Maya Smith, Founder of the Doux, Talks International Entrepreneurship Success

There are many hair salons across the country but few are anything like the quirky, colorful, pampering lounge dubbed The Doux. It’s owned and designed by serial entrepreneur and mother of five, Maya Smith.

The trendy and ambitious master stylist from Los Angeles managed to harness more than 20 years of hairstyling experience—all after relocating to a country foreign to her—and build her first salon, The Honeycomb.

The salon hosted many of Germany’s first natural hair meet-ups and catered to clients needing natural haircare there. It was also the birthplace for Smith’s haircare line and vibrant brand the Doux.

After seven years of primping and styling a once underserved group in the country, Smith decided to call it quits and bid adieu to Europe, closing the doors of the Honeycomb but never forgetting the value her shop brought to the community.

Smith has brought all of her innovative, Honeycomb salon-style qualities stateside to yet another town in need of natural haircare services. The Doux, a snazzy customer service-driven business, is a full salon and blow dry parlour located in downtown Macon, Georgia.

BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Smith to talk about where she got her start, how she built her unique salon business and what’s next for the Doux.

BlackEnterprise.com: Tell me a little about yourself and how you got started in the hair industry?

Maya Smith: I got my my license when I was still in high school, and by the time I graduated [from beauty school], I still had a year left in high school. So, I spent the last year as a licensed professional [and] I’ve been doing this [ever since]. This will be 20 years for me.

I moved back to my hometown in LA. and worked for celebrity stylist Tracy Johnson. I was her assistant and learned quite bit from her.

When a lot of entertainers and aspiring entertainers were moving or purchasing homes in Atlanta, [I was] doing the bi-coastal thing. I [finally] moved out to Atlanta just trying to keep up with my freelance job. And then I got re-married.

Read more about Maya Smith’s entrepreneurship journey on the next page …