Exploring Life & Business with Angie (Yoh) And Eleazar (Chinne) Yoh And Chinne of Angie Hairr Stylist

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie (Yoh) And Eleazar (Chinne) Yoh And Chinne.

Hi Angie (Yoh) and Eleazar (Chinne), thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Seconds after Po lands through clouds of firework smoke and finds himself sitting in front of Master Oogway, he’s terrified. He doesn’t know why he’s there, what he’s supposed to do, or how he could possibly live up to the title of Dragon Warrior. That scene has always stuck with me, because in many ways it mirrors how this journey felt when it began exciting, unexpected, and honestly, overwhelming.Like Po, we didn’t fully understand the responsibility or the road ahead. But through every twist and turn, Angie and I have treated this entire experience as an adventure, one filled with constant learning: SEO optimization, site analytics, branding, tax codes, compliance, customer relationships the whole works. We always tell you this through Angie’s perspective, here’s one a little different.

In the summer of 2020, after my freshman year of college, COVID-19 shut everything down. Southern California usually buzzing with life was suddenly quiet. My days became video games, YouTube, and soccer. It was enjoyable, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to build or learn something that mattered.
A family friend offered my brother and me an apprenticeship at her salon, and that’s where I met Angie. One of my earliest memories of her is something so small yet so defining she sat down for lunch, insisted I join her, and spoke to me with the warmth of someone who truly sees people. Even now, six years later, she’s the same: attentive, kind-hearted, selfless, committed.In fall 2023, I returned to school full-time, and Angie left the salon around the same time. A few weeks later, when we met up again, she told me she wanted to open her own business. That conversation was the spark, and everything that’s happened since feels like a domino effect.As a soccer coach and a lover of the game, I’ve always believed in the dignity of resilience watching someone try, fail, try again, and keep pushing forward. “When talent doesn’t work hard, hard work beats talent” is a phrase we live by in football, and it’s even more true in entrepreneurship.
You have to get comfortable with failure. With recalibrating. With starting again. And in our case, we started with nothing: no investors, no established clientele, just Angie, her savings, and me. Google gave us a million results; YouTube promised a million “easy steps.” None of it truly prepares you. There were stressful days and discouraging weeks, but for some reason I never doubted that we’d figure it out.We started by planning not a master plan, more like a rough map then registering the business, forming the LLC, sorting out the legal and tax logistics. Once we had a name and documents, we moved to the online world: building the website, setting up social pages, learning brand strategy.I still remember launching our Wix site and buying our domain. From there, it became all about visibility. Even with my computer science background, I was in uncharted waters. SEO became my obsession. I wish I could say I started as an expert, I didn’t. Before we understood SEO, we were throwing money into ads with almost nothing to show for it: no brand recognition, barely any online presence, few reviews, no social proof. We were basically paying to hang a poster in a room no one walked through.
In the first three months, we had maybe 20 clients. Some days none. Some weeks just one. It was discouraging watching more money go out than come in. But quitting wasn’t an option. We had too much to build and everything to gain.
Our early strategy wasn’t working, so we faced the question every entrepreneur eventually must answer:
Do we wait and hope things change, or do we pivot? Adam Scott said “And always remember that failure is your friend. It is the raw material of success. Invite it in. Learn from it. And don’t let it leave until you pick its pocket. That’s a system.”
And that moment that willingness to reassess, rethink, and evolve is where the real story of Angie Hairr began. Becoming comfortable with change, comfortable not knowing but still aspiring. Not knowing and pushing on regardless.

Our next chapter was all about identity figuring out who we were, what we wanted to represent, and why we were different from every other salon out there. We knew we couldn’t move forward without a strong sense of self. Once we settled on the name, we spent hours brainstorming logo ideas. The logo needed to be sleek, recognizable, and captivating, but it also had to reflect what we were building: a space that felt warm, relaxed, and uniquely personal.
We’ve always loved the homely, welcoming atmosphere we’ve cultivated, but we also wanted our clients to feel special seen, understood, and catered to. Everyone who walks through our doors has different needs, and honoring that is part of our identity.

