We were lucky to catch up with Tanisha Knox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tanisha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I try my best to take care of the people around me and in return I receive that back. I’m so blessed and fortunate that people are always doing kind things for me (especially my family). I can’t pin point one thing.

For example: During the pandemic shut down we kept our retail area opened to ship products and make deliveries to our customers through mail, Uber eats, and Postmates.
We have such a strong community of clients that love and support us.
Some of them donated thousands of dollars per month in support and paid in advance for their upcoming services. They continued to order products weekly and monthly.

Also, customers always bring us flowers and plants as a token of appreciation.
One very dear friend/customer paid for almost half of my wedding (just because).
Most recently, a lovely customer noticed a flower pot that sits by our front door in the salon’s waiting area that needed some attention. The original plant had died. She said to me “can I take this pot home and bring it back in a couple of days with new plants?”
(Shockingly she’s one of our newer guests who has been coming to us for less than a year. Most of our clients have been with us for 10-20 years).
She took the pot on a Tuesday and returned it on that Saturday while we were extremely busy. We didn’t even notice that she came in. We just noticed that there was a beautiful arrangement on our front table as if it were never removed. She was like a plant fairy!

Moments like that are so meaningful to me. It confirms that I’ve touched so many hearts in a special way and that I’m on the right path.

Tanisha , 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 was always a creative thinker and a problem solver. I believe I was born to do what I do. Growing up I always loved doing hair for my friends and family. People always trusted me with their hair and overall beauty advice. In high school I started styling more and more. I remember my aunt would always ask me to do her hair. She also encouraged me to get licensed.. So I did.

My mom insisted that I go to college.. So I did – (for business).
That’s when it all began I got licensed, found a wonderful salon to work in and grow within (where I learned precision cutting and haircare), while going to school for business in the evenings.

Although I didn’t complete school, I remained disciplined and focused on mastering the craft. The laser sharp focus helped me stay on the path to success. The weather brought my to Los Angeles and kept me here!

Knox Salon specializes in all hair types, from naturally straight to naturally curly and wavy hair.
In my work and when working with my guests, I go beyond beautifying the exterior. I focus on overall health, wellness, and beauty. In addition, I pay special attention to their hair and nurture it, as if it were my own.
Most times I bring the hair back to life. A lot of people come to me to repair the hair from damage or to maintain the health of the hair. Which led to the development of my product line.
I treat everyone’s hair like its mine, and I do what’s best for it.
People really appreciate that and show gratitude, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be of service.

I’m a woman of strong faith. I live a purposeful life and I’ve discovered my God given gift, that I’m now sharing with the world. I’m proud to say, that my business is more than a business, its a special place and space that my staff and I have created. It’s about the relationships built and the sense of community we have. The number of clients that have been with us for so many years, speaks volumes. People trust us and our brand. That’s one of the greatest things a small business owner can have.

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

I took a huge risk. I stepped out on faith and decided to move to Los Angeles from New York at the age of 21 to pursue my career goals of a successful hair stylist. Not knowing exactly what that meant or required, I took a leap of faith. I just knew my expertise was needed at the time. My love of hair care and helping people with curly hair understand and love what they had was my mission. I was young and ambitious, I had the courage and determination to forge my own path. All I had was $60 and, just did it.. I moved..

At first, I worked three jobs to pay the rent until I established myself in the industry. Once fully established, my reputation started to grow and I was a heavily requested stylist amongst the affluent women and men in Los Angeles.
I then became a hair color educator and within five years of moving to LA, I opened my first salon in 2005. The salon quickly became one of the premier salons in LA for African American haircare. Between then and now there has been a multitude of life changing events such as, the economic down turn of 2008, the housing market crash, and the pandemic. With my never wavering faith, we’ve survived and thrived through it all.

In spite of it all .. I knew there was still a need for my expertise, so I continued on and most recently developed a new product line for professional hair stylist called Texture Altering System. It gently, softly, loosens the naturally tight curl patterns and makes the hair more manageable. It’s plant based and patented.

I came up with the idea at the end of 2005. There was a need to make curly hair more manageable without the use of harsh chemicals. The idea stayed in the back of my mind for years.

The salon was so busy, I didn’t have the time to develop it. So during the pandemic, I had the time and space to explore my ideas, and I made use of the down time. I worked from home through the shut down, completed it, brought it to market, and made it exclusive to Knox Salon.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth and referrals have been the best source of new clients for me. There is always one person in the group that refers the entire group of friends and family. In the beginning of my career when I had only 200 clients, at least 70% of those people referred their friend groups. Today we have thousands of clients. Google is another great source. It’s our second best source. I believe when you create value, people will find you.

Contact Info:

• Website: Knoxsalon.com

Image Credits
Mayari Studios and Phylicia Striveson