We were lucky to catch up with Velinda Humphreys recently and have shared our conversation below.

Velinda , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

I have a client with multiple sclerosis and confined to the bed. She is unable to get up and shower let alone go to the salon for hair care services. When her family reached out to me her hair was so tangled and matted that it took 3 hours for service. She previously had someone coming out to the house but they were using dry shampoos which is for temporary use, I actually have a bedside basin that I use. It can be challenging servicing the elderly and disabled, I have back aches often because it is not always the most comfortable situations, but I love it and would not have it any other way.

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

Styles With a Smile LLC is a mobile hair salon that caters to seniors and the disabled.. I travel to retirement homes,,assistant living facilities and also residential homes (wherever needed). I have been a hairstylist for 30 years now and have worked with the elderly for 20 of those years. I started my own company in 2017 after working for others and realizing I could do this myself because I was pretty much running the salon and only receiving a percentage. In the beginning trying to gain new salons inside of the senior living facilities was difficult because most of them were already ran by other companies. Therefore I was left with some of the smaller locations that were smaller and some state ran which was just fine because it showed me another vision. Many of the clients in those facilities were low income and could not afford the luxury of weekly hair and nail services which inspired me to start a nonprofit to have lower pricing and also free services for those individuals. I also go to homeless facilities to offer services and I am currently working on funding to get s as mobile van so that can I pull up to park and service clients on the van. I have young and older clients that have difficulties with getting out to the traditional salons so being able to offer them the same service they would receive in the comfort of their own home takes away stress and worry for the families that care for them. I have been called heaven sent by several of the families. Not oily do I provide salon services but I also offer compassion, comfort, conversation or just an listening ear because some of those clients do not have much family and just enjoy my company..

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I originally started my business the goal was to be a salon management company but trying to get new facilities on my own was a challenge. Also, most of the lucrative facilities were already ran by bigger companies therefore I had to change my path. I picked up a few smaller facilities a couple of days a week which called for me to travel all over town, that is when I decided to benzine a mobile salon. I had 3 facilities I would visit in 1 week and then I started to have clients in their home. But presently I still have my mobile salon but I am now collaborating with a long time friend and business partner starting that senior salon management company..

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The senior community is big and new senior living facilities are popping up consistently.. I am one that loves to network and meet new people. In my city there is an organization that has monthly meetings for businesses that have anything to do with senior living, I make it my place to be at every meeting. Keep your name and face out there, network and keep a good reputation by doing the best you can within your business. I am not where I would like to be in my business yet but I see new growth daily. I also use my social media platform to promote my business. People may not always comment out like post but believe me they are watching. I have gotten so many referrals from people I barely know so stay proactive.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/styleswithasmilellc/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/styleswithasmilellc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/velinda-humphreys-74b032171

Image Credits
Greg Moore photography