That mindset carried over into our website. We chose the theme because we didn’t want clutter, overwhelming menus, or confusing pathways. We wanted simplicity, clarity, and transparency especially with pricing. With how challenging the economy is for so many people right now, we felt strongly that clients should always know what to expect. No surprises, no hidden fees, no confusion.
The logo itself was a journey. We tried different designs, different concepts, different aesthetics. Then one sleepless night, while I was making late adjustments to the site, I stumbled across a photo of Angie that just felt perfect. I spent the next few hours in Photoshop, experimenting and shaping that image into something that captured who she is and who we are. If you’ve ever wondered who inspired our logo, there you have it: it’s Angie, through and through.
The more we grow and mature in business, the clearer our vision becomes. Just like in the beginning, we stay vigilant, willing to let go of what doesn’t work and flexible enough to try something new. Staying elastic has been one of our greatest strengths. And honestly, the process the learning, the adjusting, the creating has been fun.

One of the things we really prioritize is communication and education. Whether clients reach out to us or we contact them first, we almost always exchange guidance on what to do before an appointment, after an appointment, and sometimes both. Hair care isn’t one-size-fits-all just like fingerprints or irises, everyone’s hair has its own unique qualities, needs, and responses.
Because of that, we try to personalize recommendations as much as possible. If someone needs to avoid a certain product, prep their hair in a specific way, or use something different post-styling, we tell them. These small adjustments can make a huge difference in how long a style lasts and how healthy the hair remains underneath.
And since we’re here let me share one secret:
Black castor oil works wonders for most hair types, especially when braided. It keeps the hair moisturized, shiny, and protected while allowing the style to settle beautifully. Pair that with a durag or a sleep cap at night, and you help keep braids or locs tight, neat, and fresh for much longer.
For us, it’s not just about doing hair it’s about teaching clients how to care for it, so their style looks and feels great well beyond the salon visit.

Lastly, we want to express our gratitude to everyone who has been part of this journey. To the team at VoyageLA, thank you for taking the time and interest in our story. To your readers, thank you for lending us your eyes and ears. And to all of our clients and customers your support, encouragement, and trust have meant more than we can ever fully express.
While we’re not there yet, one of our biggest goals is to be able to give back meaningfully to the community to become a resource, a support system, and a pillar in the neighborhood. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but that’s the direction we’re working toward every single day.
To anyone reading this who has an idea, a dream, or cold feet about starting something we want to encourage you: try it. Start small, start at your own pace, but start. “Slow is fast.” Failing small gives you room to learn, adjust, and grow bigger over time.
And if you ever want insight into our process, we’re here as a resource. Don’t be afraid to take that first step because who knows? You might begin a journey that surprises you, challenges you, and transforms you. Maybe, just maybe, you’re the Dragon Warrior after all.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
People sometimes imagine entrepreneurship as a fairytale ride, a steady climb with quick wins and predictable success. Our experience has been almost the opposite. We began with no business background, no roadmap, no team to fall back on, just two people willing to learn and figure things out along the way. And that meant facing a lot of unfamiliar territory at once: building a customer base from scratch, learning how marketing truly works in practice, shaping our brand identity, trying to understand financial systems, tax rules, state compliance, scheduling, pricing, and even how to scale without losing the quality and personal touch we care about.
When you’re doing everything yourself or with a very small team, you quickly learn that most lessons don’t come from books or courses they come from trial, error, and patience. Delegating responsibility sounds ideal, but in the early stages there is often no one to delegate to. You simply have to try, watch something fall short, and then try again. And as strange as it sounds, the moments when something works instantly aren’t always the best lessons. It’s the failures that teach you what will sustain the business long-term.
One example stands out clearly. For months, our website wasn’t being properly indexed by Google. That meant many of our pages simply weren’t appearing when people searched for salons nearby. At first, we had no idea that was happening. It took reviewing the analytics, paying attention to the numbers, researching solutions, and experimenting before we finally understood the issue and fixed it. Maybe someone more experienced would have seen the problem immediately, but we were learning from the ground up. And in hindsight, I’m grateful for that. It taught us not only how to solve the problem, but how to pay attention how to analyze the health of the business beyond surface-level impressions.
A huge part of this journey has been accepting that mistakes are not a sign of failure they are part of the design. We’re human for a reason, and none of us is meant to get everything right the first time. Learning and growing is the entire point.
There is also the side of business that most people never see: the lifestyle shift. When you’re the owner, the business doesn’t close at 6 PM. It exists in your mind constantly. Free time becomes a concept you vaguely remember. The weight and responsibility of keeping the doors open sits squarely on your shoulders, and it does affect friendships, relationships, and how much energy you have for anything outside of work. It is a sacrifice, and it’s one you make quietly, because the dream matters enough to carry the cost.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. But it has been meaningful. Every obstacle pushed us to grow. Every misstep forced us to learn something we now rely on. Every period of discouragement strengthened our resilience and sharpened our clarity. The journey hasn’t been easy, but it has been worthwhile and it has shaped us into a stronger, more capable team.
If there is one thing this road has taught us, it’s that you don’t have to know everything when you start. You just have to start, stay humble, remain teachable, and keep moving forward. The rest comes with time, and the lessons even the tough ones are part of what makes the success real.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Angie Hairr Stylist?
Our business is, at its core, built around a very simple belief: every client deserves to look great, feel cared for, and receive service that is personal, intentional, and tailored to who they are. We operate as a braiding and protective styling salon in Southern California, specializing in men’s, women’s, and children’s protective and natural braiding styles — including French braids, cornrows, knotless braids, goddess braids, two-strand twists, dreadlock maintenance, and more. We genuinely love what we do, and we take pride in providing work that is clean, durable, polished, and detailed. A protective style should not only look good on the day it leaves the salon it should remain healthy, manageable, and beautiful in the weeks that follow.

