Today we’d like to introduce you to Simone Stewart.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Originally from New Jersey, raised in the Metro Atlanta area. My younger sister and I would travel back home to New Jersey for the summer as kids. My aunt used to braid my hair, but after a few summers she moved to California. I would stay with my grandfather and he had no idea how to do hair. I loved having my hair braided and decided to learn how. I taught myself how to braid on my little sister’s hair at the age of 12. From there, I styled and braided my own hair as well my younger and older sisters. Overtime people didn’t believe that I did my own hair so well. In middle school, I started doing kid’s braids and styles and making a bit of money for myself. I practiced all the time and even braided hair for my older sister’s friends in marching band so that their hats could fit over their hair. My freshman year of high school my literature teacher made us write letters about ourselves on the first day of school.
In my letter, I said I wanted to be a hairstylist. Fast forward to my senior year of high school, I was undecided about my post-graduation plans. Throughout school, I let people pressure me into considering college but I knew that path wasn’t for me. So I decided to wait a semester to decide what I wanted to do. In that time, I dabbled with hair some more and worked at Dunkin Donuts. I didn’t particularly care for my job as a cashier and would make it a point to not look at the clock during my shift so that the day didn’t feel long. Somehow whenever I did look at the clock, I would always catch the time 10:17. Months later and I kept seeing the time in both the morning and night, this felt like too much of a coincidence so I looked up what the number sequence meant. I found that the numbers represented new beginnings, a spiritually-based practice/profession and inner wisdom. My findings felt like they spoke to me.
From there, I applied to Cosmetology school in 2017 at Chattahoochee Technical College. I started in August 2017 but after one semester, I ran into financial aid issues which caused me to have to leave until they start of the second semester the following year, in that off time in between school I initially felt down and questioned my career choice. I didn’t want to dwell on it for long and decided to take this time to better my skills, build my clientele and establish my brand. In January of 2019, I went back to school with more motivation, my own clients and a focus to excel and finish strong. In July of 2019, I graduated Cosmetology school and went on to receive my Master Cosmetologist License. Fast Forward to today, I have a growing client base of 30 plus lovely people. Opportunity to work with some well known Atlanta creatives like Jerrika Karlae, Kodie Shane, Sky Morales and more. I’m currently a natural hair stylist and braider specializing in embracing and enhancing natural textures with the drive to make men and women feel good about themselves and provide exceptional customer service and care.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has definitely been a trying one. Any entrepreneur will take you that you will doubt yourself, question yourself and feel defeated at times. But because doing hair is something I’m passionate about, I had to quiet those negative voices in my head. I’m grateful to have amazing support from friends and family. The more I hung in there the better my situation got and meeting new faces and building relationships keeps me motivated and inspires me learn and grow. Building a brand or business take time and the hardest part for me was the downtime in between appointments, feeling like I’m not doing enough or feeling like I wasn’t good enough. Through all that, I learned to be kind to yourself and be patient because anything worthwhile takes time. Practice and changing my mindset helped me so much and once I understood that opportunities came rolling in.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am natural hair stylist and braider. So all types of natural hair is my specialty as well as braids and protective styles, i.e., locs, braids, twist, updos, cuts and color. As a black woman who has had natural hair all my life, I know that there are stigmas in the black as well as the black female community regarding hair. For so long many women were uneducated on how to manage their natural texture and hair health wasn’t much of a priority for many women as well as stylist. I pride myself and my work on making all my clients feel good about their natural hair and the health of it. I believe that natural hair is unique and should be embraced and truly cared for, What sets me apart is my love for natural hair health, I always stress to clients to put health over appearance and only act in their best interest. I’m a gentle braider and I really pride myself on doing my best work and making every texture from bone straight to the kinkiest of curls feel good and embrace their tresses.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m so blessed to have such supportive family, my parents always assure me that they are proud of me and celebrate me. I have two sisters who are my number one fans and also my muses. Many great clients who trust me and believe in me which is so validating, I love them all and try to give thanks to them all the time. My boyfriend of three years who has given me the opportunity to work with some great people. As well as his family who supports me. Finally, my cosmetology teacher Tanya Harrison who really believes in me and my skill and has helped so much along the way and has imparted so much wisdom on me. I’m forever grateful for them all.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7708267819
- Email: simonestewart798@hotmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1017mone
Image Credit:
Rebecca Stewart (image of me), Destini Dais (image of logo)
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