Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Shaneke.
Hi Brenda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, I’ll be honest doing hair was my plan B. I actually wanted to be a forensic scientist when I graduated high school but let’s just say things don’t always go as planned. I got into doing hair in middle school. I was tender-headed and it got to a point where I was tired of my sister braiding my hair too tight. So, I decided to learn how to do my own hair then it went into me doing a few other people’s hairs for fun.
I took cosmetology in high school but got kicked out because I didn’t really take it seriously. Fast forward went to cosmetology school passed both my test and officially became a licensed cosmologist. The road was very rocky getting started after I graduated. In my mind, I was supposed to take off and be booked and busy.
Again, let’s just say I was still working warehouse and restaurants jobs for a few years until I finally decided to step out on faith and quit my full-time job in 2019 to become a full-time hairstylist. You will be surprised how many people thought I was crazy.
I must admit that was a big risk due to the fact that I didn’t have a steady clientele so part of me was like “hey you may end up back at a 9-5 but at least you can say you tried”.
Three years later I’m still enjoying the entrepreneurial lifestyle. I started off at home then I moved into a suite now I have my own salon. It started off me thinking I wanted to do everything that came with hair but things took a 360 and here I am specializing in locs “loctician” they call it.
I love everything about the uniqueness of locs and how everyone’s journey is different. If you want to know my full story in more detail you can purchase my book from my website. Even though I don’t know what’s next for me I do know being behind the chair isn’t the end goal.
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?
Now I have to give you the uncut answer to this question. Entrepreneurship is a rocky road within itself and it takes a lot of discipline. Social media makes it look good but you got to take the good with the bad if you want to survive. I went from being overlooked to overbooked soon as I started taking myself and my craft seriously.
I have a had few struggles along the way but my biggest struggles throughout this journey are staying in a healthy mental state and losing loved ones. I lost my dad in January 2017 and I honestly had given up on doing hair. I had sold most of my hair stuff and just was like I’ll find another career. I just recently lost my boyfriend in December 2021 and here I am again fighting to push forward with my career.
No, I’m not trying to turn this into a sob story but I have to give y’all the honest truth about my struggles. Yes, I am super proud of myself for taking the risk of quitting my job because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I just want to let anyone reading this know that your journey is yours not someone else, your time is your time, and when it comes take all the risks you can by betting on yourself.
Oh, and when life knocks you down do your best to pick yourself back up on your terms.
We’ve been impressed with Loc Studio 18, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I specialize in loc services (loc maintenance, starter locs, repairs, and loc reattachments). I am known for my starter locs. Everyone loves the way my parts are so neat and that is a very important factor when starting your loc journey.
I feel like what sets me apart from others is not only are my parts neat and good customer service but I also get my clients in and out of the salon in a timely manner.
My brand is special to me, it’s simple just like me LOL but it has many stories behind it. I’m proud of myself for pushing through everything to get to this point. My brand may be a small business but it’s big to me. This brand simply shows breaking generational curses.
Contact Info:
- Email: Locstudio18@gmail.com
- Website: Thelocdstudio18.com
- Instagram: Https://www.Instagram.com/locstudio18/
- Facebook: Https://m.facebook.com/brendashaneke/
Image Credits
@impact_lyfe
