Today we’d like to introduce you to Cierra Miller-Douglas.
Hi Cierra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, my name is Cierra Miller-Douglas and I am from Little Rock, AR but currently residing in Memphis, TN. I am a 24-year-old wig maker and wig instructor and have taught over 20+ students how to successfully create wigs via the sewing machine.
I have always had a love for extensions but being newly married and new to the city of Memphis getting my hair done every two weeks did not necessarily fit into our budget nor could I find a hairstylist. However, despite the “lack of resources” I knew that I still wanted to maintain my appearance and continue to keep my hair done. That’s when I decided to start making wigs for myself.
The first wig that I made by hand literally took me all day long so I knew that there had to be a quicker and better way to accomplish this task. After scrolling on social media, I came across a wig maker who created wigs via the sewing machine, and that immediately piqued my interest but how could I learn this? Again, due to the “lack of resources” I was unable to take a 1-on-1 class with that individual so I enrolled in the University of YouTube.
On a one-year wedding anniversary my loving husband, Travis, purchased me a sewing machine from a local shop. He knew how much I was interested in making wigs and saw my potential before I even did. With the University of YouTube and A LOT of trial and error and frustrating nights I taught myself everything that there is to know about wig making and haven’t looked back since.
Making wigs was just a hobby but it soon turned into the business that I have today, that being POSH Beauty Collection. Once I made up my mind that I wanted to make wigs and start a business I was and still am determined to be successful. I definitely have to credit my ambition/drive to my parents. My mom is the one who suggested that I get a hobby and little did we know that this hobby would turn into this. My father has always instilled in me to 1) If I’m going to do something I better be the best at it and 2) to always go after what I want.
With that being said this is just the beginning of POSH Beauty Collection and I know for a fact that it’s only going to get better.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! It’s been very, very, veryyyyy difficult. Again, being self-taught I didn’t know what I was doing and sometimes I still don’t. I have never been to hair school nor had proper training so I was just figuring things out as I went along. Not only did I not have hair experience I never used a sewing machine so here I am trying to learn how to do both.
Navigating social media is/has been difficult as well. Trying to learn how to market, create a brand, find a target audience, has also played a part in my struggles as well.
I also work a regular Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 shift. Many people think that I am a full-time wig maker but in reality, I’m not. It has been difficult trying to pursue my dreams while still working for someone else but it’s not impossible. There have been a lot of late nights, early mornings, and working weekends. I currently work all day, every day and that gets exhausting.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a wig maker and wig instructor. I make glueless closure wigs and teach both men and women how to make wigs via the sewing machine. In addition to wigs and classes, I also offer hair products that can be used for your natural hair and/or extensions.
The Silkening Mist, a heat protectant, and polishing spray are still to this date one of my top sellers.
The thing that I am most proud of is that I am self-taught. Creating a side hobby is easy but turning that passion into a full business is worth talking about. Social media only shows the pros of starting a business but it hardly ever shows the downside of it. Running a business is HARD. So shout out to anyone who currently is running a business no matter how small or large it is right now.
I think what sets me apart from others is the level of transparency, customer service, and attention to detail that I provide my audience. I keep it real with my #POSHBeautyChic’s. I live by the golden rule of “to treat people how you want to be treated” so all of my customers I treat with the utmost respect.
As for being transparent, that means owning whatever the situation may be and taking ownership for it. It also means stating whether something can/can’t be done. Rather than taking my customer’s hard-earned money to perform a service that I am unsure of how to do, I will rather decline stating so.
I have realized that a lot of my customers respect me for the simple fact that I am just honest.
When customizing the wigs for my customer’s attention to detail is CRUCIAL. The customization for wigs can literally make or break the look and I always try to aim for units that look as realistic and natural as possible. When my customers get their wig installed it looks very realistic and could never tell that it was a wig.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I definitely have learned a lot from the pandemic. Personally, I learned to just enjoy the moment because at any second you never know what can change. That being financially, mentally, spiritually, and physically.
I’ve also learned to set up boundaries that being in my personal life and business. It’s okay to not be available 24/7 because we have our own lives as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: Contact@poshbeautycollection.com
- Website: Www.poshbeautycollection.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/poshbeautycollection
- Facebook: Facebook.com/poshbeautycollection
Image Credits
Ariel Thomas
