We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sonja Anthony a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sonja thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I actually would have started my hair business sooner because the market was thriving for a few years beforehand. The idea was formulated in 2016 for me to start this hair business since i already had prior knowledge of commercial hair from working with other big name companies. After research and preparation, I filed for the LLC in 2017, and then I went into retail in 2018. At the time, I was in the claims and insurance field for almost a decade. So, for a while, this was something that I was doing on the side while I was still in my career…. not thinking that this would become my future career. I feel if I would have started sooner, then I would be a little bit more advanced right now and if I would have started later, I think I would actually be in the same place as I am now. But everything happens for a reason!

Sonja, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am from Atlanta, Georgia and I am a former print model. I went into the claims and insurance industry in 2008, and from then up until 2017, I’ve learned a lot of different skills and values that would help me once I started my company, Soie Hair. It started with an opportunity to start a hair business because of my love for hair and my hair modeling background. I also saw the demand for virgin hair products and the decision was a no brainer Lol. I wanted to solve the problem of trying to find quality virgin hair at an affordable price point that included superior customer service and I prioritize those values to this day. This is what I’m most proud of because it results in a satisfied customer and it sets us apart from other hair businesses.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I am a control freak, so over time I had to realize that I can’t do everything myself lol. When I first started Soie Hair, I was able to thrive being a control freak because there were not a lot of variables in the beginning. Over time, I began to get overwhelmed and realized that in day-to-day operations and even in marketing, I needed help. Now I have the help that I need, but I also can still be in control of the most important aspects and it is a nice balance that I’m okay with…. for now lol.

Have you ever had to pivot?

OMG I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to pivot my business lol. The first time was when Covid-19 started and I was still working my 9-5. I began to be overwhelmed by calls of people looking for hair and it started to interfere with my work. I knew I had to pivot and make it work for me, so I’d push everyone I could to evenings and the rest I’d meet on lunch breaks (I often didn’t eat lunch). I’d work 8 hours, then drive to my Buckhead office on the other side of town to assist my hair customers. This easily turned an 8 hour day into a 12 hour day. Maybe the next year, I started to have issues with quality from a couple of my suppliers and I had to pivot on the different virgin hair types that I offered to customers, so that quality remained a priority. Also, shipping showed down overseas and lace products stopped being produced for a while, so I had to work with what was available and advise customers to order early to avoid delays. This has been a very unstable time for someone that is only comfortable with stability, so I’ve learned a lot of lessons!

Contact Info:

• Website: Soiehaircollection.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/SoieHair
• Facebook: Facebook.com/shopsoiehair
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCAV-AXOHTs9b9o1ZoNGV-kA
• Other: TikTok: @SoieHair