June 24, 2016

Meet Downtown Hairstylist: Velveda Nelms

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Velveda Nelms. She is a hard working, dedicated business owner with big dreams and the work ethic and passion to pull it off. Below you’ll find edited excerpts of our interview with her.

Velveda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

My name is Velveda Nelms and I’m a Licensed Professional Hair stylist from Moreno Valley, CA. I’ve been a hairstylist for 12 years. I took a Cosmetology as a Rop class in my junior year of high school by default. First I signed up for a banking and finance class and there was a waiting list while waiting for a spot to become available I signed up for cosmetology out of curiosity not knowing they would call me 1st. I had no experience in cosmetology or doing hair. But, I have an identical twin sister Velvet who is a Hair stylist as well and she was doing hair way before It even became an idea in my mind so I guess I can say her talent rubbed off on me! Throughout the years I’ve gained my knowledge as a hairstylist by assisted, worked in, managed salons and still to this day staying educated by taking classes and advice from other experienced hairstylist. I feel like you can never learn too much it’s impossible. Where I am today? Currently my sister velvet and I are owners of a salon/hair care company named “Duchess & Heiress Hair & Co. LLC. We are working on opening a full service Hair salon that will be located in the inland empire near riverside ca, along with developing a product line and human hair extension line. Working on TV sets, photo-shoots, and everyday clients I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to network and connect with so many wonderful people and it makes me love what I do even more. by working/collaborating with so many other stylist, photographer, and productions companies it’s made it easier for the world to get familiar with my name and company and along with having a twin sister who is a hairstylist is even cooler it’s rare that you get 2 stylist who can do the exact same work flawlessly people love it. I’m blessed to have the talent of being a hair stylist even though it wasn’t a career I envisioned myself having but I took it and ran with it and I don’t take my talent for granted not one bit. Don’t get me wrong, I love love love what I do and I’m happy that I have the ability to make people feel good and look good and get their monies worth when they leave my chair. To take the image/hair style that my clients, have in their mind or seen in a magazine or TV customize that look and make it their reality is just the best feeling in the world. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

Has it been a smooth road?

The road has been so smooth that sometimes I felt like I going nowhere fast if that makes sense. Owning your own business is hard and very time consuming it takes a lot of sacrificing and if you’re not willing to give your business your all and invest in it then you’re wasting your time and money. I would think I was ready but I would start planning and that’s where I stopped because I wasn’t serious and I would get side tracked by irrelevant things. the thing I struggled most with was money management I used to spend too much, not keep track of money that was coming in and going out and not saving, I waited to open a salon because I wanted it to be financially stable and I wanted to give it my all and now I’m ready. My milestone was when I did my taxes in 2014 and seen that I made 75k in that year and had nothing to show for it that’s when I know I had to make a change.

What are your plans for the future?

For the future short term goals I’m current working on opening a full service salon and long term I would love to start a Hairstyling Firm/agency where I hire professional/lic hairstylist to style for Fashion week events and other major events in the industries who need a large glam squads. Also would love to open my own cosmetology school in the inland empire because that’s where I’m from “Moreno Valley, CA” to be exact 😉 but all the good schools are in La county and it would be nice to be out that way for inspiring hairstylist and Makeup artist to go to.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story. What was the hardest time you’ve had?
My hardest times I would say would be all the time throughout my career and it’s about decision making when it comes to other opportunity. Ex. I have background in business administration/accounting and at anytime a good paying position is offered to me it’s hard to turn down but in the past I used to take the job and put my hairstyling career on the back burner and I fell like that hindered me from being where I wanted to be sooner. I would always go back to hair but it was like starting over again and using to deal with time wasted. But I feel everything happens for a reason and I’m happy with the direction my career is going now. I learned from my mistakes I just learned to stick with my talent and I just love being your own boss not having to be under supervision or instructed on what to do by someone else.

Do you ever just stop and think WOW – I’ve made it?
A moment that I felt I made it is when my career was working out the way I dreamed was the 1st time saw my name in a published magazine receiving credit for my work done. It was weird that the whole world would be able to see my name and would be able to contact me if they needed my services. After that it made me work harder to get my name into more magazines and TV shows and social media.

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