Meet Aeleise Harris Ollarvia of Ollarvia Beauty Collective in Fayetteville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aeleise Harris Ollarvia.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Aeleise. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I went the long way to become the stylist and educator I am today. Attending cosmetology school had been a goal for me from high school, but my family was not hearing it. I accepted a scholarship to Florida A&M University’s School Of Business And Industry and set off to become an MBA by 23.

A year into the program I was bored and ready to drop out of college. Searching for an educational path that challenged me as much as it brought out my artistic passion, I settled into a major in Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting and Printmaking. As I entered my 5th year in college with at least three more semesters to complete, I got scared of what my career and earning prospects would be with an art degree. The Aveda Institute opened up a school in Tallahassee that fall and I jumped at the chance to finally attend cosmetology school while simultaneously completing my degree.

I graduated Aveda in September 2006 as a salon coordinator and was promoted to salon manager just before my graduation from FAMU in May 2007. From then to now I’ve had the privilege of being a salon assistant, salon owner, nail technician, freelance makeup and hair artist, employee stylist, independent stylist, platform artist, and editorial stylist.

As technology advanced, I have now become a digital stylist and educator specializing in tight curls.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth, definitely not. Fun? Absolutely!

There have been many points in my beauty career I’ve wanted to give up and get a “real job” with payroll and benefits. This industry can be unpredictable and cutthroat when you’re constantly putting your artwork on display for judgment.

The most impactful struggle in my career was divorce. I was married at 24, not long out of college, and by surprise, at 29, my marriage to my life and business partner who was the breadwinner was over. We had two salon locations in Chicago that were in their infancy but growing fast. I was booked out with loyal clients and two employees I was assisting to build their careers. With no car or support, I shuttered the location furthest from my home, let go of the employees, and continued to grind despite the abject numbness and grief.

The small bandwidth I had for work and the dire need I had to raise capital for a new car, home, and resources to pay 100% of life expenses is what drove me into my current specialty of cutting tightly curly hair. I saw a need in the market for stylists that could cut and color tight curls in their natural state and soon discovered that the shift in self-perceptions that the curl transformations I was doing was really my passion.

Even though I spent time sleeping on my mother’s couch and sometimes on my salon couch, I was able to craft a reputation as the expert in Black Girl Curls around the country. Moving to the Atlanta area a year post my split was a godsend. It refocused my energy, put me in a 15-minute radius of my good friends, and inspired me to become a traveling stylist licensed in GA, IL, and CA. As my reputation grew, I gained clients in Northern and Southern California, along with clients from all over Georgia and Alabama.

What I thought was going to be the death of me turned out to be for my highest good!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ollarvia Beauty Collective – what should we know?
Ollarvia Beauty Collective is the parent company for many ventures. At heart, I’m a girl from the south side of Chicago taking the stupid out of natural hair. I started as a stylist working full time behind the chair crafting fly cuts and amazing colors for the eclectic, self-aware woman.

In 2015, I joined forces with my business partner Aishia Strickland to form Black Girl Curls (formerly The #30DayHairDetox). An article we collaborated on for blackdoctor.org went viral with over a million views in less than two days. We invited their readers to join us for a challenge to not use raw coconut oil, raw shea butter, raw castor oil, and Eco Styler on their natural hair for 30 days. In two rounds we had over 10,000 people join us, with many sharing awesome results in styling longevity and hydration.

What started as a free email challenge has grown into an ebook titled Wash Your Damn Hair and The Black Curl Magic Digital Salon, the best natural hair community in these internet streets and the only one sharing accurate information by two experienced cosmetologists. We have democratized salon professional knowledge about tightly curly hair in a way that is easy for consumers to access and understand.

In addition to Black Girl Curls, I also partner with Aishia to train licensed cosmetologists of all backgrounds about the art, science, culture, and business of tightly curly hair though Cut It Kinky Professional Education. We thoroughly transform the businesses of our alumni and enable them to serve their tightly curly clients at an expert level.

Occasionally, ok maybe rarely, you can find me behind the chair with a client at my salon studio in Fayetteville or in my salon co-op in Chicago, The Curl Society.

Educating consumers and professionals in both digital and IRL formats has exponentially amplified my ability to share my passion and knowledge. I’ve always been a bit of a nomad and the thought of being contained by four walls has always been my biggest fear. I am forever grateful for the impact I can have on how a woman feels about her beauty and how a beauty professional builds a thriving business.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Where I am not could not have happened without the support of many!

But the few that keep my high strung nature in check are my husband Clayton, my Mom, and my business partner Aishia.

My mom has always been my biggest cheerleader even when I didn’t follow her advice. She always listens to me, never really tells me what to do (as an adult), but will give sage advice as a former entrepreneur herself.

My husband keeps me grounded. We’ve known each other for over half our lives but have only been married for three years. He holds me, our marriage, our child, and our home down so hard! I couldn’t do half of the things I do currently if it weren’t’ for him believing in me and physically picking up the balls that I can’t.

And my business partner Aishia is the best idea maven, social media expert, perpetual beta tester, mentee, and cool auntie a creative could ever need. We’re literally on FaceTime everyday for at least an hour crafting social strategy, fleshing out offers, co-writing books and manuals, and generating new revenue streams all while we both parent our little people under 5. She has been instrumental in taking what I did behind the chair to a much wider audience.

Pricing:

• Curly Cuts start at $175
• Curly Color starts at $225
• Private Classes For Licensed Professionals start at $1200

Contact Info:

• Address: Ollarvia Beauty Collective
  500 W. Lanier Ave Suite 501-5
  Fayetteville, GA 30214
• Website: www.aeleisejana.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @hairloveart
• Facebook: facebook.com/hairloveart
• Other: www.cutitkinky.com

Image Credit:
Sweetavenue Photography, Photos By Camille

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