Meet Shamille Powell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shamille Powell.

Hi Shamille, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I began in 2019 – randomly. The opportunity to purchase a vendor from my stylist kind of fell into my lap. When I initially started, I had a business partner, but unfortunately, it did not work out (still love her). I honestly had no clue what I was going to do with my new business. The name I had in the beginning was the stereotypical “lux hair, luxury hair. I decided to change the name after having a conversation with a business strategist who suggested I look my name up on social media and when I did – baaaaby when I tell you well over 200 something Lux Hair or Luxury Hair companies/brands came up. No matter how I switched it around, spelled it or added ATL at the end; more and more companies came up, therefore I absolutely knew I had to change the name.

I decided to think very hard about a name that would stand out. Being from Georgia, Lithonia to be exact (Eastside Shawty)! I don’t need nobody talking bout “you not from the A”. Anyways, I came up with a name that embodied the very feeling you get when you get a fresh sew-in or style. On the east side, when something is dope we say, “thats fye (short for fire)”; there you have it, Phi Hair! I knew my hair was some good, but I also knew I’m not big on social media, I don’t have a big following, I barely post. No one knows me, so who is going to buy this hair? I wasn’t confident in myself or my ability to be an entrepreneur. so I sat on my business for two years until a co-worker asked if she could buy some hair. She was really just being supportive. She didn’t honestly think the hair would be as good as it was. I was like, “girl, I don’t wear no bab (babbage) hair, why would I sell you some bad/basic hair? She was pleasantly surprised and next thing you know, I had had customers.

I started doing photo shoots to officially brand myself and to build content for my social media. Once I did that, I kind of became addicted. I fell in love with my business and all the positive feedback. That gave me the confidence and boost I needed. Like I said, I knew I have good quality hair – I just didn’t know how to get started. Ever since then my foot has been on the gas. I’m learning to come out of my shell because I had all intentions of playing the background and being a ghost, but in the last couple of months, I’ve slowly been stepping more into the forefront to be the face of my own brand. I finally understand that in order for your business to be successful you have to be relatable. People have to trust you in order to trust in your business. In doing so, they have to see you; know you. Long story short, I’ve become more comfortable as a business owner and embracing this journey. I understand now I am the brand. Today, I’m focusing on scaling my business, rebranding, marketing, organizing and growing my brand; getting the Phi Hair name out there on a large scale and not being afraid of rejection.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nooo, not at all. Especially in the hair business everyone always wants something for free. People say to use influencers, but they’re in my opinion, they’re so entitled now and it’s so hard to find honest trustworthy people. They charge an arm and a leg and do the work (review) and do it at their own pace. I’m not paying no one four months worth of mortgage just to do a review. There aren’t even any guarantees that I’m even going to get sales, so why would I do that. I’m not ashamed to say I’m on a budget and I stick to it by all means, especially since right now I’m using some of my own personal money.

It’s just been difficult trying to brand yourself with people who don’t know you or your product but expect you to give them your product for free; not even at a discount, but FREE. The other struggle I’ve had is communicating. People ask you not to dm them, however, when you email it the majority of the time goes to spam or mostly unopen/read. That’s been one major hurdle – communication with stylists to collaborate. I’ve also had both a well-known make up artist and photographer in the industry (very well known) stand me up on the day of my projects on multiple occasions. I paid deposits and secured dates for shoots and they never showed up. Didn’t care that I had a whole production team (hair, make-up, videographer, someone to help set up and break down, transportation, etc.) because a Phi Hair shoot is an entire production, trust! We don’t half-ass over here. They didn’t bother to call, text, dm – nothing! Just didn’t show up or return my calls or money and to make matters worse I’d either worked with them before or was referred to them by a good friend; putting me in an awkward position! They cost me money and time.

It’s disheartening because my brand manager is constantly telling me I need to branch out, network and add to our list of mua’s, stylists, models, influencers so on and so forth, but now it’s hard for me to trust people. I think people now, are putting to much value or stock into social media and on a blue check. To me, they allow it to define them, how successful they are or how they’re going to interact with other brands. Because of this, they treat up-and-coming business owners like myself as if we’re beneath them or not as important. Like we don’t deserve quality service or in my case – services at all. They’d rather work with or cater to more well-known people with a larger platform and following and I get it, still everyone deserves the opportunity to build their audience and reach via someone with top-tier equipment or service such as makeup or photography. No one deserves to be looked down upon because they don’t have 20 or 50k plus followers. Followers don’t always equate to quality or revenue.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the CEO/Owner of Phi Hair LLC. I sell raw and virgin hair. I specialize in 100% raw Indian human hair as well as Cambodian hair. I’m known for having some Phi hair lol. The quality of my hair is excellent and legit along with the pricing. I don’t want to be known as the company who provides good hair to celebrities or well-known people only and when it comes to the everyday person the hair is garbage and low quality. I feel everyone should have quality hair rather you have a blue check or work check to check. I’m most proud of my progression for sure; the strides and connections I’ve made. The team I’ve built around me is the absolute best. They motivate me to go hard, get in front of the camera and they’re always – ALWAYS honest with me. That’s what you need in this industry particularly.

What sets me apart is the quality of my product, the time and research I put into finding the absolute best vendors and hair to provide to my customers. Letting people test the hair; giving me its pros and cons (quality assurance). The time and care I put into getting to know my client’s wants and needs. I refuse to sell average hair. I take my time to filter out the best possible grade of hair available. The cuticle and weft alignment, the softness, naturalness (must look like your/real hair), ventilation of the lace, the best lace available -HD, swiss or indivisible lace, the amount of hair shedding, tangling, split in’s, will it hold a curl, can it be colored or processed, everyday use. etc. I value these things because I value my product. What I put out into the world, my brand; I can stand ten toes behind Phi Hair undoubtedly that this is indeed the best quality hair out here. Anyone can sell bundles, but is the quality of that hair something you’d be willing to bet your life on? I also feel what sets me apart is my customer service. Having a customer service background, I more than understand how important customer service is and although there are some people who will try you, you have to remain calm, patient and find some sense of resolve because one bad review can ruin your brand’s name.

Any big plans?
I’m excited about the collaborations I have coming up. We’re scaling, so I don’t want to speak on them right now. I’ll just say there are going to be a lot of big changes happening in my future. If you didn’t f with me now you’re going to wish you did, trust me. We’re growing and elevating. We will be making a mark in this industry. You will know who Phi Hair is soon.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.phihairllc.com
• Instagram: phi_hair_

Image Credits
Videography – IG: @K_Reeze Photography – Anthony Thomas IG: @Imagesbyanthony Ty Knox IG: @knox_is_shooting