We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Baker-Bentley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Hi Jessica, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
So when I was younger, oftentimes people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up, and I always said a Business Woman and a Cosmetologist. I always knew I wanted to be a hair stylist but I didn’t know I was going to start braiding hair because I didn’t really have any interest in braiding or did I watch anybody braid hair but that’s the God given Gift that he gave my hands.
Growing up my mom would do my hair, but Lord knows I didn’t like how she did it. Lol. So when I would get to school, I would take it down and TRY to redo it my way. Lol. But that didn’t last long. She found out that I was doing that and yeah I got in much trouble. Lol
After I graduated High School, I was blessed to have my 1st little girl December 1999. And I was so excited to keep her hair up. I would style it and twist it with bows, ribbons and barrettes. I remember when she was about 4 I was styling her hair and out of nowhere I started braiding her down hair to her scalp. I was so amazed and surprised, because I had no intentions to do that nor did I plan to practice doing it. It was like my fingers and hands knew just what to do. And I was like wow this is really a braid, I’m really braiding my daughters hair. So after I got the concept of braiding hair I wanted to learn how to add the hair weave in with it. So I end up contacting 2 of my friends to teach me that and they were professional, long time braiders so I knew they would guide me right lol. After they showed me a couple times it took me no time to catch on and learn.
So from then on I started braiding friends, family and church members hair. Lol one of my God sisters worked at the bank on the Air Force Base and different ladies would see her hair and ask who did it and she would tell them me. And that’s where my clientele began. She would give them my number and I started braided day and night. And my clientele continued to increase. Then I was blessed to work in two different salons to braid and style hair. And in 2003 I went to International Beauty School
and completed and graduated from the Master Cosmetologist Course.
Then in March 2014 I was blessed to rent out a salon for several years and then June 2021, I became the business owner and building owner of my salon “The After Glow Salon and Spa” in Downtown Ocilla, Georgia… and I’m thankful I have some awesomeness loyal clients that keep me busy there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Growing up, and I always said I wanted to be a Business Woman and a Cosmetologist and on today, God has blessed me with BOTH. And not knowing I would have MULTIPLE BUSINESSES. I’m a Master Cosmetologist/Hair Loss Practitioner, Christian Comedian, a Visionary Author and a Evangelist.
Styling and braiding hair has always been my passion. I started braiding hair on my oldest daughter when she was about 4. And the crazy thing about it I didn’t really have any interest in braiding or did I watch anybody braid hair but that is what God Gifted my hands to do.
So from about 2003 until now I’ve been in the hair field on and off but been full time with it about the last 10 years.
In 2003 I went and finished cosmetology beauty school. I started off styling hair at the house, my apartment and my clients houses. Then I was blessed to start working in different salons for a few years. As the years went on my clientele continued to increase every year. Then in March 2014 I was blessed to rent out a salon for several years and then June 2021, I became the business owner and building owner of my salon “The After Glow Salon and Spa” in Downtown Ocilla, Georgia… and I’m thankful I have some awesomeness loyal clients that keep me busy there.
And my latest education in school is becoming a Hair Loss Practitioner in 2021 and now studying to be a Certified Clinical Trichologist. Also another service I added to my hair business is making hair clip-on piece units for people with short hair and that can’t afford to go to the hair salon every week. They are removable, reusable, and recyclable units that are low maintenance and easy to apply on and off.
In 2018, I became a comedian and my stage name is “Motha OldaMae”. Growing up I enjoyed doing skits at church but I didn’t think about pursuing it at all. Well, when God sent S-N-O-W to Ocilla, GA in January of 2018 I decided to do a live Facebook video. I dressed up as an old lady driving around looking for a man… a “Snow Man” that is (LOL)! And that video brought a lot of attention for me, from comments to shares and then to people asking me when I was going to do another video. So I did a few more videos. And from their live videos, people started contacting me to perform at different events. So, I had to come up with a stage name, and with the help of her family, we came up with Motha Oldamae (because of family history in which my mom called me Oldamae growing up, Lol). Then God started giving me ideas for my appearance and instead of a regular cane, God led me to use two plungers to connect together to make it a cane. This would become her Releasing Plunger Cane. The motto behind this is: If you have any spirits in you that have you STOPPED UP, STUCK UP OR TOO SAVED UP, you may need a releasing in your life. So at each event, Motha Oldmae is likely to PLUNGE somebody and give them a RELEASING. Laughter is just like medicine, it’s good for your soul and can Heal your soul. (Prov. 17:22)
NOT ONCE did I say BOOK ME OR CALL ME, but since then, the doors have been opening and people have been contacting me. And Since Jan. 2018-Until now and I have traveled all over GA and some parts of FL performing appeared on the radio, the word network and other TV platforms like Ruko, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.
