Today we’d like to introduce you to Rovin Simmons.
Hi Rovin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a small city in Georgia named Brunswick. I started doing hair around the age of 15 as a freshman at one of the two in high schools in town. I was shy so it took me a long time to open up and spread the word that I did hair, but word got around fast. Before I knew it, I was doing girl’s hair from different schools in the surrounding area almost every day after school and on the weekends.
After high school, I wanted to go straight to cosmetology school, because of the influence of my family I enrolled into college. I was book smart so I took classes while continuing to build a clientele at the University of West Georgia until I graduated. I had some ups and downs with getting my family to accept the fact that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and pursue a career in the beauty industry. They now support me 100%. Almost three years later, I am now enrolled in cosmetology school while working full time on my two businesses, Styled by Rov est. 2016 & Royal Rebel Xtensions est. 2021.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I always say, “nothing worth having comes easy” and that is truly right. It has not been an easy road for me but it all has been worth it so far. My passion for hair didn’t just fall into my lap, it’s something that has been with me since I was a little girl playing in my doll’s hair. I’ve done any and everything in my power to do what I love no matter what was in my way.
I graduated college in 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I didn’t know what to do next, so I moved back home. This was one of the biggest struggles for me, making an adjustment to a smaller town, finding my place, and most importantly making money so I could move! While I waited for my former co-worker to open her salon, I got a job at Staples making $9 an hour part-time. I hated it! I was always used to working for myself being my own boss, in a sense I felt trapped. The following January I had my own chair at The Glam Stop Salon & Spa, this was my first time working with other beauty professionals as a team, we really took over the city!
My clientele grew even bigger. I traveled back and forth from Brunswick to Atlanta until I was able to make my move in March 2022. During all this, I was battling with my mental health, I felt like my anxiety and depression could not be cured with anything, medicine, meditation or prayer! I was always angry, nervous and social interactions were so hard for me, it made me question if doing hair was something I even wanted to do anymore because I was not myself. I battled depression and anxiety for about 2 years, I still have my days but I just thank God that I didn’t let it stop me.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the owner of two beauty businesses, Styled by Rov where I service my clientele as a hairstylist specializing in all things extensions, braiding and of course natural hair care. I feel my variety of services sets me apart from others because I truly make an effort to care for my client’s natural hair, which is the foundation to giving them a bomb hairstyle. For me, it’s not all about the money, but providing a great service, building relationships and leaving my customers satisfied to the best of my ability.
My second recent business adventure has been Royal Rebel Xtensions, where my focus is providing quality ready-to-wear wigs for women. Our wigs are colored, customized and styled. We also sell bundles, tape-in extensions, clip-ins and lace closures/ frontals.
I feel like my two businesses combined are a woman’s dream, she doesn’t have to go here and there to get care for her natural hair or buy her extensions and get them colored from one person and find another to install them. I do it all in one place!
I am mostly proud of my dream continuing to expand with the support of my clients and community over the years. Anything I put out with my brand gets support whether it’s from 1 or 100 people, that means the world to me!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I feel in order to be successful in business you have to take risks, but I believe along with that you have to have some type of faith whether it’s in God or whatever higher power you believe in. I took a major risk moving to Atlanta with no certainty that my old clients would come back or if I would be able to make ends meet. I put in the work and saw the results I wanted.
With selling extensions, I still take risks sacrificing time to learn new ways to market my products, taking classes to better my craft with designing wigs & spending my own money to buy inventory to get my business off the ground. Overall, always invest in what you want and if it’s meant to be it will come back tenfold, believe that!
Contact Info:
- Website: Royalrebelxtensions.net & styledbyrov.as.me
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/styledbyrov?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Other: https://instagram.com/royalrebelxtensions?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
