents back to back within a month &a week apart from each other. I had to put my salon together during that time and open my business new place new area I had to start from scratch. It was really sink or swim. During that time my first Salon suite location was in colleyville. The location owners were real crooks thieves. I had paid my salon suite up for over a year in advance. For the suite location owners to steal for me and others but I was the only one that stood up for herself. That was another sink our swim moment. I had to pivot quickly find a new location close in the same area make sure all my clients were aware I had spent so much money on advertisement it was crazy. But I got it done because I had no other choice. I’ve been through situations where I’ve had a terrible horrific lawyers that you hire to help you with your business and then their crooks. In moments like these I just remember the woman that the strong women in my family poured into .I was raised to be really strong and tough. respectfully I am a brown woman and I have no other choice but to get it done. Because honestly there’s mostly no help we don’t have the same access to Capital as other women. And more chances than one we don’t have the same amount of help most times we are the first to own a business the first to do everything. sometimes that is extremely hard. During the time that I got locked out of my first Salon suite location in colleyville because the salon owners were complete crooks.. I had to really hustle to pull the money together for a new location. I had to travel and do hair. Etc. but again I got it done because there was no other option. It was either figure it out or give up on your life and your dreams. And that’s an absolute no!!!! I will tell any woman that’s going through a hard time with her business. Take a deep breath take a day or two think plan everything out regroup and remember why you started your business. There is always another way there’s always another option. Don’t give up never give up on yourself never give up on your dreams. Remember people will never see your vision the way you do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hikeyyagorgeousllc.com
- Instagram: @hikeyysalon314
- Facebook: renayHIKEY
- Yelp: Hikey ya gorgeous LLC SALON
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Photos products ownership of hikey ya gorgeous LLC SALON ™
Makeup by@makeupbymakiyan
Products owned by hikey ya gorgeous LLC SALON