We recently connected with Shakia Spates and have shared our conversation below.

Shakia , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is very important to me because my mission is what is breaking generational cycles/curses within my family. My mission is what has led me to grow my interpersonal connection with God , which has helped me understand my purpose within the beauty industry. My mission has led me to help other young women in the beauty industry grow their business and there faith. My mission is very important because not only is it helping me but it helps my clients and mentees. My clients are welcomed to a safe space and my mentees are as well.

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

My name is Shakia Spates also known as SlayedbyKiaa. I always knew I wanted to work in the beauty industry, but in a corporate setting. Becoming a hairstylist in the beauty industry was not the plan until I seen the potential of being a hairstylist in the beauty industry at the young age of 17.

Since I was 16 years old I would always style my hair. I would always have a new hairstyle every 2 weeks. My friends at school would always ask, “Who does hair.” My response would always would always be ” I do my own hair. “This eventually evolved into me styling teammates, friends, and many others hair. This ultimately led to me quitting my first job at 17 to pursue styling hair for all of my friends, family friends, and teammates. This turned into a hobby I was getting paid for. Doing hair at 17 led me to start my first online lash business. My online lash business carried me through my freshman year of college. This was my very first introduction to being a entrepreneur in the beauty industry.

My senior year of highschool I had the option of going to cosmetology school or pursue my volleyball scholarships. Instead I decided to pursue my volleyball scholarship. I still had the plan in my head to work in the beauty industry but in a corporate setting . Therefore, I decided to pursue my business marketing degree as a collegiate student athlete. Plans changed when I was sick with covid 1 month after being in college. With those 2 weeks of isolation I was able to sit and think about some things. I had an epiphany and realized I could achieve the same goals I wanted to achieve working for myself rather than working for others.

That first semester of school I decided to leave my volleyball scholarship to pursue being a fulltime hairstylist/ entrepreneur in the beauty industry.

Now I am a licensed cosmetologist that specializes in braiding and weaving services. I offer a range of different braiding services as well. I offer 1-on-1 in person braiding classes , mentorships , and soon to come virtual braiding courses. I have also launched a hair company that offers luxury human hair for sew ins and braids called SBK BEAUTY. I offer a range of ebooks showing young women how to secure their salon suites properly and how to scale your braiding business to $9,000 or more a month.

I believe what sets me apart from other braiders in the industry is my interpersonal connection that I have with my clients and maintaining the health of their natural hair. Fortunately, with me being a licensed cosmetologist that specializes in braiding I am able to help my clients maintain healthy hair in between protective styles. Which means I am able to build more trust with my clients than your average braid specialist.

I am most proud of being able to secure my first salon suite 2 months after graduating cosmetology school at the young age of 21. I also just secured a bigger salon suite 2 months before my 2 year anniversary as full time entrepreneur. The main thing I want anyone reading to know about me is that I truly am passionate about the work I do in the beauty industry and that I will be a trailblazer showing young women that you can be a multifaceted businesswoman. Don’t allow anyone to put you in a box . Also without my faith in the Lord I would not be in the position I am in today at 22 years young.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first was looking for salon suites I only had $3,000 in my business bank account and about 10-15 consistent loyal clients. When seeing a number like that it would not make sense to secure your own salon suite due to money running out quickly. To decorate a salon suite could easily cost up to $1,000. Getting your supplies/tools could easily cost up to $3,000. Adding new prices could easily scare your loyal clients away.

There were many things that showed I was not financially ready to open my own salon suite. Fortunately, I had faith of a mustard seed , some decent marketing skills at the time, and crazy work ethic. I knew my goal was to get a salon suite straight out of cosmetology school and I was going to stick to it.

That first week of opening my salon suite I only had about 2-3 clients and was super nervous about how I was going to maintain this salon suite. I continuously prayed to God , pushed out my work on social media, and kept my faith. Within that next week my books started to fill up quickly. From that one act of faith and not giving up on my business because of what it looked like financially, I am now in a blessed position within this beauty industry. Now I can show others how to do the same properly.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The way I built my audience on social media was based off storytelling. I created reels that were about 15-20 seconds briefly showing how I came into the beauty industry, I would explain the story of how I left my volleyball scholarship, explain the story of how I secured my salon suite so fast, and explain the story of how I would do hair out of my parents house. The simple act of just telling my testimony and a little bit of my journey helped build my audience. You don’t realize how many people on social media can relate to you until you start telling them about yourself.

If you are wanting to build a strong social media presence consistency is what matters. When I decided to take social media seriously I decided to post 2x a day everyday. Being consistent has led to new clients, new online customers, and I have done a few brand collaborations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.slayedbykiaa.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slayedby.kiaa/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@slayedbykiaa
• Other: www.slayedbykiaa.as.me

Image Credits

mybestphotography_
https://www.instagram.com/mybestphotography_