It never ceases to amaze me how far people have been willing travel to get their hair done by me. When I got my first call from out of state. I was amazed. Amazed that someone would be willing to travel across state lines to obtain Sisterlocks services from me. Especially when many times there would be consultants in the states that they were traveling from.
I will have my farthest traveler since beginning my Sisterlocks business. Can you believe, West Palm Beach Florida? She was so excited that I could get her in that she booked her travel before I could coordinate with anyone else in Florida where I would come there and save her some expense. She was a woman on a mission with a passion and a vision. She knew what she wanted. I am happy for her. Happy that her experience will be a good one, because she chose me. Not conceited but full of pride. I also appreciate her and all of my clients that travel from far away distances for my services. I take so much pride in my work and I am glad that it shows in my photos.
Let me say it again. It never ceases to amaze me when my clients travel for hours just to spend a couple of hours with me, other Sisterlocks wearers and bloggers for a meet and greet. (Tanya & Rose[Tanya's mom]).
Friday, December 08, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Amateur or Master
Sisterlocks is one of those things that takes time to mature. Just as your hair matures over time so does a consultants skill. It doesn't matter if you are a trainee or a certified. You don't sit down at a locking session and get up with the locks that you will have 2 years later.
Looking back, I can see my skill has matured. I didn't have the skill that I do now. I used to schedule 2 days for a locking session. At the end of both days, I felt like I had been beat with an ugly stick. My arms would be tired, my back hurt, I was mentally tired from planning each section. Re-tightenings would sometimes take 6 hours. It doesn't seem like a lot until you figure that most of the time I would do a re-tightening everyday after work and a locking session on the weekend. Not to mention starting it all over again. Week after week. It wasn't economical for the client or me to take 2 days to do a head full of locks or 6 hour re-tightenings when some of my clients travel from as far away as Pennsylvania.
To date, I have done a locking session and 2 re-tightenings' in one day. That was my personal best and was achieved just a few weeks ago. I am not sure if I would ever do that again. But, Archie (my husband) asked me to re-tighened his hair before the last meet and greet. My day started at 7:00 and ended about 11:30. It wasn't so bad. There is also the difference in my time since I am no longer working my 'full time corporate dream job'.
I spoke to a consultant from New York that really understood how much my skill had grown. I told her several things about my business. She also told me that I had moved from what she called an amateur consultant to a master consultant. Imagine. Me a master. I had not even thought of my skill at that level.
I believe that everyone needs a mentor in this business. To mentor is good. To be mentored is better. For the measure you give is the measure you get back. I am a big believer in mentoring but that is a subject for another post.
Looking back, I can see my skill has matured. I didn't have the skill that I do now. I used to schedule 2 days for a locking session. At the end of both days, I felt like I had been beat with an ugly stick. My arms would be tired, my back hurt, I was mentally tired from planning each section. Re-tightenings would sometimes take 6 hours. It doesn't seem like a lot until you figure that most of the time I would do a re-tightening everyday after work and a locking session on the weekend. Not to mention starting it all over again. Week after week. It wasn't economical for the client or me to take 2 days to do a head full of locks or 6 hour re-tightenings when some of my clients travel from as far away as Pennsylvania.
To date, I have done a locking session and 2 re-tightenings' in one day. That was my personal best and was achieved just a few weeks ago. I am not sure if I would ever do that again. But, Archie (my husband) asked me to re-tighened his hair before the last meet and greet. My day started at 7:00 and ended about 11:30. It wasn't so bad. There is also the difference in my time since I am no longer working my 'full time corporate dream job'.
I spoke to a consultant from New York that really understood how much my skill had grown. I told her several things about my business. She also told me that I had moved from what she called an amateur consultant to a master consultant. Imagine. Me a master. I had not even thought of my skill at that level.
