Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Edwards.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my business “Formal Xpressions Lashes and Hair while living in a homeless shelter with my three kids. I had been a licensed hairstylist for over 6 years prior to moving into a salon suite. I made $10 per hour at salon that I was working at and truly struggling as a single parent. Being that my passion is styling hair and making women feel beautiful and confident, I wanted to remain in the industry. I took my small clientele and a leap of faith and started my own business as a stylist and now owner. Working 10-hour days and sometimes 7 days per week, I was able to get me and my 3 kids out of homelessness and into a home.
Never giving up and constantly striving for more I am now working on building an entire hair salon from the ground up. No more private suites for me!! Building an entire hair salon has been a ton of work, a ton of learning, and a ton of leaps. I love it!!
Not only do I own a hair salon, but I also own a mobile bartending company by the name of “Bartend Friends LLC”. This company provides bartending services for events like corporate parties, fundraisers, birthday parties, and weddings.
In all, I have learned that anything is possible if we just believe. If we only look at our circumstance’s dreams can be easily dismembered and no longer existent. We have to dream beyond our daily circumstances and also put the work in. We have to put one foot in front of the other even when were scared, not fully prepared, not fully understanding and not knowing the outcome.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, the road has been challenging. The challenging part is gaining more clientele. Social media has taken over when marketing a company. However, social media is over saturated with everyone promoting and marketing their companies. It’s easy to get lost in the sauce. lol…. Marketing no longer is passing out cards or putting flyers on cars in a parking lot. Marketing is now who has the most views.
This is challenging.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in Hair Extensions and Healthy hair. My clients saying that I have “growing hands”. This means when they sit in my hair their hair flourishes. I also have been called a great “Therapist”. lol
What sets me apart from most stylist is that I care! I care about my client. I care about their hair. I care about their experience in my chair and at my salon. I also care about their lives. I care about the where they travel and the experience they had. I care about their marriage, their child’s birth, or even their divorce. I put my all into my clients and it shows.
I am proud that I have been a successful business owner for over 8 years starting from homelessness. I am proud that I am still a person with a heart. Entrepreneurship is tough but I have not let it break me.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Advice: Just do it, jump off the cliff and learn on your way down. Failure is only if you don’t try. If you take each set back and learn from them, it is a guarantee that success is around the corner.
I wish I knew how much sacrifice goes into entrepreneurship. I sometimes wish as a single mother, I would have stayed in corporate so that I could have a consistent paycheck, consistent hours, and health insurance. I had to sacrifice time with my kids, teaching them and loving on them. I’ve had to sacrifice sleep. I’ve had to sacrifice having fun and doing things that brings joy. I’ve had to almost sacrifice my mental health. Depression started creeping on me as the economy got more expensive.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bartendfriendsllc.com and www.formalxpressions.com
- Instagram: formalxpressions and bartendfriends
- Facebook: bartendfriends
- Other: google: Bartend Friends and Formal Xpressions Lashes and Hair
