Meet Keomi Dotie of Dreads By Dotie in Casa Linda

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keomi Dotie.

Keomi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was a pre-nursing student at the University of Texas at Arlington until I could no longer afford my university tuition. Prior to me dropping out of college I began thinking of ways to make money without working an average 9-to-5 job. I’ve always been interested in doing hair so I begin to see what would be my expertise in the cosmetology world. After attending cosmetology school and trying multiple hairstyles, I really enjoyed learning about doing dreadlocks. I sought out a mentor and came across Damian Walter on Instagram and YouTube. After contacting him I then became his Dallas assistant. One year later I moved to Houston to become his traveling assistant stylist. After working with him for two years I came back to Dallas to start my own business, Learning the ins and outs, ups and downs of the business has molded me to become dreads by Dotie today.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No self-employment journey is ever an easy journey and if it is, it’s not for you. There have been many days where my account was in the negative, bills went unpaid, family, friendship and relationships were put on the line; experienced my share of frustration and anxiety attacks as well as numerous disappointments. When becoming self-employed everything falls back on you. The main frustration I had while trying to perfect my business craft is everyone expects you to be perfect from the inception. There is little room for error. Discrepancies seem to be noticed and called out which can often cause personal insecurities in regards to your craft.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Dreads by Dotie, achieving and maintaining both healthy hair and scalp is at the forefront of what I do. If you are looking for a customer centric experience coupled with consistency and an insatiable focus on attaining the best possible results, I’m your girl! I am proud of my business knowing that healthy hair is what I specialize in. Seeing my clients both new and reoccurring come to me and trusting me with their hair, is a very rewarding experience especially when majority of my marketing is by word of mouth.

What sets me apart from others is I’m not afraid to go out and seek knowledge about things I may not completely understand when it comes to hair. I will take a class or travel out of state for knowledge if I believe it is worth it and comes from a good place. I try to make sure I give my clients as much knowledge as I have an even persuade them to see their own or even more knowledge when it comes to their dreadlock journey.

What were you like growing up?
I was a very quiet child, always an honor roll student with perfect attendance. I went to church regularly and never said much. I did not have many friends but the few I did have always chose to disclose very private information to me because they were able to trust me. I was always into arts and craft, I was a percussionist in high school. I graduated in the top 10% of my class

Pricing:

• Dreadlock palm retwist $65
• Dreadlock interlock $100
• Apple cider vinegar detox $20

Contact Info:

• Address: 9540 Garland Rd.,
  located inside salons by JC Dallas, TX 75218
• Website: Www.dreadsbydotie.com
• Phone: 2144603445
• Email: kdotie@gmail.com
• Instagram: DREADSBYDOTIE
• Facebook: Dreads by dotie
• Twitter: Google: dreads by dotie
• Yelp: Dreads by dotie
• Other: YouTube.com/dreadsbydotie

Image Credit:
Dreads by Dotie

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