I believe that everyone needs a mentor in this business. To mentor is good. To be mentored is better. For the measure you give is the measure you get back. I am a big believer in mentoring but that is a subject for another post.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
When Sisterlocks is not Sisterlocks
On more than one occasion I have had to tell a person that they didn't have Sisterlocks. Unfortunately it was a costly lesson. I am hoping to help you avoid this pitfall. Make sure that the person that you chose to install your Sisterlocks at the very least has the Sisterlocks video, Sisterlocks products on hand and whose name is on the Sisterlocks website.
You don't have Sisterlocks if any of the following applies to you.
If you had human or synthetic hair added
If you or the consultant used a latch hook or nappy tool to install or re-tighten your hair
If your locks are the size of box braids
If your locks started off as small braids
If you can't verify that the consultant offering Sisterlocks services is on the official certified consultant or trainee list. Please, please please contact the home office if the consultant is not on either list. He or she could be a consultant that has been trained more than 2 years ago and have never become certified.
You don't have Sisterlocks if any of the following applies to you.
If you had human or synthetic hair added
If you or the consultant used a latch hook or nappy tool to install or re-tighten your hair
If your locks are the size of box braids
If your locks started off as small braids
If you can't verify that the consultant offering Sisterlocks services is on the official certified consultant or trainee list. Please, please please contact the home office if the consultant is not on either list. He or she could be a consultant that has been trained more than 2 years ago and have never become certified.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Another Honor
It's the small things. I want to take a short moment to thank all of those who attended the meet and greet this past Sunday, November 12. I have learned that the lock community is growing by leaps and bounds.
It was especially nice to see other consultants clients. I think every client should really like their consultant. Lynda, Tammie loves you. She could not stop talking about how well you took care of her hair. I know that my clients really like me. Some of them even love me. Some of them better love me.
Those who missed the meet and greet missed a treat. Thank you to Celeste & Monica, Dr. Cornwells's sister and niece. It was especially nice not having to worry about anyone saying the wrong thing. I follow all the Sisterlocks rules. You will not find a latch hook or nappy tool in my bag of clips. It was nice that one of my qualifying heads for certification was in the room. Her hair was gorgeous. It was really nice that Celeste brought my order of Sisterlocks products with her. Thank you for presenting and answering questions.
Tanya and her mom traveled from Ohio to attend. Tanya also did a wonderful presentation on products and styles. She also meet some friends, Recee and Tammie who have blogs.
Sorry to all of those that didn't get to take a picture with. I will catch you at the Christmas Party, December 16, 2006.
It was especially nice to see other consultants clients. I think every client should really like their consultant. Lynda, Tammie loves you. She could not stop talking about how well you took care of her hair. I know that my clients really like me. Some of them even love me. Some of them better love me.
Those who missed the meet and greet missed a treat. Thank you to Celeste & Monica, Dr. Cornwells's sister and niece. It was especially nice not having to worry about anyone saying the wrong thing. I follow all the Sisterlocks rules. You will not find a latch hook or nappy tool in my bag of clips. It was nice that one of my qualifying heads for certification was in the room. Her hair was gorgeous. It was really nice that Celeste brought my order of Sisterlocks products with her. Thank you for presenting and answering questions.
Tanya and her mom traveled from Ohio to attend. Tanya also did a wonderful presentation on products and styles. She also meet some friends, Recee and Tammie who have blogs.
Sorry to all of those that didn't get to take a picture with. I will catch you at the Christmas Party, December 16, 2006.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Updates Galore
Sorry I have not posted in a while. I have been very busy stepping out on my faith and quitting my full time corporate job that paid me more money than I had ever made in my life and building my clientele. I want you to know that God does provides to those that follow his lead.
I also didn't realize that I had not turned on the automatic posting feature to my blog.
Thanks to everyone that posted commits on my blog. I promise to keep it updated. I love my clients and have been putting them first. I cannot believe how many people that I have helped with their Sisterlocks. After working 7 days a week for almost a year, looking back makes me know that it is only by the grace of God and the patience of my husband that I am able to know from where I have come.
There are a few things that I know.
I know that only God could have given me the strenght to work that hard for that long.
