We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shaneika Monae’. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shaneika below.
Shaneika, appreciate you joining us today. What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?
Honestly, finding a key vendor within the hair extensions industry is so much easier today than it was back in 2015. If you have social media, email, and/or whatsapp vendors are flocking to you to get your business. In 2015, it was not that easy, you really had to research. And that is what I did. I did my own research online to find my main hair vendor. I found my hair vendor by simply doing a google search and typing key words such as: virgin hair extensions, wholesale hair extensions, sample virgin hair extensions, etc. Once I found some vendors (created a list of 5-10 vendors), I contacted them with a list of questions. Questions ranged from quality of hair to how much does the hair weigh, to how long does the hair last. The main questions I wanted answers to were quality of hair, how long does the hair last, how is the hair is sourced, and how high does the hair lift. I would be lying if I said this process was easy. In fact it can be a bit discouraging because you have to spend money to actually test the hair out and testing hair can be a lot. But it is a step that should not be skipped. The process is all trial and error because some hair won’t be to the standard you want while others will and that is how you want to go about choosing your vendor. Whatever your standard of quality is, is the exact standard you should want from the vendor because this will be your business.
The reason I went with my vendor (and still with them) is because their product lived up to the standard of quality they advertised. Every question I asked, they had no problem answering, they would even do a video call to show the hair and then once I got it and tested it, it exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I wouldn’t do anything different than what I did back then because I still have my main vendor lol
Insights on finding a vendor: Once you create a list of vendors to contact, ask as many questions as you can. REMEMBER this is your business and you want to make sure you have the best products. Once you have decided on your vendor, build a real relationship with them. Building a real authentic relationship with your vendor will get you perks in the long run.
Lessons: If you purchase samples of hair be sure to test them out for at least 2-3 months. You want to make sure the hair can curl, straighten, take color, etc. Wearing the hair for that long will let you know the true quality of the hair is. If you don’t want to wear the hair, find a good friend to test the hair. JUST REMEMBER YOU MUST TEST THE HAIR!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Shaneika, most people call me Neik and I am in the beauty industry. I sell hair extensions and hair care products for hair extensions. The name of my business is Dreamless Hair and I started my business in July of 2015. Never in a million years did I think I was going to be an entrepreneur. If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I was growing up, an entrepreneur was not something on my list. It wasn’t even a thought. Growing up my parents never discussed owning a business. It was always make sure you get good grades, so you can go to college and get a good job. It was never you know you can start your own business and be your own boss. I am not saying if I said I wanted to be an entrepreneur they wouldn’t have supported me. I’m saying it because all too often the “American Dream” is pushed in most households. It’s the safer option because in most cases that is what your parents want for you. Well, ultimately that is the option I went with BUT I didn’t stop there because who said having two degrees, getting a job, and becoming an entrepreneur isn’t possible!
Needless to say, I started my business while working as an Executive Assistant to two regional managers at a life insurance company while getting my Master’s degree at night. I would work during the day and go to school at night, part-time. At the time when I started, I had no clue what I was doing or getting myself into. I had no background of how to run a business, where to start, etc. I just started. You can say my business definitely started as a side hustle. I worked at it day and night. I can honestly say I grew into a better person because of my business. I started to see when you are consistent with something it grows. I realized that in order to grow or get better at something you have to work at it every day and be patient. And to be totally transparent, patience wasn’t one of my strongest traits until I became an entrepreneur.
But back to 2015, where it all started, I didn’t have any real direction and definitely didn’t know what I was doing. At the time, all I had was my business idea and no name for the business lol. I knew I wanted to sell hair because of a bad experience I had with purchasing hair from someone. But I had no clue what the name of my business was going to be. Even though I hadn’t figured out the name of my business I didn’t allow that to stop me. Since I knew I wanted to sell hair, I started doing my research. Everything was really trial and error. I researched and studied other brands I admired within the beauty industry. I would say not too long after doing all my research, DREAMLESS HAIR came to me. I fell in love with the name. It was catchy and most importantly NO ONE HAD IT lol.
Dreamless Hair was created with people like me in mind. People who are promised a great hair experience but receive the opposite, which is where our slogan comes in “Where Quality Hair and Customers Come First” I stand on that and built my business on that. Creating Dreamless Hair was very personal for me because it is something I did by myself, and I am able to share it with others who love hair just as much as I do. Think about the people who struggle with finding good hair, deal with low confidence or low self-esteem or just want to feel and look good, THIS BRAND IS FOR THEM!
My brand is built on making sure my customers get the best experience possible. So, if you are someone who is new to wearing hair extensions, I personally will walk you through what may be best for you based on your needs. If you are someone who isn’t sure what to purchase, I help you decide what look you are going for and then provide you with 1 to 2 options to achieve that look. And since I recently dropped our hair care collection curated for hair extensions, if you are someone struggling to find hair care products for your hair extensions, I can guide you on what to use and how to use it so your hair extensions can last long and look healthy.
