We recently connected with Taja Tillman and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Taja thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

After learning how to fade, and feeling good enough to charge for my services I began marketing myself. I taught myself how to edit and began recording my haircutting process & making content. I not only just posted my work, but I also bought Instagram ads to scale more. I was extremely excited the first time I got a notification that somebody booked on my booking link. I didn’t know him from a can of paint, but I was very grateful that he chose to be serviced by me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Taja Tillman an upcoming barber, and Owner of True Blends. I am a Houston native, currently located in Dallas, Texas. Since a kid I’ve always been into hair. I taught myself how to braid at a very young age. But I never ever thought to take it seriously and make a career. Over the years I’d help my friends with their hair, help my dad cut his hair and even cut my brother and sisters hair. I went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Grambling State University thinking I had a passion for accounting. It wasn’t until just last year around late July that it all came back to me. The love that I have for hair, the enjoyment and excitement I get from just being asked to use my hands to bless someone, as well as learning and trying out new ideas and styles. I’d like to think of myself as problem solver and with being a barber people come to you to expecting you to solve their Image/hair issue and make them look good. It comes with its challenges at times for sure, but that makes me love this career even more. I think what excites me the most is that it’s always been in my heart, and I can now live out a dream that I didn’t even realize was a dream. I’m most proud of the growth so far. I want people to know that when you’re being serviced by me that I’m going to take care of you! I want my clients to walk out feeling 10 times better than when they came in. Im not the best but I strive to be one of the best and the best version of myself as a business owner and service provider.
True Blends specializes in Men’s Haircuts, Locs, natural hair, and color. In the future I plan to offer more services as well

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Barbering looks easy, but it’s not as easy as it looks. I’m fresh in the game, but at times i’m beating myself up because I don’t believe i’m executing how I’d really like. This is daily.. weekly. You’re your own biggest critic. But what keeps me resilient are my peers as well as my clients. They encourage me and hype me up when my clients leave. Plus the smiles that come across my clients face after looking in the mirror at my work is rewarding. Everyday I’m looking to get better . Watching videos, learning new techniques, and trying to build speed and great quality work for my clients.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting in life in inevitable. We sometimes have plans and think we know where we’re going and what we’re doing and God shifts us, redirecting our paths. After high school I went on to go to college at Grambling State University where I graduated and received my Bachelor of Science in Accounting. I loved math and Business and I thought the corporate life was for me. But, after graduating and not getting an Accounting job and then going on to working at Amazon (pivot) and then working for a tutoring company(pivot) and not working out as I imagined. During the journey I was praying and trying to figure out what my path was in life. Then i was pivoted once more to take a step into my next chapter which was barber school. I have no regrets on making the decision to come to barber school. Everything that happened before lead me right to this very moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://squareup.com/appointments/book/0ksmc5h5h11nop/LVJ6J093XYV6G/services
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/trueblends_?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==