Meet Deandra Ellison of My business name is Braidsonbratz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deandra Ellison.

Hi Deandra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started braiding when I was about eleven or twelve years old. My aunt braided my hair before I started then one day she just quit, so I had to learn or my hair would be every where. As years went by I continued to practice on close family members, their friends, or co-workers. When I got to high school I slowed down on doing hair to focus more on school, but as soon as I graduated I picked back up while working and attending college online due to covid. In 2023 my page went viral from a style (Boho Tribal/Fulani Twists) I did on my sister and now I’m here continuing what I love to do.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There has been some bumps in the road. Some days are better than the other as well as some months being busier than others. Starting off it was hard to keep a good clientele and getting my business out. I would go months without doing hair and at times I felt like giving up. Now that I’ve kind of gotten used to putting myself out there the only struggle I have now is being consistent with my content which I need to work on.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about My business name is Braidsonbratz?
I came up with the name in 2022 I wasn’t really serious about the name, but everyone liked the ring it had to it so I stuck with it and it worked well for me. As you can tell by my business name I specialize in braids. Since then, I’ve expanded to do twists and certain loc styles, but I’m mostly known for my braids. I feel like the creativity and my neatness sets me apart from other braiders. Yes, every one has their own style of doing things, but you can look at someone’s hair that I’ve done and be like “Oh yea, braidsonbratz”. Not only can you tell my work from others, but just the environment and experience I give my clients makes me different. I’m a quiet person, so sometimes I’m barely having conversations with a client or I’m just completely quiet. It’s not me being rude or anything, but when I start talking I tend to play around and it could interfere with other appointments and possibly cause problems that I don’t want to happen. Such as me pushing a clients time back, or rescheduling a client all because I chose to play when I’m supposed to be working. If there is a time I have to reschedule or push a time back I do give the client money off for their service or even the deposit back. I’m very considerate of others and their time.
I’m very proud of how far I’ve come being in the industry. It’s a lot of braiders and hairstylists out there and people choose to come to me which I’m grateful and blessed for. They could’ve went to anyone but they chose me and I can’t thank my clients enough for that. As years go by I’ll continue expanding my services based on what my clients want. I’m real heavy on listening to my clients whatever they want they receive. Whatever I have to do to keep my clients happy I’ll do. This includes having deals on certain styles every month or two, bringing in gifts for my clients that have made big accomplishments, or just being there for them when they need somebody. It makes me happy knowing that I made someone else happy

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned in this journey would be charging my worth. I started off doing braids for fifty dollars none of my styles were more than seventy five dollars. This included small braids as well. All money not good money and I know everyone has their budgets and what they want to spend on certain styles, but as I got older I started paying bills and doing braids for those prices weren’t going to pay my bills or anything that I wanted to do for myself. I also learned that mental health is real. Take care of yourself before you take care of anyone else. Being in the hair industry can become draining at times if you’re not mentally stable. So, take those days to get yourself together and get back to work when you’re feeling better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://braidsonbratz.as.me/
• Instagram: braidsonbratz