Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rhonda Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rhonda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful I think it takes believing in yourself, dedication, hard work, and the willingness to get back up and try again even after a failure.

Being a business owner is not always easy but it has its rewards. Along my journey, I have had many failures and with each one, I learned things that I could do differently the next time around. I didn’t give up just because something didn’t work out as I planned. I regroup made a new plan and started again. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with starting over.

Along this journey, I learned many things about myself, how I want my brand to be seen, and the type of customer I want to serve. I’m a very creative person and I like to learn and try new things so the hardest thing for me was to try and focus on one or two things. At one point I was all over the place and just trying to do too much. I had to cut out some things and learn to say no to some things even though I felt I could do it. I was spreading myself way too thin. I had to find a comfortable place so that I didn’t get burned out.

The hardest thing I’ve had to learn and I’m still working on is consistency. It is a work in progress for me. One thing I always remind myself of is that I am growing at my own pace. I’m not in a competition with others. I only have to be better than what I was. With consistency comes improvement. Many factors affect my consistency but as I learn about myself and the needs of my business I see this issue being a thing of the past in my future.

In closing, to be successful forge your path, find what works best for you, and move at your own pace. If a first you don’t succeed dust yourself off and try again.

Rhonda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m the owner of Southern Rose Co. I’m a cosmetologist, I specialize in haircuts and locs. I’m also a sewist. I specialize in custom apparel mostly prom dresses and suits.

I went to cosmetology school 26 years ago and the first job I was offered out of school was in a men’s salon. There I learned to cut hair and I found that I loved what I was doing. I worked at several salons dedicated to haircuts over the years as I developed my skills. I did open shops of my own but they were dedicated to doing women’s hair as in the African American community there weren’t many female barbers. Working in diverse hair-cutting salons was the only option at the time. Even now that you are seeing more female barbers I run into men who do not want a female to cut their hair but I did not let that stop me. I managed to grow my business despite this and that’s something I’m very proud of.

I have always had an interest in sewing. I am mostly self-taught being the only sewing class I have ever taken was home economics in high school. I never imagined I’d be making prom dresses though. I started sewing consistently around 2015. I just wanted to make myself a few skirts. When my son was a senior in high school he came to me and asked me to make the prom attire for him and his date. I was shocked. I was like are you sure you want me to do it. He said yes Mom you can do it. So I made my first prom dress and suit and it went viral. He asked me to make something African print and to my luck the movie Black Panther had just been released. People were sharing prom pics of African-inspired outfits and my outfit received a lot of attention. That started my journey of making prom attire.

I have learned a lot over the years. Every year I see improvements in my skills and I am very proud of myself for having the patience and discipline to learn new skills that I can share with my clients.

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

It seems almost impossible to get a business loan, especially for a start-up company. I didn’t want to waste time and energy going from bank to bank filling out applications so I got a job in a busy salon where the clients tipped well. I opened a bank account and I deposited $40 every day that worked. At the end of the year, I had enough money to pay all the deposits needed to open my business and get the necessary equipment that I needed to start.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I owned a business in the past named Hairway to Heaven. It was successful at the time and I had 3 other ladies working there with me. In 2014 I was in a car accident which resulted in both of my wrists being broken. Although I went through physical therapy it took a while for my wrist to recover. Also my husband at the time required a lot of medical attention which put me in a caregiver’s position.

Due to all the stress that I had on me during this time I reluctantly closed the salon. Honestly, I was not happy with what I was doing. During the time I was not working I taught myself to sew and I worked harder on my haircutting skills. When I decided to get back at it 5 years later I started a job cutting hair where I saved enough money to start my own business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.southernroseco.net
• Instagram: southernrose110
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/southernrose110
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SouthernRoseCo
• Other: tiktok : southernroseco

Image Credits
KireaLae Photography