I know that my husband is a great man.
I know that my kids have an appreciation of hard work and they will seek to fullfill their own goals.
I know that nothing worth while is easy.
I know that I have to mentor to others and help them with their business and that will make mine better. (note, one person cannot make all the money).
I know that there is a consultant that mentored me, Thank you Khumura.
I know that there are consultants that are not true to the process. I get their clients.
I know that Sisterlocks only goes by the name 'Sisterlocks'. Anything else is a fraud and you are paying too much for it.
I know that my ministry is through Sisterlocks.
I know that God sends me all of my clients therefore I am thankful.
I know that I will turn you away if I don't believe that you are ready for Sisterlocks.
I also didn't realize that I had not turned on the automatic posting feature to my blog.
Thanks to everyone that posted commits on my blog. I promise to keep it updated. I love my clients and have been putting them first. I cannot believe how many people that I have helped with their Sisterlocks. After working 7 days a week for almost a year, looking back makes me know that it is only by the grace of God and the patience of my husband that I am able to know from where I have come.
There are a few things that I know.
I know that only God could have given me the strenght to work that hard for that long.
I know that my husband is a great man.
I know that my kids have an appreciation of hard work and they will seek to fullfill their own goals.
I know that nothing worth while is easy.
I know that I have to mentor to others and help them with their business and that will make mine better. (note, one person cannot make all the money).
I know that there is a consultant that mentored me, Thank you Khumura.
I know that there are consultants that are not true to the process. I get their clients.
I know that Sisterlocks only goes by the name 'Sisterlocks'. Anything else is a fraud and you are paying too much for it.
I know that my ministry is through Sisterlocks.
I know that God sends me all of my clients therefore I am thankful.
I know that I will turn you away if I don't believe that you are ready for Sisterlocks.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Just so you know
There are some things on my mind that I just want you to know.
Sisterlocks Tool vs. Latch Hook
I just want you to know that you should run away from anyone that does Sisterlocks with a latch hook tool. Some people say that it is easier to use and they are more comfortable using it because they have used it for other styles. It is the wrong tool. I have seen the damage that the latch hook tool does to locks not to mention that it hurts. In my opinion we should practice using the correct tool for the job. What would you do if a Dr. was going to put stitches in with yarn. If someone can use a latch hook then the Sisterlocks tool should be a no brainer.
Food for thought: You can only purchase and learn how to use the Sisterlocks tools if you have taken the class.
Me or You Consultations
In my humble opinion, consultations should be more about you and what you want to do with your hair today, tomorrow and in the future. They should be free and include the video, some test locks and answer all of your questions whether Sisterlocks is for you or not. It should have nothing to do with what pattern you are. Patterns can change based on your hair and what it is doing. Leave the decision on what pattern to do when to the consultant that is taking care of your hair. My questions for you during a consultation. What do you want to be able to do with your hair? I almost always have to give an example. Style, dye or freestyle (hang straight). How is your hair now? Is it natural? When was the last time you had a perm? What do you know about Sisterlocks?
How does asking me how long I have had my locks have to do with you and your hair? What you should know about me. I am listed on the Sisterlocks website as a certified consultant, I can provide references, pictures of my work is my website, all I do is Sisterlocks and God sent you whether you are on a journey or not.
Food for thought: Consultations are like interviews and I see no reason to pay for them.
Throw the oil out
You can't put oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil or oil by any other name in your hair without expecting the locks to slip or slide out. Moisturizers and reconstructors are as big a no no as the oil to locks that have not matured or are fully encased.
Looking over my shoulder
Sisterlocks is more than just twisting hair. You can watch me and think that you are getting the base line for your own business but you can't. When I took the class it was 3 full days. Now it is 4 days to add more practice time and business information. Just twisting hair doesn't take that long to learn. There is so much more the Sisterlocks than what you see a consultant doing during a consultation or while she is retightening someone in the salon. We learn how to fix things that happen along the way.
From 2 to 50 clients on the inside of a year....