With being in the hair industry for so long I can say what sets Dreamless Hair apart from other hair brands is how I run my business. I genuinely care for my customers and always open to answering questions even when it isn’t about hair. Even after a purchase or no purchase at all people know they can come ask questions, inquire about our products, etc. I make myself accessible enough so they know I am there to answer any and all questions because customer service is key when running a business.
Hmmm what am I most proud of, that is a good question. If I had to pinpoint what I am most proud of when it comes to my business is staying the course. Entrepreneurship is not a cake walk. It is a bumpy road. One day you make $1,000 and the next day you can make no money. So just staying the course is what I am most proud of. Because there may be days where you want to throw in the towel, but I know God didn’t allow me to come this far, only to come this far.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
This question is perfect because I recently had to pivot in my business. Something I thought would work actually flopped lol. Back in 2021, I finally dropped my hair care collection after sitting on the idea for almost two years. When I dropped, I marketed the products specifically for natural hair. At the time I thought this was such a dope idea because natural hair was really the thing and I noticed naturalists always had issues with finding hair care products that worked for them. Plus, I was natural too so in my mind I thought what a perfect way to connect with my target audience. Well in all transparency I was absolutely wrong. I was wrong about a few things: 1. Yes, I was natural BUT I did not wear my hair out. A Lot of hair naturalists who wear their hair out do the cute hairstyles and have hair routines. The only thing I could really relate to this particular audience is that I too was natural lol. 2. I had very little content. How was I trying to sell products around natural hair with no content and 3. The lack of education about natural hair.
The crazy part about this is I didn’t realize I needed to pivot until late 2022. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. My inner thoughts said go back to how you were going to originally market the products. Remember I said I sat on this idea for almost two years. WELLLLLL lol during the testing phase, I specifically said I am going to market these products for hair extensions. I tested every product on each of my hair collections and baby it makes the hair feel like butter. The results are definitely “Chef’s kiss.” Even with amazing results, for some strange reason I strayed away from that. I ignored my audience and went with what was popular and NOT WHAT WAS NEEDED. My audience told me in so many ways that hair extensions are in need of hair care products that actually work. Throughout the years I got questions on what products to use, how do I do this or that, yet I had the products and went the opposite direction.
Fast forward to 2022, when the light bulb went off and I got really honest with myself, at this I was sitting on products, barely making any sales and had very little feedback from the units I did sell. I can’t even lie I got a bit discouraged because I knew the products worked. I tested the products myself and saw the results. Even with the very little feedback I did get, the results were amazing. September 2022, is when the pivot really set in. I announced I would be relaunching my hair care line and that the collection will focus on the hair care needs for hair extensions. In October, I got some product photography shots done and as of today, I am working on the relaunch. I can honestly say, this pivot was needed and has been the best decision so far. So be on the look for our official relaunch. It will be Tuesday, March 28, 2023!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
If I had to describe myself as an entrepreneur in a few words, resilient would be a word on the list. 2022 was one of the roughest years of business. 2022 taught me being comfortable and doing the bare minimum will sink your business quicker than you know it. 2022 I got comfortable and didn’t show up like I should have. I wasn’t consistent and honestly just got lazy and thought since I had been an entrepreneur for so long, I could relax. Well once again I was wrong. I took what I built for granted and God started to humble me lol. Humbled me to the point, I had to get honest with myself and say something is “broken” in my business and I need to fix it. I think if some people were in my position after being in business for years they would have folded because they weren’t used to being as low as I was. To be completely honest, I had to let go of my bookkeeper amongst other things due to numbers not being where they needed to be. But instead of folding and sitting in a corner and feeling bad for myself, I put on my big girl pants and searched for a business coach. I know you may think, why go get a business coach if you just said numbers didn’t look too good. Well, I also said something was broken in my business and I needed to fix it. It was already clear I couldn’t fix it and deep down I knew I needed help, and I could no longer do this alone. As a business owner, figuring out solutions will come to you like 2nd nature. With my numbers not looking good, I applied for a business credit card, got approved, and paid for a business coach. As of today, I still have a business coach and it has been very helpful. I also have 6 accountability partners and make monthly goals and we do meet ups. All these things I NEVER had before, and all of these things make a difference.
Now I am not saying once you get these things, everything immediately gets better. No, it takes time, you must actually do the work and be consistent. But the best thing about this is I never gave up. The rough times didn’t break me, and I bounced back, and I will continue to do so. To anyone who is reading this and thinking about giving up, DON’T. If what you are doing is your passion and you don’t see yourself doing anything else, KEEP GOING! Get a mentor, a business coach, be around like-minded people, find an accountability partner, just don’t give up!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dreamlesshair.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dreamlesshair
- Facebook: facebook,com/dreamlesshair
- Twitter: twitter.com/dreamlesshair
- Other: pinterest.com/dreamlesshair
Image Credits
Thank you to photographers: Kevin Harris and Jaylin Bolden