We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Victoria Butler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Victoria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
My first client was my mentor in college. I was very new to actually doing hair for a charge so I maybe charged her $75 for a box braids hairstyle. This was in 2011. From there, I gained more and more experience with having clientele, doing research and learned that although I’m passionate about this, I have to charge what I’m worth.
Victoria, 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?
My mom was a cosmetologist when she was pregnant with me. Although she doesn’t braid like I do, I feel that I get the passion of the hair industry from her. As far as having my own business, that’s always been something I’ve been driven to do and have expanded into other avenues in hopes of becoming a serial entrepreneur. With that being said, I’ve already expanded into the e-commerce industry with dropshipping and intend to do more in the future geared towards helping other small business entrepreneurs.
What sets me apart is my ability to engage with my clientele on a more personable level, keep them informed with my monthly newsletter via email of updates , tips and promotions while keeping them in mind with each style.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is marketing. Marketing is key for any business and although social media, is pertinent for marketing purposes it’s good to think outside of the box as well. For example, anywhere that I go there’s an opportunity to network with a potential client and give them my business card. I also believe wearing marketing materials such as shirts, hats so forth draws attention to make someone ask questions about my business . I have a few shirts that state I’m a hair braider.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I keep in touch with clients through my email automation. It’s a great way to keep them in the loop and it gives them exclusive access to information that the public may not know or may know after them.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.braidedtressesbyv.as.media
- Instagram: @braidedtressesbyv
- Facebook: Facebook.com/braidedtressesbyv
Image Credits
Reem photography Crash exposures