So much has happened this past year and I have learned so much about the business and about myself. Ask me how.
Sisterlocks Tool vs. Latch Hook
I just want you to know that you should run away from anyone that does Sisterlocks with a latch hook tool. Some people say that it is easier to use and they are more comfortable using it because they have used it for other styles. It is the wrong tool. I have seen the damage that the latch hook tool does to locks not to mention that it hurts. In my opinion we should practice using the correct tool for the job. What would you do if a Dr. was going to put stitches in with yarn. If someone can use a latch hook then the Sisterlocks tool should be a no brainer.
Food for thought: You can only purchase and learn how to use the Sisterlocks tools if you have taken the class.
Me or You Consultations
In my humble opinion, consultations should be more about you and what you want to do with your hair today, tomorrow and in the future. They should be free and include the video, some test locks and answer all of your questions whether Sisterlocks is for you or not. It should have nothing to do with what pattern you are. Patterns can change based on your hair and what it is doing. Leave the decision on what pattern to do when to the consultant that is taking care of your hair. My questions for you during a consultation. What do you want to be able to do with your hair? I almost always have to give an example. Style, dye or freestyle (hang straight). How is your hair now? Is it natural? When was the last time you had a perm? What do you know about Sisterlocks?
How does asking me how long I have had my locks have to do with you and your hair? What you should know about me. I am listed on the Sisterlocks website as a certified consultant, I can provide references, pictures of my work is my website, all I do is Sisterlocks and God sent you whether you are on a journey or not.
Food for thought: Consultations are like interviews and I see no reason to pay for them.
Throw the oil out
You can't put oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil or oil by any other name in your hair without expecting the locks to slip or slide out. Moisturizers and reconstructors are as big a no no as the oil to locks that have not matured or are fully encased.
Looking over my shoulder
Sisterlocks is more than just twisting hair. You can watch me and think that you are getting the base line for your own business but you can't. When I took the class it was 3 full days. Now it is 4 days to add more practice time and business information. Just twisting hair doesn't take that long to learn. There is so much more the Sisterlocks than what you see a consultant doing during a consultation or while she is retightening someone in the salon. We learn how to fix things that happen along the way.
From 2 to 50 clients on the inside of a year....
So much has happened this past year and I have learned so much about the business and about myself. Ask me how.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Be Careful What You Ask for...
Before embarking on any journey. You should pray. Not that prayer that asks God to watch over your family and keep you safe during your daily travels in the world. Not the one that thanks God for waking you up this morning and starting you on your way. I mean really pray.
Pray the one that humbles you to step out on the faith that you have been saving for the right opportunity. Pray the one that truly makes you to yield to his word and allows God to be the potter and you be the clay. Pray the one that makes you let go and let God even though you don't know what you are going to be when God is finished.
So I prayed... If this is for me Lord send me some clients. But only the ones for me. Lord you know I am working out of my home. The home you blessed me with. The next thing I knew was that I needed a date book to keep all the clients straight. I was working a full time job and doing a retightening or grooming during each day of the week (except for every other Wednesday and I get my press & curl). On the weekends a locking session. My family would ask, "Who do you have today?" Clients would ask me how I keep my current schedule. I tell them that it is by the grace of God. You will be surprised what you can do when guided by God. I get tired but I don't complain because this is what I asked for.
When you ask for guidance you should be willing to follow even if it doesn't make sense at the time.
Officially, my journey began August, 2005. Or should it have began May 2002. That is another story.
Pray the one that humbles you to step out on the faith that you have been saving for the right opportunity. Pray the one that truly makes you to yield to his word and allows God to be the potter and you be the clay. Pray the one that makes you let go and let God even though you don't know what you are going to be when God is finished.
