We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tiana Bryant. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tiana below.
Tiana, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I definitely get my work ethic from watching my mom. Being raised by a single mother you get to watch her really make things happen for you. She has always been able to grind a get things done on her own and I admire that. If we were ever struggling I would not have known because she didn’t want me to see that side of her. She encourages me to keep pushing at what I do and always reminds me if I work hard I’ll be successful.
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?
I am a braider/hairstylist. I love to be able to connect with my clients and making them feel beautiful once leaving my chair, especially whenever they take pictures or videos to post on instagram I officially got started doing hair in 2020, during the pandemic I had nothing but time to try and perfect my craft. I had been doing friends/family and my own hair since middle school so I figured I should start taking it serious since so many people were asking me could I do their hair.
I remember when I was a little girl and my mother taught me how to braid on my Bratz doll. I would do many different styles on that doll and my mom knew at that time that doing hair would be my passion.
I do more than just braid. I make/install wigs, do sew ins and quick weaves. I am in the works of launching my wig company within the next few months. I will be offering free installs for my first five buyers.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The number one quality is good customer service. Being able to communicate with clients with any questions or concerns. You want to leave a good impression on people even if the appointment didn’t go as planned. It’s all about your attitude towards the situation.
Second is knowing how to network and advertise. Yes you can get clients from word of mouth but you also have to be out there promoting yourself and networking with other people in that industry.
Third is knowing when to step back and take a break. I don’t want to overwork myself to were I’m having back problems and my hands are cramping up. It’s okay to not have appointments back to back.
My advise would be to work in a customer service job first to learn how to talk to people. Work on advertising and promoting your business(instagram, business cards, ambassadors)etc. Always give yourself a break, your body will tell you when you’ve had enough
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My number one obstacle is that I have a full time job alongside doing hair. I take clients after I leave work and it’s super tiring. I do what needs to be done for my clients and put my all into doing their hair. However it can take me up to about 2am depending on the style and then I’ll have to be right back up at 8am. So now I’m at a point in life where I ask myself if I want to take that leap of faith and do hair full time or try to work with both. Im leaning towards getting rid of the full time job and just following my passions. I feel overworked and it shouldn’t be that way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: slayedbyt.renee_
