My First Big (Hair Industry) Investment
Let me be honest about the first time I spent more than $250 on ME!
So what had happened was, back in 2008, I was wrapping up cosmetology school. I was settling back into the workforce after being unemployed for almost a year. I loved buying hair magazines and keeping up with some of the natural hair gurus in the industry. Taliah Waajid had recently brought back her natural hair show and I knew I was going again for the 2nd year in a row, and there was no way for anybody to tell me I couldn’t go! I was even more excited about her natural hair and braiding seminar.
But that $1300 price tag for her 3-day event made me feel defeated. Normally, as an introvert (and some people, may say I’m far from it), I would have given up on this wonderful opportunity. But I felt like this was worth every extroverted penny and I thought to myself, why not reach out and see if you can make installments? When I got the nerve up to ask,to my surprise, it was an option. I do not recall how many I made in total. I do remember making a large down payment and then making like $200 to $250 payments every other pay period. Keep in mind, I still had to get there, pay for gas, food, and a hotel stay, which I did not budget for. I still cannot tell you how I made it to and from Atlanta after 3 days, without my stomach touching my spine. This was back in 2009.
Now how did Taliah Waajid’s seminar benefit me in the long run?
Before I answer this question, let me give credit where credit is due! Although the internet existed, yesterday’s internet is not today’s internet. Shoot, Facebook was still only open to college students if I’m not mistaken. Myspace may have just become a twinkle in our eyes, but there were a lot of things that weren’t in order, that I felt should have been when it came to ordering tickets, registering, etc. However, my intuition kept leading me to dig deeper for information. Sometimes, you just have to step out of your comfort zone and do things you don’t want to do so you can be greater later! I noticed there were some other stylists from my area that were featured in the magazines and on Taliah’s site. I also made sure to read as many reviews as possible so that I could make a sound decision. I remember speaking to Mitzie and she was how I got introduced to Madea (had no idea about Tyler Perry either). I’m telling you all this for a reason, so keep up with me.
I say all that to say, it was one of the best investments and experiences that changed my entire outlook on the beauty and grooming industry. It was the first time I saw people from all walks of life rocking some of the most intricate hairstyles. At this point, although I had done my undergrad years a HU (there’s only one, so act like YOU KNOW) and witnessed some beautiful hair on men and women, I still praise Chu Chu from Charmante’s for giving me the Oprah silk press during my final years of undergraduate study, but I had never seen anything like the caliber of artwork that went into the craft until I attended this hair show. I was overwhelmed but inspired.
15 years later, I can tell you almost every detail about my experience at her seminar. The staff of the show, as well as the educators, were so helpful and informative! There were at least 50 people in my class (it really was), and a few I am still in contact with. I walked away with how to properly braid and twists hair without causing myself to get carpel tunnel. Although knotless braids and twits are extremely popular in 2023, that’s all that I have ever done since 2009. Some of you reading this may say, Tosha, you invested in college and cosmetology school but that was loan money. Baybee!!!!!!! This came straight out of my pocket! When I got back to my city, if anyone learned of me doing hair, I said I did natural hair and locs. I made sure everyone and their mama knew what I could do. I gained a clientele off of word-of-mouth and the experience I gave. I have always been honest with my clients and students and I will always make sure I can help in any way I can. I learned that it is all about customer service and how a person feels when they walk away. So I pass on this same approach whenever I educate a client or a student because it was passed on to me.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”