Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Ferrell.
Ebony, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I came from a small town named Rayle, GA and growing up I didn’t have much and there were alot of hard times but we made it through. Growing up and seeing everything that I’ve seen inspired me to want to do something different with my life and to make something out of it. It all started in High School when I was in the band on the Color Guard me and other girls would do each other hair for competition and I would also do family and friends’ hair. After I graduated High School I decided to go to Athens Technical College for Cosmetology and I graduated and this was a big step for me. I worked other jobs after I graduated and I still did hair on the side but I didn’t feel complete so one day I decided to leave the job I was working at and step out on faith to start doing hair full time in a Salon. I worked in two locations which were Athens, GA and in Washington, GA. When I first started I didn’t have much clientele but as the time passed I started to get more people. The first Salon I worked at closed so I found a Barber Shop to work at which was named Master CUTZ and Styles where I was the only Hairstylist for five years. I continued to work in Washington as well where my clientele kept building but in Athens, I didn’t have much clientele but I didn’t give up. I always said to myself one day I’m going to own my Salon. I pushed myself and prayed about the decision to do this because I was scared to take such a major step.
In 2021, I opened Heavenly Designs By Ebony Hair Salon and I accomplished my goal I set for myself years ago and I’m proud of myself. To promote myself I attended Pop Up Shops, went to other events, gave out cards, gave out flyers I use Social Media and I’m also on Google. It wasn’t easy, I worked long hours with barely any sleep and constantly worked on ways to get my business out there in order to get more clientele. When I opened I was the only Hairstylist and it was hard finding people who wanted to work in the Salon. I eventually hired my Barber Jamarree, and now I have a Braider. Now we have more clientele and every week we get new clients and a lot of them come from UGA which includes students, athletes, and coaches. When people tell you that you can’t do something you have to believe in yourself and keep going no matter what happens. I’ve had a lot of hard times and got discouraged but I always tried to figure out what can I do to improve myself and my business to keep it successful because I refuse to fail. People don’t know how hard it is running a business and how stressful it can be and as business owners we have to put on a smile and do what we have to do even if things are not going the way they are supposed to be. Without God, none of this would be possible!!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding reliable people to work in the Salon. I’ve hired people over the years and it’s hard to find people who are as dedicated as you are and are willing to work just as hard as you do. I have a vision for Heavenly Designs By Ebony Hair Salon, and I expect people to work just as hard as I do and it’s hard when you give people a chance and they let you down, so I have to do what’s best for me, and my business even if it means letting people go or just waiting to find someone who is right for the Salon. I’ve posted to find Hairstylist with adds on Indeed, done interviews and even put up posts up on Social Media trying to find people. Promoting is another hard task to do. I go out to different stores, events and even if I’m just out I give out cards and talk to people about the Salon. I also promote on Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat showing different services that we provide in the Salon. I feel like even when you think people are not watching or paying attention to what you do there is always someone watching.
When I was working in other Salons, I didn’t have to worry about a lot of the details with running a business but now that I own my own Salon, I have to make sure I keep up with inventory, bookings, and everything else that keeps the business running also to make sure clients are satisfied with me and the people that work with me because it only takes one person working in the Salon to make client’s feel uncomfortable and that will start to affect your business, and that can’t happen. There were times when business was slow and I had to figure out what could I do to get people to come in. I would get discouraged because I would ask myself what am I going to do if more people don’t start to come in? Let’s be honest no client’s that means no money and if you’re not making the money to keep the business going then that’s a problem. I can’t say that I opened up and knew what I was doing because I didn’t because it was all new to me to run a business in a location where I’m not from, and people really didn’t know me, so I had to work extra hard to get the Salon name out there. I worked with a smile even though there were some days where I felt like giving up because some days I didn’t even know if anyone would book an appointment. It was and has been very stressful trying to make sure the Salon has and keeps a good reputation because I feel like this is my business and my name, and I must do whatever I can to make sure that we have good reviews and provide services that clients are satisfied with. I know all of the goals I want to accomplish in life so I push myself and try to keep myself motivated daily even when things are not going the way I expect because if you don’t believe in yourself who will?
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Heavenly Designs By Ebony Hair Salon?
We’re located at 2151 West Broad Street in Athens, GA. We have a booking site www.heavenlydesignsbyebony.com we’re also on Instagram heavenlydesignsbyebonysalon and on Facebook Heavenly Designs By Ebony Hair Salon.
We offer services such as Sew-Ins, Quick Weaves, Crochet, Relaxer, Natural Hair Styles, Color, Haircuts, Braids, Units, Unit Installs, Microlinks, Bundles, Curl, Loc Services, Two Strand Twist and more.
Our Salon is a fun, professional environment. We aim to make sure clients are happy with their service and to make sure they are comfortable.
I always stress that the client is our priority and we must make sure they are satisfied with the service and our environment. It’s important to build a relationship with the client because it’s more than just hair. It’s more than just being a Stylist or Barber clients talk to us and it’s important to build a relationship with them. If a client sees that you care about them and their hair they’ll always remember how you treated them and they’ll come back.
Clients always say how comfortable they are when they are in our Salon and how it’s different from other Salons that they have been to. I’m proud of how we went from only a few clients to having new people every week. The Salon went from hardly anybody knowing us to more people knowing who we are. The Salon is getting more and more popular. I received Awards this year for Hairstylist Of The Year and Beauty Salon Of The Year in Athens and also Small Business Of The Year in Washington, GA
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can collaborate with me by doing different events together and networking together. They can support me by referring clients and sharing my posts on social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heavenlydesignsbyebony.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/heavenlydesignsbyebonysalon?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089905854888&mibextid=ZbWKwL
