The Hair Ministry Claimed

Gem story was written by: BOBO Marketing Services

Elon “The Stylist” is the proud owner of The Hair Ministry in Winter Park, Florida. Since she was a little girl, she always had a passion for hair. “My mom’s best friend owned a hair salon and her son was the apple of my eye. I had a big crush on her son and he grew up in that world,” laughs Elon, reflecting on that memory. She remembers him once teaching her how to braid the hair on her dolls while on a family vacation to Miami… and that’s the fateful day when Elon fell in love with hair!

Being a hairstylist is something you need to have a true passion for. Elon will be the first to tell you that it won’t provide you with a stable income if you don’t market it right. There will be many ups and down, and you’ll find that some seasons are slower than others—especially when you’re a specialist like Elon, who specializes in natural-looking extensions.

Elon reflecting on telling a loved one about her new passion. The holiday seasons are definitely the busiest for Elon. For example, people are always going to book appointments around Valentine’s Day and Christmas. Generally, there’s a dip between January and February, but Elon’s growing her team now so she can avoid having so many ups and downs. In addition, she’s constantly evolving her skillset in order to increase customer loyalty.

Leaving a Comfortable Life

After much time devoted to her dream job, Elon has realized that there is real comfort in doing what you love; plus it doesn’t feel like work. You could get a job that pays $100,000 per year, but if you hate it, you’re going to be miserable! Elon has actually been working in recruiting for four years and had just gotten promoted before deciding to jump ship and become a hairstylist. She even had a luxury apartment and had a running nail appointment with her mom every week. Life was good, but she knew that there was something out there that could make her happier. Thankfully, she connected with her childhood love of hair, eventually becoming the skilled stylist she is today.

Elon’s parents both come from corporate backgrounds, and they expressed a desire for her to go into what they did, or something similar, for financial stability. From a very young age, Elon’s mother told her she didn’t want her to stop at just being a hairstylist. She wanted her to also develop a business mindset so that one day, she could own the hair salon. However, other opportunities would pull Elon in and out of cosmetology school throughout the years before she decided on what she wanted to do.

Despite becoming a hairstylist and owner of her own salon, the transition period was a hard time for her. At one point she almost lost her apartment, and her car was repossessed. She had to get help from her mom to make ends meet at that time.

Following Her Calling

When we met with Elon, she shared that she recently received some new job offers. This served as a final test for her, to see if she had really found the passion that she wanted to stay dedicated to. One of the offers was for a recruiting role with the highest paying salary she’s ever been offered. And then the next day, she got a call about a teaching job at her old cosmetology school—one for which she was highly recommended. Elon taught previously at the school with a braiding license she earned while simultaneously pursuing her cosmetology license. It wasn’t until then she realized she was a natural-born leader and educator. However, she was fully devoted to being a hairstylist. “Money versus passion? It wasn’t even a question,” she says.

Elon credits God as her No. 1 supporter, trusting in His guidance to jump ship and navigate quitting her job that year. Since then, she’s learned to trust Him in discovering the many different directions you can go in this industry. And every day, new doors are opening for her.

Another huge supporter of Elon who’s come to the rescue many times Elon is her best friend/business partner Alicia, whom she met at cosmetology school. Whenever Elon has to take on a particularly challenging hairdo, Alicia will run over with food to help. Elon’s mom is another person she’s always able to count on. After years of watching her enjoy and develop her passion, her mother is also starting to see Elon as a true businesswoman.

Marketing Advice From Elon

Elon purposely sports a natural hairstyle as a way to promote healthy, natural hair. In fact, most people don’t even know that her hair is natural! She also wears extensions that she blends in carefully with her own, skillfully making them look real. They’re big and get a lot of attention—essentially like a walking billboard! “My biggest key is making sure I look good everywhere I go,” says Elon. Everything she does is a strategic move to generate conversations when coming across people fitting her target demographic.

Elon has recently branched out to the YouTube threshold to gain more subscribers and views, and she is now able to earn regular checks from Google ads, which is an exciting accomplishment for her.

Elon’s advice for any future Gems out there is to stay up to date on what’s trending and popular, especially if you want to be successful on YouTube. Figure out who’s watching your videos and what captures their eyes, so you can start developing a specific target audience and making specific content geared toward them.

Follow @ElonTheStylist on Instagram to find out when her next class is or to book an appointment with “The Stylist”!