Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Wilson.
Hi Tiffany, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always loved doing hair and everything about being in a salon environment. My dad was a successful salon owner, master hairstylist, and barber for over 20 years. So having my own salon was always a dream of mine. But ten years ago, I was a single mother of two little girls working in the IT industry. I had a good job with benefits. It was the safe thing to do. But on April 1st, 2011, I was brutally attacked in my home by someone very close to me. That situation devastated my family. But after surviving that, I realized that life is too short not to do what you love. So as much as I hate what happened, it was a catalyst for where I am today. About six months later, my mom moved in with me to help me with my girls so that I could continue working full time and go to school in the evenings. Without her help, I never could have a done any of this!
At 35 years old, I was the old lady in my cosmetology program. But understanding that time was already against me, I was not playing any games! I began building clientele during that time and my schedule at the school was booked weeks in advance. My initial plan was to open a salon as soon as I graduated, but God’s timing is always best. I rented a station in a great salon, but when I couldn’t keep up with demand, I began to hire other commission hairstylists. As I would hire, I would rent another station. After seven years, I realized that I was outgrowing the space and got an awesome opportunity to open my own salon. So in July of 2019, I opened 29Eleven The Salon.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not! There aren’t enough hours in the day for them to teach you everything you need to know in beauty school, particularly the business side. When I first started behind the chair, I was working 6 days a week. It’s very difficult to manage the business side while working hours like that. Not only that, but my oldest daughter was diagnosed with a cluster of conditions that kept her in-and-out of the hospital for years. I dropped the ball more times than I could count. But with the support of my amazing family, great clients, and an awesome mentor, I’ve been tremendously blessed to still be in business, especially during a pandemic.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
29Eleven is considered one of Austin’s top full service salons for naturally curly and highly textured hair. The African American culture has a long history of taking pride in their hair care. But somewhere along the way, we got away from our strict regimen and our hair has paid the price. My mission is to restore the pride we once took in caring for our hair. I also noticed that many cosmetology schools don’t educate students on how to care for and style hair that looks like mine. As a result, it’s difficult for clients to find hairstylists who can cater to their needs, so I developed a curriculum to help other hair stylists learn how to style highly textured hair. We’ve made a name for ourselves as the place to go if you want healthy hair and I am extremely proud of the fact that we are currently a finalist in the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin!
Any big plans?
My next goal is to get my Curl Curriculum in cosmetology schools all over the country! I’m also working on a self-paced, online version of my course. As far as the salon goes, I would love to hire and train two more hair stylists. We currently have a wait list of clients trying to get in, so I could really use the help!
Contact Info:
- Email: twilson@the29eleven.com
- Website: The29eleven.com
- Instagram: @the29eleven and @thehealthyhaircoach
- Facebook: @the29eleven and @thehealthyhaircoach
Image Credits
Felicia Reed