We also understand that getting your hair done can mean long hours in the chair, so we try to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. Whether it’s streaming a movie, watching a Premier League match, listening to Afrobeats from Nigeria or Ivory Coast, or just chatting and catching up, we put effort into making clients feel relaxed and entertained. Sitting for hours doesn’t have to feel like a chore and many clients tell us that the time passes faster than they expected because they genuinely enjoy being here.

What truly sets us apart, however, is not just the hairstyles it’s the atmosphere and the philosophy behind what we do. While a lot of salons prioritize speed and high turnover, our business grew from the opposite approach. We want people to feel welcome from the moment they arrive, not rushed. We spend time communicating before and after an appointment because every head of hair is unique. What works for one client may not work for another. If someone needs to prep differently, avoid certain products, or adopt a better nighttime routine to make their style last and their hair thrive, we tell them. We want clients to leave not only looking great, but confident and informed in how to care for their hair after they walk out the door. And while we don’t operate with a slow pace by any means anyone who has sat in Angie’s chair knows she works swiftly with precision the focus is always quality first.

A lot of that focus comes from who Angie is as a stylist. She is attentive, empathetic, patient, and her eye for detail is something clients recognize immediately. She doesn’t just braid she studies hair. She pays attention to the natural texture, the density, how the hair reacts to tension, what products will support it best, and how to bring out the healthiest result over time. Her years of industry experience have been the foundation of the business. In fact, when designing our logo late one night, it only felt right to use a depiction of her as the core image because she embodies the standard and spirit of everything we are building.

We are also proud of the brand experience we’ve built online. We wanted a website that was clean, simple, modern, and transparent no hidden fees, no unclear service descriptions, no guessing. In today’s economy, clarity matters. We believe in the Scripture Matthew 7:16: “By their works you shall know them.” If someone wants to understand who we are and whether we are the right salon for them, we prefer to let the work speak. From Google reviews to Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and our website, we try to be accessible and let clients judge us based on results, not slogans.

Another thing we hold close is that we built this business from the ground up no investors, no outside marketing team, no shortcuts. Every logo, every system adopted, every SEO improvement, every graphic, every booking update, and every analytics insight was learned along the way while we were already running the day-to-day business. It wasn’t always graceful, but it has been authentic. We learned by doing, by experimenting, by failing, and by improving. That process has shaped not only the business but also us as owners.

Some of the most heartwarming moments of the journey have come from the clients themselves the conversations in the chair, the shared laughter, and the stories of how people found us. We’ve had clients drive an hour from Torrance, others from Brea, Mission Viejo, and surrounding cities, and one unforgettable client who ended up in our chair because her daughter in Texas searched online and recommended us from hundreds of miles away. Those kinds of moments fill us with gratitude and remind us that this work truly travels beyond the four walls of the salon. There is nothing more meaningful than seeing someone stand up at the end of their appointment smiling, feeling beautiful, and knowing their time was valued.

