What happened with the business pitch contest? PowerMoves

Thank you so much for your supportive likes and comments cheering me on during the PowerMoves Miami business pitch competition!  Every notification felt like a gentle and supportive pat on the back.  

Since you were there with me, I want to share  my business pitch update with you.

First and foremost, Miami Beach, FL and the famous Fountainbleu Hotel are simply beautiful.  My mind was racing! "Let's get my business moving forward; I gotta increase my revenue because I AM coming back!"

The PowerMoves pitch competition was an empowering and  motivational experience.  I recieved a great honor; PowerMoves hand-picked me to share ideas, get information, network and learn the ropes for pitching my business to venture capitalists.  I was schooled on financial metrics, the power of presentation and the entrepreneurial philosophy of layering your business foundation as best as YOU can; one layer at a time.  

Unfortunately, I didn't win the business pitch contest. It's all good!   Why?  Simply stated, I am confident that I walked away with some SERIOUS TOOLS for future success!.  For you see, I delivered a flawless and deeply passionate business pitch presentation; the audience laughed and cheered me on!  Yes, I gave it all I got! 

Even though I didn't win, I am so deeply grateful because I feel more empowered than ever before.  

Thanks to PowerMoves, I have great key points for updating my pitch, new resource tools for evaluating and forecasting my business plans, and some super new friends; people I know you will be reading about in the near future.  

By the way, I have a fun fact: the stage that I spoke on was the same stage that Whitney Houston belted out the song, I have nothing, in the film, Bodyguard.

If you are interested in learning more about the PoweMoves, please visit the website www.powermovesnola.org  

THANK YOU!

I am feeling so grateful for the support of the Delta Institute and the Salem Baptist Church.  As you may know, the Delta Institute's BOOST Funding Night and the Salem Baptist Church ARISE program awarded support to the Octavia' Natural Hair Care Experience mission!  It is truly an honor to receive support from two game changing organizations.

Because I believe in both organizations, I feel compelled to send an update on my progress.   I am happy to report:

Today was a good day!

Early this morning. I had my first meeting with the Village of Hazel Crest's manager.   Even though no details were confirmed, I am pleased to report it was great meeting.  I look forward to collaboratively working with the Village of Hazel Crest in the near future

in the meantime, there is still plenty of work for me to do. In order to realize the full vision of Octavia's Natural Hair Care Experience, I must continue to fundraise for the salon's 2016 goals:

1) acquire the vacant (brownfield) gas station

2) launch the salon's retail products.  (check out my latest hand-crafted soap cupcakes on my online store; just click the link in the navigation bar.)

3) build relationships within the Chicago Southland community.

To keep the momentum going, my next stop is the Joliet Chapter Shark Tank event; the competition will be held on Saturday, January 23rd.   So these days, I am working to effectively communicate  a sound investment strategy, locking client's hair and making hand-crafted soaps.   And on Sunday, I will meet with a Girl Scout leader to discussworking with her Girl Scouts on confirming their Sustainability badge.  Yes, I am keeping my eye on the prize, a natural hair care salon with an urban farm and green technology.

To learn more about the salon's mission and vision, browse around the website and show support by liking this post.  And if you have any Shark Tank strategy tips, please share in the comments section.

Consider these 5 tips when selecting your Natural Hair Stylist.

You did it!  You are natural.  Going natural is a big change.  As you travel along your hair journey, you will discover one of your biggest challenges is finding a natural stylist who advocates and supports you through your hair transition.

One of the greatest benefits to going natural is the ability to do it yourself, (DIY).   DIY hair is great, but it comes with a new set of challenges.  As a natural stylist, I hear so many issues:

• My hair is dry. What do I do for moisture?
• Why is my hair breaking?
• What are the right products for my hair type?
• Help! I’ve been flat-ironing my hair.  Now, my hair texture is different and doesn’t bounce back.

So the perplexed naturals instinctively begin to seek out a natural stylist.  But that’s precisely where you get stuck!  Which stylist is best for me?

If you are in this dilemma, I hope my blog will inspire clarity and support you in finding the right stylist. So today, I’d like to share what I learned along my journey in remaining an informed, licensed natural stylist.

There are many talented, licensed stylists working today.  These professionals are trained to keep your hair healthy usually specialize in their preferred technique.   Pay attention my friends, the underlined sentence is loaded; the key phrase is “their preferred technique.”   What do I mean?  Let me give you an example.   A sew-in expert is good at sew-ins and perm expert is great with perming.  You feel me now?  Moreover, the natural hair industry is booming.  A business savvy stylist will say they service natural hair, but won’t necessary have an affinity for natural hair.  Thus, I recommend you ask your prospect stylist, what are your specialty services?   After all, you are paying for these services; so specialization is important!  In addition, I want to share some observations I’ve made while networking in the natural hair industry.  I’ve noticed that natural stylists are like-minded individuals who tend to have the following characteristics:

• They have a strong sense of African and African American cultural pride.
• They have a strong commitment to natural hair.  Ie: They are usually rocking a natural hair style.
• They are attracted to natural hair products.  But most tend to mix natural and store bought products; a good stylist knows product knowledge is science!   The super natural stylists create their own product lines.
• They are familiar with, support and attend the natural hair networks and conferences.
• And most important, they will NEVER discourage you from wearing your natural hair!

To this end, I hope you find these tips helpful. If you are in my area, call me for a consultation.

I wish you the best on your natural hair journey. Always know Natural is not a trend.  It’s a lifestyle.  I love this saying so much that I’ve trademarked a cool tee and sell in my salon.   If you like my blog, then please share it. Be well and have a Holiday weekend.