Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneicke Ellis.
Hi Kenneicke, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Good morning, my name is Kenneicke Ellis and I’m a 21-year-old hairstylist that specializes in loc extensions. I’m currently in college studying business administration & my business actually started unexpectedly. One day I was in my college dorm and I wanted to get loc extensions but I couldn’t afford to pay someone else to get them done so I went on YouTube and learned how to do them myself. After I did the loc extensions on myself I posted the results on my Instagram story and a few people said I did a great job. But one response stuck out to me above the rest and it said “you should start doing hair”. The Covid-19 pandemic hit and I had no other choice but to proceed because I had no money and my bills had to be paid. I made an Instagram with the name “ HairByKenneicke” and I advertised that I wanted to practice doing braids & advertised and finally someone booked an appointment with me, my first client ever and she booked knotless braids. I didn’t even know how to braid and the whole night before her appointment I stayed up watching YouTube videos over and over again on how to successfully complete the hairstyle. The day of her appointment came and it took me 12 hours to complete her hair. I thought I did a great job that day. Now that I look back those were the ugliest braids I’ve ever seen!! But what I will say is I was very proud of myself at that moment for not giving up. After my first appointment, I kept on practicing and growing as a hairstylist and eventually, my clientele started growing. An area in my small bedroom was basically my mini salon. I didn’t have the right tools or the fanciest equipment, just the ambition to be great. I was so obsessed with being successful that I turned something I learned on YouTube with no prior experience into a successful business. Now that I look back, being a business owner has always been in me, I remember in 7th grade I was selling slim Jim’s at lunchtime for $1 to make a profit! Constantly trying to make nothing into something I always found a way.
Even though I didn’t really grow up braiding hair, I was around family members that knew how to do hair. They weren’t hairstylists but they just did their family’s hair.
When I was younger in Jamaica I would sit on the veranda with my mom while she twisted me & my sisters’ hair. my aunt knew how to braid and cornrow.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This has definitely not been a smooth road for me: I would say this has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Being a first-time business owner comes with so many things it’s not just about being a hairstylist I run my social media, I answer emails, I am a content creator, I respond to inquiries from clients, I book appointments, I make wigs, I am the customer service rep for my business, Etc. Trying to juggle all of those things by myself I’d very challenging!
Also, not many people know this but In November 2021 I signed the lease to my salon suite without telling anyone because I was scared of what they would say! I’ve never really had anyone in my family do anything like this before so it was kind of new for me.
I just took a leap of faith & just went for it. For months I was in my salon suite trying to decorate & paint! I was working out of my apartment before my salon suite was ready so after I got done servicing my clients, I would go straight to my salon suite sometimes at 2 AM at night for hours until I made enough progress to where I felt like I should stop. I’ve painted a few times here and there but never more than a wall. I put up my salon chair by myself & omg it was so hard even though there were instructions it didn’t help at all.
I come from a family of hard workers so drive & determination was instilled in me from a young age. Being that I was born in Jamaica, I was blessed to even make it to the United States. Seeing the struggle my parents had to go through in Jamaica when I was younger constantly inspires me to strive for better. Growing in that type of environment is definitely a humbling experience and it is one of the top driving forces that keeps me going. My number 1 driving force is my parents because no matter what we were going through they always made a way out of no way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in loc extensions! I went viral on January 20th when I posted my Blue & Black Butterfly Locs. & I even got followed by the creator of the butterfly locs herself. My followers follow me because they love the way I do locs. I am one of the few hairstylists on Instagram that do locs so neatly and in a way that makes them look like your real hair. My Neke Locs are my most popular because of how undetectable they are.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I would say the quality or characteristic that I feel is most important to my success is how consistent I’ve been with my work! You can be a good hairstylist but if your work is not consistent people will start to notice & you’ll be looked at as an unreliable hairstylist. I think that’s what sets me apart from the rest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=19115356
- Instagram: Instagram.com/HairByKenneicke
