Today we’d like to introduce you to Christel Appiah.
Hi Christel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hair braiding was never part of my career goals. Until I had a very bad experience getting my hair braided at a hair salon back home in Ghana. I remember shaving all my hair due to bumps I has gotten on my scalp which literally got infected. When my hair grew back, I decided never to step foot in any hair salon. I woke up one night all of a sudden to try braiding my hair. When I braiding one strand, it looked so good and it motivated me to finish it. My mom and sisters were so surprised to see me the next day with my hair full of braids.
I had compliments everytime I stepped out and people would ask me who my hairstylist was and they would gasp in disbelief. Some would ask me to be their hairstylist and I would tell them no because I was not comfortable touching people’s hair. My dislike of touching people’s hair changed when I got to the states. I got so many compliments on my hair and advice from people about how braiding hair could be a great breakthrough for me because that was my gift.
I finally tried to do it. I started going to people’s houses to braid. I later got referred to an African braiding salon in which I worked for almost two years. I also found out I had good customer service while working in the African salon and I had good relationships with customers. I started embracing my job and loved my work. Then I made up my mind to start my own business. I started my business in 2022. I started at home. Then rented a booth six months later. Business was growing so fast I decided to get my own place in which I love so much. I named my business Ebony and Ivory braiding studio. Ebony and ivory with exact meaning * Black and White. As in people of all race and color are welcome. It doesn’t matter the texture of hair . Everyone can rock any braided style. I get my clientele from my google business page , my social media pages and my website www.Ebonyivorybs.com. I really love my job. It’s like my child and I can’t wait to expand it into branches.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Every successful business definitely come with obstacles and challenges. My struggle was family . My job can be very demanding to the extent where I even sleep at work because I’d work all day and still have work early in the next day. I would always be at work and not have time for family especially my kids. And any time I made up my mind to spend time with family, I would lose clients. Also at a point money became a problem because of the expenses involved. Salon rent, hair products, bills and so on. These would happen sometimes when business was very slow.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Ebony and Ivory braiding studio ?
Ebony and Ivory specializes in braiding services. Like knotless braids, boho braids, cornrows and so on. I’m proud of my work and my professionalism. And anyone that sits on my chair to get their hair done walks out very happy.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’d say starting my business with the little money I had was very risky.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ebonyivorybs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebonyivorybs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EbonyIvoryBS/
