Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jontue Stansbury. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jontue , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My mother’s commitment and ethical principles greatly impact my work ethic. She instilled in me the value of perseverance by demonstrating that success can be attained through constant work, despite the obstacles she faces. Her constant dedication and focus in the face of adversity have motivated me to go after my dreams. She stressed the value of being resilient and possessing your own. My mother completed her bachelor’s degree while raising all four of her kids , yet she never voiced any complaints. Because of her influence, I try to work hard and never complain because I know that the success I will have in the end will be worthwhile.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Jontue Stansbury. I am a full-time student from Philadelphia, PA attending the illustrious North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, studying health services management on a nursing track and I am also the CEO of Grippedbytue. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve enjoyed cosmetology and braiding. I’ve watched plenty of women in my family do hair in the middle of the living room and the kitchen. Braiding was just something that came naturally to me. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, CEO, and boss at a very young age. During the outbreak of Covid 19, I had time to develop my business before I attended college to aid in my goal of financial independence. I grew my business tremendously here at my HBCU but it wasn’t easy. As of now I am focused on building consistent clientele and graduating with honors Spring of 2025. Subsequently, I will be attending nursing school to obtain my Masters in Nursing.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
When I reflect on my road to becoming an entrepreneur, I think that work ethic, professionalism, and patience have had the most influence in my journey. My advice to young entrepreneurs who want to work in the beauty industry, or any other field, is to plan ahead and be patient while creating a strong business strategy. Considering great things don’t happen overnight, it’s critical that you put your all into your business and strive for your goals. Although my path was never parallel, I never gave up.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Being a full-time student and an entrepreneur is nowhere near easy. I used to be “like a machine” as Beyoncé once said. I had to take a step back and commit to my number one priority, which is my education. Now, I no longer do hair every single day and overwork myself. Braiding is such a tedious job and skill, so it is important that I take my off days. On Sundays, I do not do hair. I like to spend time with God by going to church online or simply opening up my word. I’ve experienced so much burnout by not taking care of myself because I was such a workaholic. I eventually realized that if I can’t show up as my best self, I can’t show my best for my clients. So the advice that I would give aspiring entrepreneurs is creating off days where you can take care of yourself. I used to spend my days from 9 AM to 5 PM braiding and then 6 PM to 12 AM doing homework or participating in extracurricular activities on my campus, which was not healthy.
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