Today we’d like to introduce you to Tianna Wilds.
Tianna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m journey with hair began as a child I would play with my doll and cut their hair off and then often wonder why my baby doll hair would not grow back here you as a child I grew up watching my mother a barber/stylist, in the salon on Saturday mornings cut and style hair here. I just loved the smell of hairspray, then click on the Marcel irons, and swiveling around in the chairs.
My childhood went on to have many peaks and valleys. At 14 years old I was pregnant with my son, Jeremiah. I always knew I wanted better for my life, but giving better to my son gave me the motivation to excel. So as soon as I was able to work, I went to work in the fast food and grocery industry. While I enjoyed chatting with customers and serving other I knew it would not provide me with the life I dreamt for myself.
All during this time, I would do friends and family hair for fun. So one day while watching Maury the OGLE Beauty School commercial comes on, and it all clicked. I have to do this! I was not sure how because I still was a junior in high school. I decided to at least take a tour and see what I needed to do to start as early as possible. Following the visit to Ogle, I found a private school that would allow me to finish school early so I could begin school by April 2008.
I ended at Ogle as one of the top students in my class. I started JCPenney’s for five years working my way from a designer to a master stylist. During this time I started working on the Social Work degree that I finished in Dec. 2014. That same year I left JCP to begin leasing in a space in a salon, but after two years of renting a space, I decided that I wanted to expand my business into a bigger and better platform which I found a place and opened in 2017.
Currently, I have built a team of five talent beauty providers, and I am working on my first sponsored event. In 2019, I will complete my Healthcare MBA and use my new skill set to grow my business further.
Has it been a smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely, not just trying to get through cosmetology school in itself was a struggle because I had taken here Monday through Friday; however, I didn’t have childcare on Saturday so each week I would have to find childcare. I always have multiple things going on a once so no having enough hours in the day can be stressful. When I left cosmo school, it was at the start on the recession, so things were extremely slow.
My first checks were $500; however, I was grateful and hungry. Building a clientele took creativity and consistency because I worked in a salon of over 50 stylists and most of them was a master stylist. I remained teachable and took continuing ed classes in my free time. After, leaving JCP I had to learn how to save, budget, and spend money wisely because I was not used to the responsibilities of buying product and paying booth rent. I no time I went from a booth to a suite.
When I decide to open a salon, I searched and searched for places, but they all were leased before I could go by and see it. Finally, I found a place I was fond of, and I signed the lease, two weeks later I found mold and had noisy neighbors. I had to hire a lawyer to draft a statement so that I could get out of the lease. I eventually found the salon that I would call my own a few weeks later.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lush Beauty Bar story. Tell us more about the business.
We’re Lush Beauty Bar, and we’ve been a reason to dye for since 2014 here in Arlington, TX. We believe in making customer service a priority, staying up to date with the latest trends, and putting self-care first. As a Master stylist, I specialize in color, natural hair, and healthy hair. It is essential for me to provide clients with knowledge of how to maintain their hair at home.
I find that some clients are a bit intimidated, so they give up. My job is to give the confidence through equipping them with a personalize her regiment. I started my business because I was tired of seeing women’s hair just barely surviving and I believed I could change that. Through each client interaction, I teach them that “Lush is a lifestyle.” I want a space where women can come and take a moment to practice self-care, live abundantly, and thrive.
We also offer space to host small events and pop up shops. We’re looking to adding more spa services in the upcoming year. I’d like to personally invite you to schedule a consult and try us for yourself.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I would say there’s a big push for organic products and social media marketing. Now that the consumer received educated on how certain filler ingredients may affect them the demand for natural products has, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Also, more stylist and salons are utilizing social media and becoming influences. There was a time when beauty pros weren’t as social media savvy as they are now. I remember when YouTube was dominated by beauty novice giving tutorials on versus hair tips and tricks.
While it was entertaining, it wasn’t always sound advice. It is nice to see that the industry is standing up and providing the education. From the outside being a hairstylist seems so easy, but it isn’t there is a science and art to hair that must be honored. I feel like the shift is coming.
Pricing:
- Silk Press – $60
- Custom Units- $250
- Camerlizing-$120
Contact Info:
- Address: 6108 W. Poly Webb Ln. Arlington, TX
- Website: https://linktr.ee/teedabeast.
- Phone: 817-353-3333
- Email: lushbeautybartx@gmail.com
- Instagram: lushbeautybartx
- Facebook: lushbeautybartx
- Other: styleseat.com/tiannawilds
Image Credit:
Marrica Evans, Rodrick Conner, Henry Carter, Jayme Shedenhelm, John Lewis
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