We recently connected with Taneka Newkirk and have shared our conversation below.

Taneka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

The traits I feel one needs to be successful but aren’t limited to are Discipline, Consistency, Patience and Grace. I feel like Discipline is a part of a successful equation because discipline requires you to overcome what you’re feeling to achieve something greater than your feelings. There will be days when you’re physically and even mentally exhausted however in order to achieve the goals you set out for your business, you’ll have to have the discipline to push through. Consistency is the next piece of the equation. To be consistent means to remain constant. To remain steady. To remain stable. You need to remain steady and stable to be successful. I tell my students all the time, I believe the reason I have a successful business is because I’m consistent. I’m consistent in my location. I’m consistent in my prices. I’m consistent in my customer service. Consistency has definitely been key in my business. Patience. Patience is the next piece of the equation. Patience causes one to have self restraint. It also causes one to have tolerance. We need patience for our customers, coworkers, employees and even ourselves. Which then leads us to the last component, grace. Grace is like the umbrella for being successful in my opinion. Extending grace to others as everyone is entitled to a not so good day. Most importantly grace should be extended to yourselves. There will be days you may not complete everything on your to do list, there may be days you’re unable to meet each goal, there will even be days you won’t be able to service every client but extend grace to yourself. Take a step back, breathe, regroup, then try again!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Taneka Newkirk, cosmetologist and cosmetology instructor licensed in the state of North Carolina. I took interest in styling hair at a very early age. I began styling baby dolls around 5 then by 9 I was styling my little cousins’ hair. I had an aunt and cousin who were stylists so when I would go to the salon, I’d be there all day. So I used my time observing and taking notes. By the 6th grade I became my own stylist and my mom’s styling. By high school I was styling friends’ hair upstairs in my room. I knew at that point I was destined to be a stylist. Upon graduating high school I attended Dudley’s Beauty College of Durham and the rest has been history. I’ve worked as an independent contractor at 2 salons. I’ve been at my current salon since 2011. In 2020 the pandemic gave many of us an opportunity to sit still. Not only did I sit still, I used that time to reevaluate my life and career. I LOVE being behind the chair servicing my clients’ hair needs but I knew I had more inside of me. I also knew I had a desire to teach as well. So I took that time in 2020 with the help of a close friend to prepare myself to challenge the NC State Board of Cosmetology Instructors Exam. I completed my exam and passed! At that time I started a new journey on the education side of the industry I love so dearly.

I’m currently a stylist and an instructor. By day I’m with our future industry leaders teaching them the foundation of the basic services offered in the state of North Carolina at Civella Beauty Academy in Goldsboro, NC. In the evenings I’m a master stylists at Salon 2001 in Raleigh, NC where I service clients with services from protective styles such as crochets and installation services to color, cuts, relaxers and more!

What sets me apart from other Beauty leaders is my love for each and every person and student I meet. I’m the same in and out of the salon as well as in and out of the classroom. I’ve been told my personality is unique and I change the atmosphere of any room with my smile and charismatic attitude. Clients don’t just see me as their stylist, the see me as a big or little sister, as a therapist, a mediator, a mentor, a friend, but most of a stylist who cares for them as much as I care for their hair. My students tell me how much I motivate them, inspire them, and push them to be the best they can be. They often say they’ve never had a teacher like Mrs. Taneka.

What potential clients should know about me is that healthy hair is my number one priority. Whether you’re relaxed or natural. Whether you wear you own hair or protective styles. My top priority is Healthy hair. I take pride in the products I use on my clients so much so all products I use on my clients, I’ve tested them on myself first. I believe in the wholeness of anyone who sits in my chair or comes in my classroom. If there’s a word of encouragement, a piece of advice or just a listening ear I can off to every person I encounter, I try my best to be that for each individual. I AM NeekStyles. I Style. I Create. I Teach and I inspire.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I have a website to help my clients to stay connected to me and I to them. Although I have goals set to have a larger presence this year through this platform, sending email blasts through the portal on my website helps me to stay connected. I also stay pretty connected through Instagram. Although social media has been out for years, when I first started this career, news papers, walking advertisements and word of mouth was how we got our names out there. So with this evolution of social media and technology, I’m still learning to navigate through it all.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being in an industry 20 plus years will come with its highs and lows. I share this story with my students often but my first week in the salon as a new stylist, I only made $20. Talk about a blow to the stomach. I said to myself THIS CAN NOT be what this hair styling business is about! But I kept going and even on weeks thereafter that were slower than others financially I found ways to promote myself even more to bring the clients in. I ran specials in the news papers, I started a referral program with my current clients, I even handed out business cards from time to time when I slower days and weeks (this was over 14 years ago, so social media wasn’t an option). Although those numbers could’ve been discouraging and even caused me to question if I was in the right industry, I persevered through and now my resilience has paid and continues to pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamneekstyles.com
• Instagram: I_am_neekstyles

Image Credits
StillShots Photography