Today we’d like to introduce you to Dena Watson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been a fan of doing hair. From my early days of playing with Barbie dolls to braiding friends and family hair all started when I was fourteen years old. Yes, I have traditional schooling from having my Bachelor’s, Master’s and even my Doctorate it has always been something about doing hair. With doing hair, I can forget about the stresses and challenges of the day that may have just happened and have real life sister girl conversations with my clients.
At the height of the recession in 2009, I was caught in a massive layoff with my employer and was stuck without a job and being a single mother, I was a nervous wreck. I was very active in looking for a job and applied and interviewed but many positions were eliminated because of budgets being cuts or the positions were frozen because their human resources departments were asked to cease the recruitment process because they wouldn’t have the necessary funding for the open positions.
So I enrolled into cosmetology school to fill the desire to always want to get my license to properly to do hair. It also provided a way for me to make money during my time of looking for a job. What a wonderful opportunity to do this. I went to school full time and completed my 1600 hours and then took the state board examine and passed and received my license. This also allowed me to extend my services from being a mobile stylist to having my own facility.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. As a hair stylist you have to be your own marketing agency, advertising agency, booking, assistant and the like. Things started off really slow for me and I often became discouraged but still pressed on and stayed consistent.
People that said they would help would bail out on me at the end and I was stuck with trying to figure things out. It was hard to maintain schedules with working full time and being a stylist part time and still being a mom and spouse.
Juggling my life as well as work and a business were the most trying time for me. Countless hours of just trying to be normal and building a brand came so rough and there were times where I literally wanted to just give up.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Flawless Impressions Hair Designs, I like to say is more than just a salon. It’s a place of comfort wrapped with professionalism with specialties in hair care and restoration services. What I am the most proud of is that Flawless Impressions has made its mark within the community because we host talks and seminars on how to build as an entrepreneur from the good, the bad and the ugly.
I specialize in African American hair care services from press and curls to Natural hair styling. What sets Flawless Impressions apart from others is the family environment that is displayed. A place where you can come to and be you all while beautifying yourself.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I believe that Los Angeles is a very good place to start out as a hairstylist. It is a very lucrative business and one can be very successful here doing it and can set themselves apart from others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flawlessimpressionshairdesigns.com
- Phone: 310-590-6868
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flawless_impressions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlawlessImpressionsHairDesigns/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/flawimphair
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
