Meet Taliah “Tay” Turner of U Pay I Slay in SouthBay

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taliah “Tay” Turner.

Taliah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hair has always been my guiding light. My mother was a stylist and I can remember as a little girl mimicking her and her clients with my baby dolls, Barbies, siblings and cousins. I am the oldest of my generation in the family so I had plenty of willing participants. I realized at around 9/10 that I had a talent and that people were willing to pay me for it. My first “job” was the neighborhood baby sitter, and I would always send the kids home with different hairstyles than when they arrived, eventually parents sent them with their hair free and let me work my magic. Being a hairstylist has not only become a healing place for myself, but for my clients as well. They can talk to me about anything, I’ve helped clients leave domestic violence situations, start businesses, etc. My craft brought me out of homelessness and put food on the table, and has provided me with a consistent way to provide for my children.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has been a tug of war for me. I’m not a confrontational person so when someone wasn’t happy, or I had an unsatisfactory experience I would be ready to quit. There is a lot that comes with this business, there are slow seasons, there are demanding seasons where everyone wants your time and you simply don’t have enough. I’ve definitely had to pull from my old customer service jobs and apply what I have learned along the way.

U Pay I Slay – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I believe my name says it all, U Pay I Slay. I’m an all around stylist with a focus on healthy hair care and hair restoration. I’m known for speedy service, I do not double book, and I truly care about the health and wellness of your hair. I believe in making the outside match your inside. I have a lot of alopecia clients, and I tend to work my magic most on the client’s everyone else turns away. I’m also known for my high rate of hair growth amongst my clients. We set goals and make a plan for their hair and we almost always achieve them. As a company, I am most proud of my clients. I have met and established a relationship with people from all walks of life, they tell me their stories, and I’m truly excited for them when they tell me about that promotion, the new car, the engagements, etc. I believe what sets me apart from others is my story. What my talent actually means to me and why I feel like I owe so much of my success and my life to it. I don’t think I’m better than anyone, my goal isn’t to be known or famous, I’m actually very shy and reserved outside of work. I just want to make people look and feel good and know they have someone in their corner.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career would have to be opening my very own salon. I’ve had a few unpleasant experiences working in others’ establishments, and to have something concrete that I had dreamt and spoken of since I was little was amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://upayislay.as.me
• Phone: 4242643808
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Upayislay
• Facebook: Facebook.com/upayislay

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