Inspiring Conversations with Breezy Alexander of Everything by Breezy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Breezy Alexander.

Hi Breezy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m 28 years old. I have a bachelor of science in fashion design and a minor in digital marketing. I’m a licensed Cosmetologist and Barber and my current occupation is Everything. Let me explain…

So, it started off as just a way to make some extra money while I was in college. And then it expanded into a life of its own. I initially went to school for Kinesiology when I was in college because I figured I was an athlete and when I was done with basketball, I would still want to be around athletes. I did some of my teammates hair and even some athlete’s hair in my Northridge apartment. But after sitting on the bench enough games school became my only outlet and there was a class in kinesiology where you had to run a mile every week… and I wasn’t doing that… yall got me messed up. So I talked to my advisor and I switched to Apparel Design and Merchandising aka Fashion Design. But one of the classes I had to take as a junior was only taught by one teacher one semester of the year. Which means I had to miss practice twice a week. Digital Marketing became my minor because I had to take so many elective classes that ended up with being only two classes away from having a minor in marketing so also say less. Things between me and the coach weren’t that great so I ended up quitting the team and getting a job at the mall working as a sales assistant at Fashion Nova.

During this time, I interned as an assistant to an up and coming clothing line at the time called 36 & Luxe who were made up of two designers Nicole Acire and Sartorial Splendor. They were two black girls from Atlanta who had coincidentally both played basketball and had just moved to Los Angeles. I had actually started interning for them before I quit hooping because I remember being sad some of my games and then bringing me Krispy Kreme donuts the night I quit to cheer me up. So I literally was in the passenger seat of the car everywhere they went.

And when I tell you we went to the fashion district everyday day… Sometimes 2 and 3 times a day if we forgot something. They literally showed the backbone of having a business getting fabric coming up with designs physically making the designs having a photoshoot for the new design Instagram marketing and then packing and shipping. It was really an amazing experience. And I even began to experiment with my own designs and created my first baby Exit69 which was a unisex clothing line. I made original designs and sourced fabric from the fashion district. Sought out a seamstress and had mock ups made and sewn to prepare for mass production.

For my senior year in college, we had to do another internship and I end up being able to internship at the Fashion Nova main office on their social media team. After completing the internship and graduating in 2016, I was offered a full-time position at Fashion Nova and was literally there the day morning after graduation at 8am. My job at Fashion Nova was literally just Instagram DM’s everyday all day. I literally responded to all of Fashion Nova’s Direct Messages. This was in like 2015 so if you ever dm’d Fashion Nova about yo missing order and somebody hit you with “Hey love”… it was probably me. As more social media platforms started to pop up, I became the voice behind Fashion Nova as I helped with the start of their Snapchat and Twitter platforms. I remember a couple of my responses on Twitter going viral. I loved working at Fashion Nova at first but I also lived in Northridge, California with a $1500/ mo rent… they just weren’t paying enough.

So I ended up moving back to Long Beach, CA January 2017. I worked for a temp agency doing odd jobs and then at the end of the summer, I paid $800 to get my Lash Certification from the original Lash Trap in downtown LA. At the end of 2017, I began interning for another small black-owned clothing line called Ambitious Girls. Coincidentally she had also just moved from Atlanta and was learning her way around the fashion District. This designer did unique swimsuits, T-shirts, sweaters, and jacket designs. But she also offered some pieces that she got from the wholesale district of the fashion district. Unlike my first internship, this designer did not sew her own clothes whatsoever. She outsourced a seamstress in the building district of the la fashion District (address).

