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

Shalonda , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes, I have been able to make a full-time living from my creative work as a service provider. How I am making it happen is by knowing what I need and desire so that I can illustrate my life to do just that. Meaning, I write it all down and get a clear picture of what my personal and business finances are and add what I desire. From there I plan out what I would like my days to look like (i.e. service hours, what services, how long does each service take to complete, what is the time frame I have each day to perform services), my daily dollar amount I need to achieve, and from there determine my base service price and plan accordingly. Nooooo, it was not like this from day one as I was just winging it. Some of the major steps I have taken is getting the knowledge through research, taking classes, and making changes accordingly. Im not sure if the process would have been sped up but I do know that I would have been more organized than I was, sooner.

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?

Yes, I am a natural hair care stylist in the Raleigh,NC, soon to be in the Charlotte area. I started in the beauty service industry as a braid stylist specializing in kid braids. I am fluent in cornrows, feedin/stitch braids, box braids, and knotless braids. As of August 2023 I have become skilled in natural hair styling and silk presses. Being a well rounded natural stylist has always been my passion, To be able to help black women understand, care for, and love their natural is my true desire. However, braiding is a natural skill I have so I utilized that skill to help me leap into the beauty industry as a service provider. I believe my character, integrity, professionalism, and how I show the love for what I do is what sets me apart from others. As of now I am most proud of where I am going. My love for what I do, ability to learn new skills fast and be great at it, and willingness to learn has landed me to become a mentee and natural haircare stylist for an AMAZING plant-based, black owned hair care company; Twelve12 Beaute. I am still in shock to be hand-selected as the only other stylist (besides the co-owner) for this company & their Charlotte,NC location.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Throughout my journie there were times where things got hard mentally and financially and being a single parent I had to put the security of my son first. So there were times (emphasis on the s in times lol) where I had to put hair styling to the side and pursue a full time job. It wasn’t easy having to pivot from doing something I love to something that didn’t fulfill me and my passion to help others. So I never let it go. While working I did hair styling when I had extra time and sometimes I had to make the time but it was definitely worth it in hindsight. Investing in myself, trusting God and his plans for me definitely kept me faithful to hair styling and has brought me back to being a full time stylist again.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency! Consistently posting my work, consistently showing up for my clients, consistently growing. Consistently investing in my business, skills, knowledge and incorporating that new knowledge into what I am doing is what’s helping to continue to build my audience on social media. Be authentic to you and the vision you have for your business, do your research in your area of work, and stay consistent in all that you do!

Contact Info:

• Website: Hairjournies.as.me
• Instagram: Hair.journies
• Facebook: Hair Journies