So I prayed... If this is for me Lord send me some clients. But only the ones for me. Lord you know I am working out of my home. The home you blessed me with. The next thing I knew was that I needed a date book to keep all the clients straight. I was working a full time job and doing a retightening or grooming during each day of the week (except for every other Wednesday and I get my press & curl). On the weekends a locking session. My family would ask, "Who do you have today?" Clients would ask me how I keep my current schedule. I tell them that it is by the grace of God. You will be surprised what you can do when guided by God. I get tired but I don't complain because this is what I asked for.
When you ask for guidance you should be willing to follow even if it doesn't make sense at the time.
Officially, my journey began August, 2005. Or should it have began May 2002. That is another story.
Friday, January 27, 2006
What an honor
What an honor it was for a Sister Sisterlock Consultant to schedule an appointment for me to do her hair. I understand the need for a consultants' hair to be on point especially because I don't have locks my self. My work has to speak for itself. Imagine someone looking at your work with the keen eye that consultants have and I made the grade.
It was nice talking shop with someone who had been some of the same places as me.
It was nice talking shop with someone who had been some of the same places as me.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Then I Prayed...
This dream has been two years in the making. I remember thinking. Is this a dream? Do I really want to do this? My kids were getting older and didn't need me as much. I needed something else to do. Is it hair? Do I really need something else to do? I did always want my own business and I have tried a number of different things only to get bored and move on. Ask he who keeps me grounded, my husband.
Then I decided to take on the hair business and I learned a couple of things about myself. It wasn't' that pretty. Scared to succeed, I didn't do one thing until it was time to look back at my accomplishments for the year. It was December 2004 and I had not accomplished a single thing.
January, 2005
The journey continued as I learned that you will not find a single flyer on your car detailing my Sisterlock services. Passing out flyers. It seems so simple but I couldn't do it. What if it snowed or rained and the flyers got stuck to peoples windshields or if security came up and told me I couldn't pass them out or if I passed by the church parking lot and the flyers were all on the ground creating trash. Archie, he who keeps me grounded, told me big Sisterlock businesses had been created by solely passing out flyers. Well, not mine.
I moved to the arena that I was more comfortable with but knew nothing about. The internet.
Embarking on my search for website services took longer than I expected. I needed something that allowed me to be my own webmaster and from humble begins, I began. There were many long nights on hold with the 24/7 help desk but I finally deployed a website on Martin Luther King Day 2005. Nobody told me I had to market it. So, I did that too.
Then I did the most important thing which is what I really did first which is why I was able to do anything. I prayed. By June my certification paperwork was submitted and my appointment book was full into the next month.
Be careful what you ask for.
Then I decided to take on the hair business and I learned a couple of things about myself. It wasn't' that pretty. Scared to succeed, I didn't do one thing until it was time to look back at my accomplishments for the year. It was December 2004 and I had not accomplished a single thing.
January, 2005
The journey continued as I learned that you will not find a single flyer on your car detailing my Sisterlock services. Passing out flyers. It seems so simple but I couldn't do it. What if it snowed or rained and the flyers got stuck to peoples windshields or if security came up and told me I couldn't pass them out or if I passed by the church parking lot and the flyers were all on the ground creating trash. Archie, he who keeps me grounded, told me big Sisterlock businesses had been created by solely passing out flyers. Well, not mine.
I moved to the arena that I was more comfortable with but knew nothing about. The internet.
Embarking on my search for website services took longer than I expected. I needed something that allowed me to be my own webmaster and from humble begins, I began. There were many long nights on hold with the 24/7 help desk but I finally deployed a website on Martin Luther King Day 2005. Nobody told me I had to market it. So, I did that too.
Then I did the most important thing which is what I really did first which is why I was able to do anything. I prayed. By June my certification paperwork was submitted and my appointment book was full into the next month.
Be careful what you ask for.
Friday, January 06, 2006
In the beginning.....
In the Beginning I only wanted to do my husband's hair. Then my son wanted locks. Then a friend of my husband wanted his hair done. Then someone that worked at my son's school wanted his hair done and then I had to decide. Go into buiness? Putting off the decision for months, I learned a couple of things about myself.
Grow with me.
Grow with me.
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