Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawntavia Davis.
Hi Shawntavia, 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?
1. Before I’d even graduated high school, I had my cosmetology license in hand. I jumped in right away, renting a space inside an existing salon and building my client base one appointment at a time. Nobody handed me a playbook, so I taught myself the rest. Web design, marketing, bookkeeping, taxes, all the unglamorous parts of running a business that nobody warns you about, I learned slowly, usually the hard way.
Eventually I’d grown the brand enough that when the owner decided to sell, I bought it and began turning it into what it is now. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work now is guiding artists who remind me of where I started, and it’s part of why we recently begun offering continued education classes at the salon, where our licensed artists continue to teach and refine skills together, so no one has to learn everything alone.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
2. Nothing worth having comes easy, and building something great always comes with its share of challenges
You’re juggling a hundred things at once, all with different levels of urgency. Some days it’s coordinating with the city on permits for a renovation, other days it’s trying to keep up with social media trends that change overnight. The tasks range wildly in importance but all demand attention. In business, every small detail matters and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed trying to stay on top of it all.
Persistence, consistency, and serious time management have been the key, but getting to serve our community and watching each member of my team grow into who they’re becoming, makes every bit of the struggle worth it.
We’ve been impressed with Cio Bela Salon, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
3. We’re an open concept, multiservice salon built on the idea that a team can work together while still showing up as individuals. Every artist on our team, whether they specialize in hair, nails, lashes, or waxing, operates as an independent artist which gives them a real, personal stake in the quality of their own work on top of representing our brand well. It creates a team that shows up wanting to be their best every single day, chasing their own growth right alongside everyone else’s, and that combination is really what makes the client experience here feel different.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love most about Houston is honestly its diversity. I recently learned we speak more languages here than any other city in the U.S., and that stuck with me. You see that same diversity reflected in the fashion, the culture, and especially the food scene.
This city never runs out of new restaurants, and the food scene here is genuinely top-tier. On the flip side, it is also where my one complaint comes from. Sometimes it feels like eating and drinking is the only thing there is to do here. We don’t have beaches or mountains to hike, but that’s just the hand Houston was dealt geographically.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ciobelasalons.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciobelasalon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18nJvBq1ri/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cio.bela.salon
