We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiki Carpenter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tiki, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

My business slowly build a brand and a team a year later after business was conducting. My business consist of interviewing for hairstylist, estheticians, lash techs, dance instructor, team lead, administrative assistant, barber, hair braiders, host, business partner and more. The hiring process was very scary. I post an an on indeed for the interview process and the hiring event expectation that my salon/spa was introducing, I must say the interview process was so diverse but very unusual. I met people that went above and beyond and there was some that didn’t care, my interview process was also a training day, on the day of your interview process each interviewer had to bring a model to perform for whatever service he/she was interviewing for at the time- concluding I must say it was like I was interviewing for a circus. Some came to the interview with holes in clothing, no clothing, flip flops, kids and most important they came in late. The ad explained itself entirely of expectations and at least 55% failed to follow instructions. People do not know how to take interviews as serious as I use too the appearance of a persons tells a lot of a persons personality and more. If I had to do things different at my new spa that will be opening I will have a professional to list my ad and professional to interview the best in order for me to do the second interview selection.

Tiki, 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?

I am a young dreamer who started a semi brand at the age of 9 years old. From cutting my youngest sister hair off to more and getting in trouble for it- I knew then I would be a cosmetologist. I’m high school I perform the terminology and consult the expertise as a cosmetologist in high school. Soon after graduating working at the age of 16 years old at Sears Roebuck and at a salon washing hair as a shampoo girl and braider for “Anita Hair Salon” located in Chicago it was fun making my own money. At the age of 17 Sears General Manager promoted me to be a assistant manager for the lawn garden, paint, and hardware department. Juggling between the two I eventually chose the beauty life. Growing up my mom kept us in dresses and pony tails with beads and barrettes in our hair. I always prayed for a little girl to do the same, instead God blessed me with two boys with full of hair. Completely the opposite what I prayed for. Lol.. At the age of 18 I had my own place and my place was the next salon. I was doing family hair including my mom and sister, cousins hair and workers who knew that I could braid and do a quick sew in at the time. My clientele had expanded in a blessing way, at the age of 39 I had begin to establish my hair brand and lashes with my logo and name. Opening up my first suite at the age of 40, then progressing and expanding into a 4000 square ft. After a year of growing into a two level salon and spa advertising my salon as the first “One Stop Spa” located in Georgia. My grand opening was amazing. During this process I had a lot to learn, would I do it again I would. But I am truly grateful to be relevant of making a woman and or man feel good and look good after coming to my salon and spa, it means the world what such blessing God had blessed me with. I will soon be opening up BeauTik Red #3 in Texas to bring them a different flavor as I have in Georgia but also bringing my brand of laying my hands of such encouraging growth and developing as a entrepreneur I had endured in this process as a entrepreneur. I’m READY to build my brand nationwide if I am able.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my business partner during my transition and growth process as I expanded into my larger setting salon. I must say if I could have done this process also I would had. Being a business partner is like being husband and wife or sisters and or family. And both personality’s has to balance one another. My business partner was not ready to expand from other failures that occurred with her previous salons and moving forward she kept those fears. I do pray moving forward as a entrepreneur no one is perfect but also failure will occur it’s the individual who can conquer those fears and failures and step on them in order to move forward.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The advise that I have managing a strong team. Is honesty, respect and understanding. Your team becomes your family, you see them more then you see your own family. When you keep those three things it’s no way to seek anything else. Me and my team use to pray before opening up business. I believe this with family and more so with my team “ a team that prays together stays together”,. In all situation God is the relevance in my circle and life and with him being first I can not fail which he gives me the strength to not fail my team and vs versa.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.Vagaro.com/beautikredsalon
• Instagram: Beautikred3
• Facebook: Beautikredsalon
• Youtube: Beautikred
• Other: Styleseat:Beautikred Galleria: beautikred

Image Credits
Credits goes to “Canvas, Beautikred, Guy Eugene from marketing”!