We recently connected with Tasha Nicholson and have shared our conversation below.

Tasha, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

My journey has been a lot of trial and error, learning things the hard way, and refusing to quit when things got hard. Being in survival mode basically.
That alone forces you to figure something out. I’m a single mom, so the pressure is real.

I’ve been in the beauty industry over 20 years working as a stylist and makeup artist. After doing the same thing the same way year after year and working alone, I learned that talent and doing things alone doesn’t build a business. There was so much more to learn beyond doing hair. Nobody was walking me through the process, so I spent years learning through experience.
There were seasons when I mentally gave up. I felt overwhelmed, unsupported, and unsure of what the next steps should be. I struggled with depression, self-doubt, and the pressure of trying to build something meaningful while carrying what often felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders.
Because I’m a naturally creative person with a wide range of interests and skills, I also struggled with clarity. I spent years trying to figure out where I fit, what I should focus on, and whether I was spreading myself too thin.
Over time, I realized I had become good at figuring things out. Every time I needed a solution, I found it or figured out how to create it. What started as a necessity turned into a passion.
The idea for my pivot as a digital product mentor came from a problem I struggled with for years. It was a problem I saw in a lot of women, whether single or married. When you’re a single mom with no support system, working more hours isn’t always an option. Childcare alone can cost more than what you’d bring home. I needed a solution that could reach more people and generate income without requiring more of my time. So many women have valuable knowledge, lived-in skills, and life experience but don’t realize those things can become assets that equal income. We should leave this world empty. Every skill, every gift, every hard-won lesson should be poured out, not kept in your head.
Once I decided to move beyond the idea phase, I had to stop waiting for everything to be perfect and just move. I researched digital products, created my first guide, built a sales page, set up payment processing, created content around the problem I was solving, and started talking about it publicly. Was it perfect? Not at all. But it was launched.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that execution creates clarity, and confidence doesn’t come before doing a thing. It comes and builds after. As my mentor says, you gotta stick to the plan and not the mood. I, like many people, spent months and years trying to create the perfect plan and wait for the perfect conditions before starting. That didn’t make me any more motivated or confident. Growth happened because I executed first, kept going, and continue to figure things out along the way.
Today, my mission is bigger than beauty. I hustled my way to becoming a published stylist, then did what I never fully believed I could do and became a published author. I’m proud of my perseverance and of the fact that I refused to let any trauma, drama, or distraction keep me down. Now I help women see the value in themselves and show them that they don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode. There is light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to become fixated on believing in yourself. If a woman who has faced loss, carried it largely alone, and had to rebuild from the ground up can do it, then anyone can. I’m not yet where I want to be, and I’m not yet what I would consider financially successful, but I’m well on my way to living the life I want and accumulating the wealth I desire. Execution over excuses.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Sure! I’m Tasha, also known as the Qualified Queen. First and foremost, I’m a mom. Everything I do is rooted in creating a meaningful life for my daughter while showing her what’s possible through perseverance, faith, and creativity.
For the past 20 years I’ve built my career as a hairstylist and makeup artist, and I’m still very much active in the beauty industry. Alongside my client work, I’ve expanded into the digital product and mentorship space. Today I help women specifically single mothers recognize that what they’ve lived through, learned, and mastered has real value. Through my Single Mom Success Blueprint and community, I teach women how to turn their knowledge and experience into digital assets that can generate income and create more freedom in their lives.
What sets me apart is my drive and tenacity. I go hard! Like for real for real! I’m not afraid to share my reality, my struggles, and my testimony. I don’t sugarcoat the journey. My path hasn’t been built on overnight success or having all the answers. It’s been built on learning, adapting, and continuing to move forward in spite of trauma and difficult seasons. People connect with that because it’s real.
Over the years my work has been featured in publications five times, and I’ve never allowed myself to be limited to one title or one lane. I’m grateful and I give all glory to God for everything that’s been instilled in me. I love beauty, writing, content creation, teaching, and creating new opportunities. I’ve always been willing to learn something new and challenge myself to grow.
If there’s one thing I want people to know about me and my brand, it’s that I’m passionate about helping people see potential where they currently see limitations. Sometimes all someone needs is encouragement, a new perspective, or a real example of what’s possible. If my work can inspire someone to take that next step, then I’ve done what I set out to do.
My prayer is to be someone’s answer, their sense of relief.
We go through things for a reason. Your story isn’t just yours, it’s someone else’s survival guide.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is a mindset of fear, doubt, and limitation.

For years, I operated from a place of discouragement and defeat. I didn’t realize how many limiting beliefs I had accepted as truth or how much they were holding me back. When business was slow and I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted, I would doubt myself and question my abilities. Without realizing it, I had developed a mindset that expected struggle and uncertainty.

Everything shifted when I got into mentorship and came across the movie *The Secret*. That was a game changer. I realized I had to change my mindset and expect better results if I wanted better outcomes. I literally had to reprogram my mind to refuse negative thinking and stop allowing my circumstances to shake me.

I began paying closer attention to my thoughts. I started reading personal development books, studying mindset, and listening to Bob Proctor and Napoleon Hill. I love them! I became intentional about spending more time in prayer and being mindful of the information I consumed. I had to wean myself off social media, and I started challenging the stories I had been telling myself about what was possible for my life. That process is still ongoing, but it has completely transformed the way I approach opportunities, challenges, and my goals.

Instead of focusing on obstacles, I focus on possibilities. Instead of allowing fear to make decisions for me, I take action, whether that means making a post, putting out an offer, going live, or doing whatever else makes me uncomfortable. I know that if I don’t, the consequences could be detrimental to my growth.

The biggest shift wasn’t in my circumstances. It was in my thinking. Once my mindset changed, I started seeing opportunities where I used to see limitations. I became more willing to try new things, learn new skills, and pursue goals that once felt out of reach.

Today, I understand that success begins in the mind. Before my circumstances changed, my thinking had to change. The life I’m building today is a direct result of making the decision to believe that more was possible for me, even before I could see the evidence of it.

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

Absolutely! I’m currently a few months into my pivot, and honestly I’ve had to pivot in all three areas.

In life, my biggest pivot came through loss, heartbreak, and having to rebuild from scratch more than once. There were seasons where everything I thought was stable fell apart. Those moments forced me to grow in ways I never anticipated and shaped the woman and mother I am today. That journey is actually what inspired my book, Grieving the Living, which explores the pain of losing relationships with people who are still alive. That was a pivot in itself, deciding to turn my pain into something that could help someone else heal and giving myself closure.

In my career, it was a combination of things that brought a pivot to fruition. Getting older, having a toddler, and starting to think seriously about my future made me stop and really evaluate where I was headed. Something about those three things hitting at the same time made me a little nervous in the best way. I love the beauty industry and I always will, but I had to ask myself a hard question: how much longer can I rely solely on trading my time and energy for money? I’ve spent a lifetime standing on my feet for hours. That question changed everything.

I started seeking knowledge outside of the beauty industry and went deep. I invested in coaching, studied online business, and began learning everything I could about building income that didn’t require me to show up physically to get paid.

I’m nowhere near where I want to be financially, but I’m on the right track. There are moments when I question myself, but I can’t ignore the vision that has been placed in my heart. Today, beauty remains an important part of my journey, but my mission has grown beyond the salon chair. I’m building something that will still be working for me even when I’m not working.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qualified_queen
• Other: https://linktr.ee/uniqqueen