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Hey Beautiful People, this is 4 years in the making of developing a beautiful community.
Now its time to add more beautiful people to the mix. I am a Licensed Cosmetologist, MUA, Business Manager, Vlogger and Speaker. I attended Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy on the west side of Chicago where I fell in love with everything! I remember coming home everyday with a different idea of what I wanted to do with my life after high school.
First I had the greatest idea to become a teacher. I always wondered if I was the only kid growing up that ran home just to play school with a mixture of siblings and cousins. It was 8 of us living together at one time and I was the youngest. What may be hard to believe is that I was the teacher but of course grandma was the principal. Through out high school I was a leader. I was the captain of the dance team, assisted non stop in the office, and created assemblies to recognize students talent. I gained popularity by being myself and accepting others for who they are. I was never a person to judge but was always the one to stand out for doing something creative.
My junior year of high school I was asked to attend the seniors prom. We did not have much money although my creativity did not appear out of anywhere. My mom was as excited as me. She ran thrift store to thrift store until we decided to buy the simplest dress for her to alter. She added yellow to a white dress and gave me a pink flower to wear on my wrist. Since I was just the date I had nothing to do with the colors. My mom prepared my first prom experience with everything she could.
Then I realized there was two things that was not thought of. Hair and Makeup. The last time I did my hair for a very important day was 6th grade. Ponytails with Barretts. Begged her if I could do them myself. This was my chance to take the pressure off my mom again. I was 16, that day I feel in love with beauty.
Since then I tried to spread my love to everyone that would allow me. Started off doing extensions and natural hair. Hair Chick, a closet business is how it started all through my
senior year. I really was applying everything I learned in my business class and I started enjoying it although when I graduated high school I was told I could not forget my first dream, teaching. My mom and step dad set in the front room with me while I was heart broken about not joining everyone else at a particular college. I was then confused.
I didn't know what I wanted to do. All I knew is that if I was not going to college with everyone else I didn't want to go at all. My step dad suggested to my mom that I could stay home and go to beauty school. This was way before I was 50,000 in debt with no degree.
Her response was "You tell your daughter to go to beauty school. My daughter is going to be a teacher". I attended Southern Illinois university from 2011 to Spring 2013. It started off really good. I joined Essence modeling team, Fatal Fusion dance team, and by the end of my second year I had a room in my apartment just to service hair clients. I was far enough from my mom where she would only know how im doing off the energy over the phone. For my first year of college I got my first job at a dining hall and made a name for myself for doing hair on campus. What I did not make was the grades. My grades and confidence was at an all time low. My second year at southern I remember calling home almost weekly to talk to my sister about my dreams and goals. It was not until that last phone call where I was then fully honest about how I was failing multiple classes and was afraid to go home and follow my dreams because I did not want to
disappoint my family. 50,000 in debt, an amount that no one explained could be mines with nothing to show. That night I prayed for guidance on my decisions to either stay or to tell my mom the truth.I want to attend Cosmetology School to be a Licensed Hairdresser. Two weeks later I went home. Not by choice, although it was one of the best choices I did not personally make in my life.
I went to Truman Cosmetology college 2014 through out 2015 while I worked in a salon in oak park. I graduated in 2015 from my program and was Licensed 2016. I was servicing a list of clients on Magnificent Mile downtown Chicago as Jazz Beautiful Hair. Although I still felt like something was missing. I wanted to educate more people on hair, skin, and nails. I then created my first interactive brunch called Mimosa Sunday.
This was my first time outside of highscool fully planning an event. I remember every challenge. I had to build a team from ground up. I also knew my event had to be different. I love speakers although I hate lectures. I will say that was the 2nd thing on the list of reason why I did not complete my undergrad degree.
I am a hands on type of girl. I learn off experience and engagement. My idea of Mimosa Sunday was a brunch with a day party & baby shower kind of twist. All catered towards hair skin and nails. I did not know how I was going to build an audience to attend my events.
