I love my hair natural because…
It’s seriously just a manifestation of what’s inside of me. My inner diva came out with an attitude and landed on top of my head. She’s almost like that crazy best friend that’s good to have around. I love that she is unlike anyone else. I like that on her best days she will block views and draw stares. She’s sexy and chic and quite honestly, she sometimes says things for me which leave me not having to say it myself. She’s my best accessory!Â
Many women of color believe straight hair is better because…
We live in a world where straight hair is Queen. It’s the standard. It’s all we saw growing up, on TV, in magazines [was] straight, long, flowing, silky, shiny, “desirable†hair. Meanwhile, many of us have hair that is naturally the opposite–coily and curly; shrinks up to mask length; and is more cottony than silky. Even a blind man could see what a lifetime of these images could do to a person. And while there are some that would argue that they just prefer straight hair–for manageability or “it just looks better‖I can say that I’ve yet to see a naturally curly woman look better with straight hair. Now make sure you let the record reflect that I’m all for diversity and switching it up; I think straight hair is lovely but I just hope that [women of color] can feel as sexy, if not more, with our fros as we do with our hair straight.
None of my success would be possible if not for…
My work ethic. Because of the sheer volume of content on the blog, people think that I have a 30-person staff. When in actuality, I’m on my computer 24/7–writing, editing, watching the forum, working with other bloggers, responding to emails, moderating comments, talking with brands, social networking… it’s a lot to juggle. Without my passion, meticulously structured days and incredibly supportive husband, I would be unable to take on this huge responsibility.
In business you should never be afraid to…
Take risks. Enter into mutually beneficial partnerships. There is always someone that does some aspect of your business better than you can. Whenever you’re scared to take risks, remember your first obligation is to do whatever is necessary to provide the best experience for your readers.
Anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps should…
Always be mindful of why you started the blog in the first place, and who your reader is. I try to remember back to my early natural days and pose and respond to the questions that would’ve helped me then. Also, focus on providing a quality service. Your consumers are just as smart as you are. They’ll pick the best product–the one that provides the most value for the least cost. It’s no different than any other business.
What’s become clear to me over the years is that most people discount the value of service and won’t focus on it no matter what you say to them. This is probably because their heart is in the wrong place to begin with. Certainly this is a mistake because you can’t build a magnificent structure on a poor foundation.
If I weren’t blogging I would be…
Practicing therapy with more regular hours and of course spending tons of time with the fam. Most people don’t understand that a lifestyle blog is a personal sacrifice. For example, most bloggers take off in late December for the holidays. Of course this is expected, but that’s also when the readers are on vacation, wine in hand and most attentive. I don’t take off, in fact, last year, I blogged more during that time. I hope people appreciate that. Every day you spend thinking about the next article, the next picture, the next story. It’s difficult to live in the moment. So if anything, if I wasn’t in the digital space, I hope I’d be engaging in something that allowed me to really enjoy the present.
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