At the beginning of 2018, I was offered a stylist position at a start up e-commerce called Bomb Posh. At this time, I had begun simultaneously turning my mother’s spare bedroom into a hair salon. After Bomb Posh dissolved in March of 2018, I began getting more serious about gaining clientele to do lashes and hair so I began using Social Media, Instagram specifically, as a marketing tool. In 2019, I enrolled into cosmetology school and began working at my favorite marijuana dispensary (Chronic LBC). I went to multiple events setting up vendor booths and promoting my services. In 2020, all while still in school. I incorporated my business in Feb 2020 and quit my job after making the most money I’ve ever made in two weeks. I completed school Aug of 2020 and played the waiting game with State Board to get a test date. Due to COVID, it took almost six months!! (Normally takes six weeks, tops). I finally received my test date started studying for the exam and the Friday before my exam was scheduled somebody from State Board left me a voicemail informing me “that due to unforeseen circumstances” my test date would have to be rescheduled. After another three months of waiting, I finally had a new test date and passed on the first try. The cards were finally in my favor because I was able to immediately able to find a shop nearby offering booth rent at an affordable rate. I’ve been at Bundle Vision Hair Store on the West Side of Long Beach for about a year now and have been building my brand @everythingbybreezy and doing Hair, Braids, Weaves, Lash Extensions, Teeth Whitening, Tooth Bling & More.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey definitely has not been a smooth road… a roller coaster if you will. Most days, I feel like my life is a movie. I really be just looking right into the camera because I can’t it up the crazy things that happen in my just regular day to day life. So many things have happened in my life that I felt were just hindrances and bad times in my life but they were really just obstacles I had to overcome to go down the long windy road of where I am today. And it’s just a blessing to be here.

Doubt in general was an obstacle I had to overcome. Things like people telling me that I should just pick one service and be a master of that… and to me that immediately gives off hater vibes, lol. If you ask me what my occupation is I usually give a simple answer like Hairstylist or Lash Tech. But when you get to talking to me and you learn about all of the services I have to offer, a better description is that “I do everything”. But when I tell people that I do everything sometimes they tell me that I should pick one or that I will eventually have to pick just one and they love to give the “Jack of All Trades is a Master of None” quote, but thanks to TikTok, I recently learned that the whole quote is “A jack of all trades is a master of none, BUT OFTEN TIMES BETTER THAN A MASTER OF ONE”… mindblown. Or even just doubting myself some days and waking up and wanting to live a regular life and have a 9 to 5 job.

I had to overcome the “Hustle” mentality. If I was going to do this full time, I had to really set up a plan and become an entrepreneur. I needed a license, a professional and sanitary area, and enough space for me and my clients to safely and properly perform the services I offer. And transitioning from just doing what I wanted in my mom’s spare bedroom to becoming a licensed professional was definitely a challenge.

My mom is my biggest supporter and there was even a time throughout my journey where my mom had cancer not once but twice. I don’t know what I would do without my mom and that was definitely an obstacle that I was faced with.

My brother Cezannie Mount was hit and killed on Oct. 27, 2019 by a CHP Motorcycle Officer while walking home on Del Amo between Orange and Cherry. Another struggle I’ve had to face during my journey… especially since the officer who killed him is only being tried for a MISDEMEANOR!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My name is Breezy and I do Everything! I am a licensed Cosmetologist and Barber located in West Long Beach, CA. I offer a multitude of services including but not limited to the following: Natural Hair, Braids, Weaves, Lash Extensions, Teeth Whitening & Tooth Bling. My excellent customer service and outgoing and upbeat personality set me apart from other “LA Hairstylists” and of course I wash hair! Brand-wise, I am most proud of how far I have come. I really started in my mom’s spare room and I consider my brand to be one of the up and coming next best things. I want readers to know that I’m a Business Woman not just a service provider. I also want reader to know I am now accepting new clients and they can book an appointment on www.everythingbybreezy.com and follow my journey on Instagram @everythingbybreezy Tiktok @breezydotcom and YouTube: Everything by Breezy and my clothing brand @YonRebel on Instagram

Oh. And if you’d like to begin your journey on securing another form of income, I offer lash extension classes!

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
When people say luck, I really just think of it as blessed. And I definitely have been blessed in so many circumstances. I just didn’t think things would possibly go in my favor at times but somehow, they did. I’ve been able to continuously come across mentors and instructors who are willing to help me hone different talents and also learn new ones. I was blessed to pass my cosmetology test on the first try and find a location with affordable booth rent to help expand my business. And I’m super blessed with just being born to the mom I have… really hit the jackpot with her.

Pricing:

• Lash Extensions $95-$165
• Braids $200-$400
• Weaves $165-$250
• Tooth Bling $65-$200
• Teeth Whitening $139

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.everythingbybreezy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingbybreezy/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingbybreezy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBsu2EGTZNAgq-zQOQARJjQ