Today we’d like to introduce you to Yazz Nicole.
Hi Yazz, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. My mom was a hairstylist, and my father cut hair, so I was always around the hair. I knew I wanted to do hair at about 8 or 9. At 14, I started learning different techniques and practicing on my sisters, cousins, and friends. I remember posting flyers around the neighborhood during the summer breaks to gain clients. I loved doing hair so much. In 2012, I graduated high school and went on to North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. I was torn because I wanted to go to cosmetology school, but I felt pressured and as if I needed a backup plan, just in case, so I went on to get a bachelor’s degree. Eventually, I found myself doing hair in my dorm room and gaining clients across campus by accident; word of mouth on a college campus is top-tier marketing. I was a full-time student, and I also had a part-time job at the mall, so I was doing hair on my days off, in between classes, and sometimes all night. In 2015, I came across an opportunity to obtain my Natural Hair Care Specialist License while still going to school full-time. It was like a dream come true! Having my license meant I could work in a salon. I went on to do just that after a salon owner reached out to me through Instagram, where I had begun posting my work. I graduated NCCU in December 2016 and went into business with the salon owner. We had a hair company, Bella Nicole Hair Imports, where we offered affordable bundles and lace pieces to our clients and customers. I was able to learn and grow so much by working in the salon and alongside the owner. It felt so good! In 2018 I became pregnant and welcomed my son into the world in 2019 two weeks before the Covid pandemic. The world shut down, and no one could come in to get their hair done, which I wasn’t upset about because I had a newborn baby to protect and stay healthy for. Our business kept going, though, because I was able to use the hair bundles to construct and ship out wig units for many clients and customers. I didn’t know how things would turn out, so I decided to move to Fayetteville, NC, where I would have some family to help look after and take care of my son. Scared and anxious because of the pandemic, I decided that even when the world opened back up that I would no longer work in the hair salon, but I wanted to continue with the hair company. My business partner and I just couldn’t see eye to eye on many decisions, and sadly, we dissolved our business. I was devastated but it only made sense at the time. Eventually, the world opened back up, and I went on to do hair again in 2020, now rebuilding and growing a new clientele at a salon in Fayetteville. That same year I also welcomed my daughter into the world and got engaged. My fiance, at the time, had been in Austin, TX, since before our son and wanted us to move, but there was so much going on in the world, and I also didn’t want to leave all of our support and family. I had built so much in NC and in my perspective, it was easier to rebuild from city to city than it would be to pick up and rebuild in a whole new state. In 2022, I moved to a salon suite with two of my close friends and we worked so hard to build and grow our salon. I was determined to get my fiancé to come back to NC because of everything I was working towards, while he was determined to move his family to ATX because of everything he was working towards. We got married in May 2023, and the rest is history, lol, because here I am rebuilding my hair business in ATX. My children and I officially moved November 2023; I started working in a salon suite in December.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road here came with a lot of ups and downs, huge life-changing decisions and opportunities. It hasn’t been easy but definitely worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a hairstylist. I specialize in extensions, specifically sew-ins and lace installs.
I’m known for flat and natural sew-ins, as well as for helping my clients maintain and grow healthy hair.
I’m proud of the fact that I get to do what I love while helping others look and feel their best.
Something that sets me apart from others is I don’t do everyone’s hair the same, and I mean that in a good way, lots of stylists have their basic process, products, and styling methods, leaving lots of their client’s hairstyles looking almost identical. I don’t, I always give my clients their own look unless it’s something really basic that doesn’t require much styling or unless it’s a wedding party or something that everyone should look identical. I help my clients find their signature look!
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Take risk and prosper, I always go by that.
I think in this industry, you have to take risk. I’m a planner too so I always try to calculate the risk, although sometimes you just never know. I do know if I hadn’t taken the risk I took throughout my career, I would still be at point A, and I never wanted to stay there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seweleganthair.com
- Instagram: idohairr_
- Facebook: Sew Elegant Hair Studio