We are still growing, still learning, and working toward an even bigger vision. One of our next goals is to move into a larger space where clients can be even more comfortable and where we can expand our services. But the long-term dream is bigger than square footage. We want to become a pillar in the community a place people can rely on, return to, recommend, and feel at home in. Not just a salon, but a space that gives back, contributes, and makes a lasting impact.

At the end of the day, what makes our brand different is the people behind it and the people we serve. We care. We listen. We pay attention. And we treat every client and every interaction like it matters because it does.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I was born on August 8th to Zachariah and Salamatu Chinne, the middle of three boys sandwiched between Marlon and Ezra in the city of Jos, Nigeria. My childhood was a blend of movement, imagination, and discovery. As the son of a clergyman and district church secretary, we relocated often, which meant I was exposed to the vast cultural diversity of Nigeria at a young age. Many people may not realize this, but Nigeria with its 200 million people is home to over 500 spoken languages. Even after moving to the States moving did not stop there. An interesting fact about myself is that Ive attended a different highschol for every year of my high school education. Growing up among such variety taught me early on that there is always more than one way to see the world, more than one way to express yourself, and more than one type of beauty.

My world as a boy revolved around video games, art, and drawing. I spent countless hours clicking away on CorelDRAW, sketching, experimenting, building little digital worlds before I even understood what graphic design was. Those small moments sitting at a computer, making shapes and lines come alive were just childhood passions at the time, but looking back, it’s unbelievable how those early sparks of creativity would later become foundational in branding, content creation, and even web design for our business today. Life has a funny way of connecting dots we don’t know exist yet.

Of course, when you’re young, your dreams are shaped by whatever story feels biggest at the time. For my brother and me, that story was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. After many late-night sessions, I decided with full conviction that I wanted to join the military. It was only as I grew older that my vision began to widen. I became captivated by computers and science, fascinated not just by what technology could do, but by how it worked. The world opened up a little more every year.

But if there is one childhood memory that glows brighter than the rest, it would be a Christmas around the age of 12 or 13 the first holiday after we moved into our new house. It was one of those Nigerian holidays that felt like a festival. Family came from everywhere. My cousin Jefrey, uncles Aaron and Ubale, aunties Tabitha, Susan, and Joy the house was bursting with voices, laughter, and the constant shuffle of someone moving a pot, a tray, or a child.

The kitchen was its own universe. We were making chin-chin and puff-puff, deep-fried little pastries that tasted like childhood itself along with enough chicken, lamb, and beef to feed a small army. Someone was always stirring something, tasting something, shouting instructions, or stealing a snack before it reached the table.

And then, in classic kid fashion, five of us boys executed a covert military operation of our own. We quietly smuggled one of the small TVs and the DVD player into the bedroom, laid mattresses across the floor, closed the door, and set up our own private cinema. For almost a week, we stayed up late, working our way through every Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie we could find. To us, this wasn’t just entertainment, this was an adventure through Middle-earth, battles, friendship, magic, and imagination all from a tiny TV sitting on the floor of a boys’ bedroom in Nigeria. “You shall not pass!” still rings vividly in my mind! I remember where I lay on the floor as Gandalf ushered those ever-present words.

In the day, we’d take the soccer ball outside and play small-sided matches in the front yard. Someone was always trying to juggle the ball longer than the next person. There were shouts, scraped knees, laughter and the pure happiness that comes from playing football with the people you love.

At night, we’d sit outside around a fire, telling stories, playing card games, and soaking in the glow of the flames and the moment. The world felt simple. The days stretched long. And life felt full in a way that only childhood can capture — before you understand bills, responsibilities, marketing strategies, tax codes, or the reality of adulthood.

Those memories stay with me not just because of what we did, but because of what they represented: warmth, belonging, family, and the kind of joy that doesn’t require much at all. When I look back, I realize that those early experiences of community, creativity, storytelling, resilience, and the ability to find happiness in simple things are the same values that guide me today, even in business.

Life comes full circle, sometimes without telling you it’s turning.

Pricing:

• Knotless Braids: 300-450
• Starter Locs: 300+
• French Braids/ Cornrows: 40+
• Two Strand Twist: 100+
• Weave: 150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angiehairr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angiehairr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Angie-Hairr-Stylist-100082815130331/
• Twitter: https://x.com/angiehairrstylt
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Angiehairrstylist
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/angie-hairr-stylist-santa-ana
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/angiehairrstylist/_created/