We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shelah Coleman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shelah, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
OutSpoken Headquarters was forged in the fire of a crummy childhood in poverty and abusive stepdads and a mom who struggled to be so amazing. As a child I was the protector of my family despite being the only girl and being the baby. I was always bold enough to call out abusive behavior, volatile words, and inappropriate actions. As an adult, I married a military man and have maintained my ability to always speak up for those who didn’t have a voice or who lost their voice. Our mission at OutSpoken Headquarters is to always provide a way for people to speak up and speak out. We are inclusive and welcoming to all genders, ages, races, religions, and backgrounds. We are a safe haven for those who need a voice.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
At 7 years old my mom walked in on me cutting all my Barbies Hairs. I had them lined up like they were at a salon. I wasn’t allowed a Ken doll because of religious ideology that the adults in my life were consumed with. So I created my own Ken by cutting down one of my Barbies hair and crossing out her boobs with a sharpie. I knew at just 7 I wanted to be a hairdresser and I wanted to be accepting of everyone. At 18 I ran off to California to attend beauty school and for a small town girl, California was eye opening. By the time I graduated beauty school I started my first job, then became manager immediately at my 2nd job and from there on out. With my spouse I lived in 5 states in which I had to start my career all over, gain clientele, and build my reputation on my own. In the meantime I got my college degree and studies in psychology and sociology. As a hairdresser we are a form of therapist to many of our clients and this gave me the knowledge and the education to speak further to their needs. When I opened my business, I did so with the intent of making other service providers thrive. Not holding them back with minimum wage and poor commission rates. I also wanted to create a space of healing. Bringing in healers and spiritual and metaphysical advisors. The items in my boutique are loud, some vulgar, some OUTSPOKEN. Everything has something to say. I want all my clients and customers to know they are welcomed here.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As a retired military family I spent most of my career pivoting and learning how to rebuild my business over and over and over again. In an industry that focuses so much on appearance, I spent years unraveling that ideology. When I was in beauty school I had a client in my chair grab my wrist and ask me, “how does your mom feel about you being so fat?” My response was to ask for a moment to collect myself, called my mom and asked her how to felt since that wasn’t a question I ever considered. Her response was, “ I’m on my way and I’ll give you that answer”. My mom showed up with fire in her eyes. She approached me and my client (whom I gracefully had started to service) and let her know that never ONCE has she considered my weight or body to be a description of who I was. That I am beautiful, graceful, kind to all and the proof was by me still being there around her. My instructor approached and asked the woman to leave and never return. From that moment on, I knew I would spent my entire career harnessing each woman’s inner goddess, beauty, and power. I’ve never focused on how a client looks but how I can make them feel. In a business where my demographic was constantly changing, I continued to grow, learn, and adjust to my surroundings. Going from small town USA, to urban America, to islands of Hawaii, to the south, and to places where narrow minds needed to be broadened. My goal is always to open minds and hearts. No matter what.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
My advice through all of leadership roles I’ve taken on and now as an owner of a business, is lead my example. Stand beside your employees. Learn to connect and relate. Leadership isn’t about dictating or about being the boss. It’s about SHOWING up and SHOWING your employees by doing the things you ask of them. By being the first in, the last out. Being an ear to listen. By being relatable. Being honest and coaching in the now. Not waiting to address situation or for someone to improve on their own. If I see one of my employees struggling with a service, I privately address it and ask them how I can help and together we find a solution or a method that works for them. Togetherness is a place I WANT them to be and that doesn’t happen in a hostile environment or where people don’t feel encouraged.
Contact Info:
- Website: Outspokenheadquarters.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/outspoken_headquarters
- Facebook: Facebook.com/outspokenheadquarters
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/shelah-coleman-0259b7a
Image Credits
Julie Wagner Thomas Shelah Coleman