Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Daricka with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I get my work ethic from my granny (who’s no longer with me). She was the epitome of an hard worker fueled by determination. She was born in the 1920’s and she told me stories about her working in factories picking buttons. It wasn’t an ideal job but she was proud of it and would brag about how fast her hands could move. She would often tell me that I get my speed while braiding from her lol. She spoke about how she received acknowledgment for meeting certain quotas during her time at the factory. I believe a combination of her hard work and my determination to make my children and husband proud has led me this far and will continue to carry me. My oldest son, who’s 9 always tells his peers and the football moms that his mom is a salon owner with a lot of pride and dignity; which fills me up. Who needs business cards when I know he’ll promote me lol.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a salon owner/ Master braider. I’ve braided hair since I was 11 and plan for it to always be apart of my life. What I love most about braiding, it’s apart of my culture and a way to make women feel beautiful! It brings a smile and confidence to my clients as they leave my chair and knowing that I was apart of that brings me joy. My braids are apart of memories; especially during the summer which is my busiest time of year. Women are traveling and love braids because of the convenience they provide. In fact, one of my clients today got her hair done for Aruba, I can’t wait to see the pictures. This feeling alone can bring me in to work for the rest of my life. Upcoming, I plan to offer more braiding classes to offer young women the flexibility of entrepreneurship and the freedom to express themselves through hair.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back the 3 areas of knowledge that has helped me is; patience, consistency and passion. Patience because sometimes it can take some time to build your clientele. You may look around and see your peers business being successful and busy, but be happy for them and stay focused. Consistency because without it, you won’t find out how great you CAN be. Consistency comes with trial and error but believe me when I say there’s victory near by. Last but not least, passion! Love what you do and have fun. Find moments to smile and look at your work like “yes, I did that!” Know that there’s always room for improvement and just work towards it.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I do think it’s best to go all in on your strengths. By focusing on your strengths you’re able to perfect it. For an example, recently I’ve had hand troubles. Again, I’ve been braiding since I was 11 & I won’t say my age but I’m in my early 30’s; so I’ve braided hair well over 20 years. I refuse to give up hair, so I decided to cut the styles that causes my hands pain and focus on the easier styles that are currently popular. This has allowed my hands some relief while also keeping my shop busy with clientele. Because most of the styles I do now are repetitive, I find myself getting better and better and look forward to what’s to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stylesbyrica.as.me/
- Instagram: Instagram.com/purposefulbraidingsalon
- Facebook: Purposeful Braiding Salon
Image Credits
Simms Photography- Anthony Simms