Then in 2020, I became a Visionary Author of a book entitled “Single and Surviving”.
I’ve been married/divorced and now single and have four beautiful children through it all. And I never thought I would be in the single zone this long (about 12ish years lol) but anywho… when you LEARN to embrace, accept and be content in WHATEVER state GOD has you in, he will have you birth out things you NEVER thought you would…
I never thought I would put a BOOK TOGETHER… But God gave me the VISION for my book a few years ago and now my book is about 3 years old on being out on the market.
The vision was to reach out to different single Men and Women to get their TRUE STORIES and TRUE EXPERIENCE of a season in their life of what they went through while “SINGLE AND SURVIVING.” So It is based off my story and 25 other anonymous people’s stories. This POWERFUL book will encourage you to find hope, healing and happiness.
I’m also a Minister, Evangelist, praise and worship leader and the coordinator of The Singles Ministry at my church Solid Rock of Praise Ministry in Ocilla, GA.
I’m the middle child of 5. I have a brother (Bernard) and sister (Melissa) older and a brother (Joshua) and sister (Sarah) younger. So I often tell my parents (Matthew and Laura) they set me up like this to be the MIDDLE ODD BALL CHILD. That’s why I have multiple businesses because I can’t decide what to do or who to be. Lol
I don’t like to look like the rest or the average, So I’m known for being different, creative, unique, or extra extra extraordinary, Whether it’s with my hair, my clothes, my style, my pictures or any of my businesses. So most likely, when you see me or anything that I do it won’t look like the average person or business.
And I’m also a proud Single Mother, four blessed amazing children, some was out of wedlock, three baby daddies, divorced, and the list goes on…. Ohhhhhhh 🙌🏽BUT GOD🙌🏽 is all I can say.
I LOVESSSSSSSS ALLLLLLLLL my children dearly. Jasmine Baker, Patrick Bentley jr. Christopher Bentley and Ziyah Robinson they are all my pride and Joys.
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?
Some qualities I think it take is availability, braveness, consistency, commitment, determination, dedication, discipline, effort, faith, faithful, mentorship and so much more to be successful. And a mindset to know that you can be successful. And you must always stay focus on your destination and believe that you will get there by any means necessary. Believe in and trust God and keep him first in all you do.
I’ve learned that no matter what challenges we are faced with, God will still provide and keep us through it all. We just have to trust the process.
And I use to think I needed a man to help me in certain areas of my life but I realized I just needed THE MAN… The MAN JESUS and through it ALLLLLLLLL he has blessed me and is still blessings me to accomplish so many things by learning and depending on him.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
believe we all have some strengths and some struggles that we deal with. When it comes to my strengths I try to continue to stay focus and more strength and techniques to develop in that area. And when it comes to my struggles I seek mentorship and advice from others that are in my same line of work that I’m in and that has always been helpful too. When you realize that you can’t do this on your own and that it’s nothing wrong with reaching out to receive help from people who have been in business longer than you. And they can teach you the pros and cons and possibly prevent you from having to go through some of the same struggles that they went through. Either way strength and struggles will take you through different experiences to develop you into more into what you were created to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jessicaspurpose.com
- Instagram: Jessica_Baker_Bentley
- Facebook: Jessica Baker-Bentley, Motha Oldamae or The After Glow Hair Loss Clinic
- Youtube: Jessica Bentley
- Other: Ticktock: Jessicab481
Image Credits
Image Credits Sarah Roberts: Professional Distinctive Services Angie AjAjay photography Damien Moss: DJM Photography Dj Spence: Djspence’s freestlyle and artistic photography
