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

Sharon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
It’s kind of funny to me every time I think of it. I opened my first Salon in 2004. I was struggling to find a name I knew I wanted the first part to be Twist. I finally decided on Twist & Moves at the time I was twisting and moving into my new position as a stylist and learning to be an owner. Life happened, and I had to close, revamp, and start fresh. I open my second Salon in Tempe Arizona I decided to stay with Twist but the moves part didn’t fit anymore, because I had a different vision and a better outline & plan for this next Salon so I went with Twist & Stylez it’s catchy, it describes everything we do which is style our clients hair, from our Barber fading & design cuts, to our stylist & braiders twisting & styling clients hair, & our nail designing those beautiful nails. TWIST & STYLES BECAME THE BRAND

Sharon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Sharon Cooper. I have always wanted to be a hairstylist since I was a little girl. I started braiding my own hair, then other people hair like family and friends. I found my passion. I graduated high and went to cosmetology school. I graduated work in several salons throughout the years, learning and growing. I left the industry for 7 years and went into banking. This is where I felt I learned patience, customer service skills, and how to lead and train others. That 7 years was the key ingredient I needed to move back into becoming a salon owner. I am a firm believer that one must know how to lead themselves before they can lead others. It takes a leader to lead others. We set ourselves apart from others because we are a one-stop shop in the tempe area, providing various services under one roof.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Funding is also the main reason people don’t follow their dreams. I never wanted a loan. In my thought process, loans are easy to get but way harder to pay back, and now you in debt if you don’t have money management skills. I personally worked hard to get here with my own money, blood, sweat, and tears. I found a brick in mortar space in 2014 as I was beginning and starting over here in Arizona. I would offer free services to get that word of mouth traveling, I posted on Craigslist & Facebook for clients, in the meantime I traveled back home to Washington DC to do my clients hair and I would pay my bills and save save save, my husband who is my biggest supporter gave funds so the business could survive & grow to the point where it pays for itself. We work as a team. My dreams are his dreams, and his dreams are my dreams; we are each others funding source, so hard work was my main source of funding. My advice is to set a budget and goal you need to get started, stay focused and work legit side hustles, and save because owning any business is not cheap.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
Trial and error, I wasn’t afraid to fall down. I learned from my mistakes, and I watched others. I learned what not to do. I wanted to carry my own brand of products to service our clients’ hair care needs. So, I started researching and joining classes that could help me along the way. I knew a few chemists who would guide me in the right direction. I am currently manufacturing my own line, and some items are available for purchase.

Lessons for others it’s always good to seek a professional chemist who can answer your questions and help troubleshoot your formulas if this is the direction you are going. It’s okay to ask for a business mentor. The moral of this lesson is to seek professional help, lol.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.twistnstylez.com
• Instagram: twistnstylez_phx
• Facebook: Twist & Stylez Natural Hair Salon Tempe
• Twitter: twistnstylezphx
• Yelp: Twist & Stylez Salon

Image Credits
I have to look up the photographer name