What I did know is that I am a full time hairstylist with clients that are interested learning. There you have it, I created my target audience. Mimosa Sunday has a lot more to it then people showing up. I had to find a space, serve food, purchase prizes, pay for seating and tables, find vendors, build an event outline, pay for service guest, practice public speaking and more. Mimosa Sunday came and went and I received a handful of good feedback. I knew this was something I will like to do yearly if not quarterly.
As much as I wanted to branch out and expand my business. My personal goals begin to get in the way. At this point I was living at home with my mother paying $850 a week in both rent downtown Chicago. I could not get pass the fact that every year I was getting older without my own place to call home. I was even pressured more by the fact that my sister moved out
when she went to college and never moved back. I moved into a studio apartment and went to work for Corporate America. I did not give up on the idea of the beauty industry. I took a job with Ulta Beauty Salon in Skokie, IL as a licensed stylist and serviced clients from home. During this time I serviced a lot of make up, blow outs, and color. Working for Ulta was a huge change in my life but it taught me so much.
While working for Ulta I discovered how much the beauty industry has to give. I remember sitting in the salon observing the amount of women and men that come to the salon everyday for a salon service and a quality customer service experience.
At this time I also recognized how many of the people looked like me. I moved to an Ulta Beauty Salon in Chicago so that I can offer clients I was servicing freelance, the salon experience. I was then preparing for my second Mimosa Sunday Brunch. Soon after I quit Ulta Beauty Salon and begin doing hair and makeup full time only as
a freelance artist. This way I was not commissioned any more and could invest more of my money into other passions.
My second Mimosa Sunday Brunch Hair, Skin, and fitness edition came. It was so refreshing
because my entire family attended and we sold out the house. Every vendor walked away with more then half of there items sold. The space was 6,000 square feet. The largest space I have ever hosted an event to this day. It was beautiful.
Although I had an amazing turn out I knew just being a freelance artist and event speaker could not finance my big dreams. If I wanted to expand my business I needed an income that supported just me. It had to be separate from the income that supports my dreams and
passions. I took a full time job overnight at Uber Technologies as an agent. Six months later I was promoted to a team Manager position managing 21 Customer Service Specialist. This position did take a lot of my
day time availability although I managed to continue to grow as an entrepreneur.
In 2018 I met my boyfriend who is an artist. Since then he has encouraged me to jump into all my passions. His idea of life is that you do not have to settle into one career. You have a full life to live and by doing that you will inspire others. He helped me conquer my fear of being a Youtube Vlogger. On June 5th, 2018 I dropped my first YouTube video. I can tell
you all now that I was afraid. Then I said things like I don't have a quality camera! I don't have a ring light! The biggest excuse that over shadowed my fear was I do not have time! My boyfriend was given the gift of honesty. He looked at me every time and said excuse, excuse, excuse! He said it so much unto the point when he left the house one day I made my first official Youtube video.
I am now at a point in my life where I know I am talented! I also choose to use each gift I was given to first make me happy and secondly influence others to use there's.
Jazz Beautiful Hair soon after turned into Jazz Beautiful. I dropped the hair because I realized hair is just one of my many talents. I am Jazz Beautiful the Cosmetologist, MUA, Business
Manager, Vlogger and Speaker. Jazz Beautiful is a platform of beautiful people who express their uniqueness through beauty, business, and Lifestyle. Imagine living a life where everyone you touched experienced a new outlook of beauty. Being beautiful is not defined by the opinions or looks of people you encounter. Beauty is defined by the experience. Beautiful people create their own experiences and share them with the world.
Throughout this blog I was able to share with you different parts of my life that defined my passions today. I am happy to that you are now another beautiful person that I can add to the mix. Our community of Beautiful People come from all different backgrounds and industries.
Rather its through beauty, business, and Lifestyle the journey you will create and share with us moving forward will be undeniably Beautiful!
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