Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvette Taylor.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A brief walk through my story would start, I guess the day it occurred to me that I was going to be a Loctician: I was sitting in my stylist’s chair & talking out loud, thought about what I could do to pay the bills because I was so unhappy at my current “gig”. I worked for a family owned business (literally mom&pop) & the environment was so overwhelmingly toxic! I’m a woman of a certain age and I’ve never quit a job in a matter of six months! I have held a career in law enforcement for 20 yrs though, so I have experience at being a boss, & decided it was time to work for myself. After, retiring and leaving NY 16 yrs ago, I’ve had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom, a preschool teacher, a veterinarian tech, and, a designer of burial monuments here in the Orlando area. I love being a wife & mother. I love cleaning & gardening in addition to creating the environment for healthy hair. I love going to the gym 3-4 times a week (which lately is honestly becoming difficult). With that being said, I’m a real “gurly, girl”, so, venturing out into entrepreneurship has definitely been the key to maintaining my lifestyle , allowing me to express my talent as well as expressing myself individually. I take pride in, reflecting myself, in my business. With the exception of my “overhead” , my location being Salonlofts, it’s all Me. Every bit of ambiance, decor, how I suit up & the energy I bring! It’s all Me. I’m unique, right down to my brand’s name, Ni Su (the meaning is a story of it’s own), I picked it because it represents a point of self discovery, where I am right now in my life. Forever evolving, & giving 100%.
In August 2019, I told my co worker I was leaving to start my own business & I never looked back. The best advice I’d ever got, was to pick one thing & specialize in that! So I studied traditional locking methods first, then in 2020, I took JoAnne Cornwell’s Sister locks course. I am a certified Sister locks Consultant & it brings me joy to guide women in their hair care needs. The finished look, is so rewarding! The transition, to natural hair from chemically treated hair, is “a walk” I value taking with my clients & it’s so rewarding! Going from loose hair, to locked hair, to fully locked hair, is like watching a flower bloom! And I’m hear for it. I’ve met so many wonderful people and I think it’s because, what you put out is what you get back.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Well, although I’m now located in Salon Lofts (almost making 1 year), I used to work from home. I had a studio adjacent to the front door & alongside a bathroom. It was quite convenient in servicing my clients without them having to move so much through my home. Of course, not having to pay rent on salon space was an absolute plus, but, my HOA was not happy when they somehow caught wind of my website? Upon there notification, I had 30 days to cease business. I thought I was done, but, my husband said, “oh no you’re not quitting!” and he found the manager of Salon Lofts within the next 4 days, lol.
Fortunately, I’ve never had any real disgruntle customers. In the beginning, things take a lot longer. My very first client, took me a really long time. She was solicited under the banner of “grand opening” & impressed with my trainee certification, unfortunately, she didn’t have time to indulge my slow pace…it looked good tho, but, at the halfway point she had to leave. I was definitely, heartbroken, disappointed in myself, but grateful for the experience and I understood. That was my first Retightening/a maintenance service. My second Establishment, where, I completely transformed my client from loose hair to Sister locks, the client wasn’t able to depart until 2 a.m. She was pissed, she had to go to work the next day… but her hair looked good! …she got the gift, but never came back…I wasn’t even upset because I was so proud of my work…&&&& I gave her a super cheap price because I knew I was going to take long (her loss).
Only one time did I have a parent not want to pay full price for ther young adult being serviced…I low balled my estimate for a service I’d never performed before, and after feeling the stress & actual time consumption to create “Instant Locs”, I corrected the price. She paid, begrudgingly. But those kind of conversations are not nice, luckily, only once did I have the miss pleasure.
Lately, I’ve had two clients reverse credit card charges on me. The second one did it after I informed her of the incident with the first person (where’s the emoji on this keyboard, lol)?? Of course I contested both times with the cc company & lost.. I still don’t know what I didn’t say to win my case…I just knew I was going to come out victorious in the last case, but, since then, I have taken further precautions with ensuring clarity regarding policy. In almost 6 yrs of service, that’s still a really good track record.
Once , I had a client fully grey haired, whom I never thought of as elderly (I love & respect the elders) not thinking of her like that, she came in after missing her last appointment with no communication, & continuously talked about how she’d recently fallen, She talked so much about being sick. About her & other sick people she was taking care of. Remaining professional & caring is always the forefront of service but I don’t do “negative talk”. I could’t, I told her she had to have home visits at her residence moving forward. I had to make a judgement call in not wanting to risk her hurting herself. She didn’t like that (no emojis’ on my laptop). So, I’ve had a few lessons that have taught me it’s okay to be selective in my acquisition of clientele.
Other than that, I’m in bliss (this conversation does remind me, I need to do something about a new dryer).
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do Locs. I specialize in Sister locks, which is a type of micro lock formed by the interlocking method. The Term, “Sister locks”, is trademarked, & should denote specific qualifications. My clients are getting a specifically trained method of hair care. Precision, is important, it’s what they pay for! I care about hair-health, I don’t want my clients to just look good, I’m giving them what’s going to be beneficial to them. I teach my clients how to take care of their hair, encouraging them to work from the inside out. Hair, can be a reflection of one’s health, internal issues can show up externally in your hair. I encourage nourishing internally as well as externally. Hair, is also spiritual. It is your antenna to the ether. I have a strong, somewhat personal connection with my clients. There’s a definite exchange that goes on between myself & my clients, sometimes, without words. Conversations, during service can be entertaining & fun, but never pressing, it’s nice to just sit back & chill, and enjoy being taken care of. I can feel, that my clients feel cared for. I prioritize business. It’s a service people need & in order to have a business you need people. I act like it. There is no particular day of the week I will not work. I’m flexible like that. I do advance scheduling for my clients, & we are in alignment with that…it’s preferred on both ends..everyone can enjoy their life & not worry about when their gonna get their hair done.
I believe my reputation proceeds me for my “good work” (those are the comments I receive on social media & in my reviews. Clients refer other potential clients because people say, “your hair always looks so nice, who does your hair?” They also talk about loving my energy in my reviews. My biggest compliment was when someone said, ” I just love everything you do!
I know my Loc baths are different.. I dim the lights, turn on the music & let them soak with an ultra refreshing cleanse. Do a little scalp massage while a warm towel with a trace of essential oils covers the face… ooh that’s heaven.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
My price, while still in line with mainstream rates, I’m affordable. Other than that, hope to see you, catch me while you can Orlando.
Pricing:
- Sister locks Establishments start at $1250
- Sister locks maintenance starts at $170
Contact Info:
- Website: https://salonlofts.com/yvette_taylor
- Instagram: nisuwindermere
Image Credits
Salon lofts Dr Phillips-Universal (salon suite & exterior building) Europa village Temecula Ca (sculpture/statue)
