We were lucky to catch up with Kwanisha Carson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kwanisha, 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 strong work ethic is deeply rooted in my family, particularly in my dad and my grandmother. Growing up, my dad was the sole working parent in our household, while my mom stayed at home. I watched him dedicate himself to his job without making excuses, always showing up to work no matter the circumstances. My grandmother, my dad’s mother, was the same. She worked in management and was a great example of commitment. When I was young I never heard her complain about her responsibilities. Instead, both she and my dad expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work and provide for our family. I have priceless memories of my grandmother taking me to work with her, where I would assist her with various tasks, ride with her to drop in on different location and feel like I was already in the job force. Those experiences gave me an early insight into what hard work looks like, reinforcing the values of dedication and resilience.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
At just 11 years old I became a hair braider and perfected the craft that’s has leaded me to owning my own salon. Diverse Trends Hair and Lash Studio is a private appointment-only studio located in Lexington, SC. I offer a slew of services including braided styles, blowouts, relaxers, extensions including braided and braidless sew-ins, bonded and tape-in extensions, crochets, ponytails, natural hairstyles, brow shaping, brow tinting, lash lifts and tints and lash extensions. I specialize in traditional sew-ins, braided styles, and classic lash extensions. What I love most about my work is my clients. I have the opportunity to meet a diverse range of people and engage in conversations on countless topics, which broadens my compassion for others and deepens my sense of gratitude. The perspectives shared during these conversations make each day unique. Creating a clean and comfortable atmosphere for my clients has always been important to me. It allows me to work stress-free, all of which is within my control. On another note, July of this year, I launched the official online store for Diverse beauty collection, which is a hair extension company. I have had it for the last five years exclusively in the shop but now it is online to reach more customers. I am extremely grateful.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Budget, as a business owner we see a lot of money coming in and out on a daily basis—transactions, cash. It’s easy to spend it as you see it. Over the years I’ve learned that all businesses have trends where there are busy, slow and ateady seasons. it is important to know the patterns of your business so that you are able to weather those seasons. There may be unusual trends in your business and this is where most people get stressed want to quit. budgeting and having a reserve for your business and personally is very very important. Resilience, you have to know how to bounce back. The economy is very unpredictable so sometimes things may come up in a calendar year that you’ve never experienced, like Covid. We have to know how to bounce back from those times and safeguard our business so that if anything in the future comes up, we know how to operate because we’ve Made the mistakes and made the provisions for times like such. Lastly, and most importantly, Faith. The same faith that you have to embark on a vision is the same Faith you must maintain to see it through. There are going to be times that you want to quit, but you have to encourage yourself and have the faith to see any and every challenge that you are faced with in business to the end. It’s worth it.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Saying no. Escaping the need to please others. As easy as it may sound, for one who is naturally caring and loves to help people, it can be become very challenging. Setting boundaries and sticking to them has been one of the most accomplished areas in my life in the last 12 months. I had a very hard time saying no because I didn’t like disappointing people. But, as I tapped more into self-worth and self-care, I was able to learn how to preserve my peace, space, and energy by saying no. I read this book earlier this year and one of the points that resonated the most with me was when it said if you say yes, and commit to something that you really don’t want to do for the sake of pleasing someone else or not disappointing them, then you are not being your true authentic self. It went gravely into detail, but that point alone freed me and I decided it was more important to me to be who I am genuinely and not who others expect me to be for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Diversebeautyco.com
- Instagram: @Diversetrendshals
- Other: Booking: https://kwanishacarson.glossgenius.com/
Image Credits
Personal photo credit to AJ Smalls with 1clickimages
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