Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Aguguo-orelus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
In the almost 8 years since I opened Nina’s Braiding Bar, as with many other businesses, there have been a tremendous amounts of ups and downs. I am proud to still be standing and growing through this journey as an entrepreneur. Having braided hair for most of my life I always plan to remain in a space where I am interact with clients, provide beautiful hairstyles, and create a welcoming space for others. My future plans are to grow the business to the point where I can create more opportunities for other entrepreneurs in the beauty space, offering mentoring to those who may seek it. I hope to leave those who I’m surrounded by with a sense of empowerment and accomplishment. I want to be remembered as someone who made a positive impact on those I have been fortunate enough to meet.
Stephanie, 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?
As a very proud first generation Nigerian-American, the act of braiding has been ingrained in my culture for as long as one can imagine. Braiding hair wasn’t something that I sought, but it was something that feels like was always in me. Since the age of 4 I have been fascinated with the intricacies involved with braiding hair that allows for the creation of beautiful designs and hairstyles. My fascination with braids led me to boldly ask my mother if I could braid my own hair, at the tender age of 8. Although I wasn’t quite sure of what to do, I had mentally studied the technique, made a plan, and took the step to execute it. The first time I ever braided my own hair at 8 years old was far from perfect, but I did it! Little did I know that at the time it would lead me become the entrepreneur that I never imagined I could be.
As I grew older, I continued to hone on my braiding skills, getting better and better. I learned different styles such as cornrows, feed in braids, senegalese twists, and more. I enjoyed learning how to best work with different hair types, and hair densities to create styles that each client would enjoy. Even though I continued to improve my braiding skills, I still only thought of braiding as a hobby or “side hustle”, but thankfully, through the encouragement of others I was able to recognize my ability to braid as not just hobby but as a desirable skill set.
27 years after I fist began braiding hair, I am proud to say that I still enjoy it! I still love to challenge myself and am constantly striving to be a better braider. I am proud of being able to have meeting hundreds, if not thousands of clients who have impacted my both personally and professionally. I hope to always represent myself and my brand in a way that when I am old and gray I can share these stories with my grandkids and great grandkids.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Since I was in middle school, I has alway braided hair as a “side hustle” in my house, when I was in college in my dorm, and when I moved to Florida, in my own home, When deciding to open up my own brick and mortar braiding salon I was extremely nervous and like many other entrepreneurs had a fear of failure. Although I didn’t have any formal business experience, I consumed myself with googling information, watching CNBC and watching documentaries on how to make a business successful. Through my research, I decided that the best funding route to start my business would be to self fund everything. I was able make projections and budget how much start up money I would need. Although I braided hair on the side, I held a full-time job that would allow me to maintain consistent income until I would be able to pay myself from the business. To purpose mt necessary equipment, I applied and received a business credit card that I did not have to pay interest for 8 months. I used this 8 month period as the time that I would have to pay off my credit card. Just focusing on reinvesting into the business, while living off of the paycheck from my full-time job, I was able to pay off my credit card in this time period and have since been able to remain debt free on the business. My overall philosophy is to be vigilant on my business spending, track everything, and not live above my business means.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
For my business, the two most effective ways to grow clientele have been excellent customer service, as well as social media. My business has been fortunate to have a majority of our clients being individuals who have been referred to us. This has been amazing because our clients are able to share their positive experiences with their friends, and family, and it allows us to have comfort that our new clients have an idea of what to expect when they come to our salon. Social media has also been a great marketing tool to grown clientele as well. In order to maximize our outreach to clients, we are on facebook as well as instagram and post regular on both platforms. Rather than just focusing on “likes”, our focus in on showing consistent content so that potential clients can feel confident that we are able to achieve the styles that we advertise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ninasbraidingbar.wixsite.com/winterpark
- Instagram: ninasbraidingbar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninasbraidingbar/
