Today we’d like to introduce you to Tae`Lor Miller.
Hi Tae`Lor, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My professional career started in 2014, I could really say it was when my mom bought me my own little tykes beauty salon. My first haircut was a “house call” at my babysitter’s house. That little girl’s mother wasn’t very happy with the cut I gave her daughter.
My mother and her sister, my aunt, did hair all of my life so it’s safe to say that’s where my interest came from. After school and in between activities, my little brother and cousins would be at the salon. I’d watch my mom and the other ladies at the salon do hair and transform women. I never got bored of beauty. I am what hairstylists in the African American community call a “shop baby.” I grew up in the shop. My playpen was next to my mother’s station. All of the women who worked with her became family and watched me grow before their eyes. I ended up being so comfortable in front of people I’d talk to the ladies, joke, and entertain them in my spare time.
As I got older, I realized this wasn’t just a thing for my mom and my aunt. A handful of my mother’s first cousins were hairdressers, my Yaya (grandmother), my mother’s mother, once owned a nail salon, and my mother’s other sister was also a hairstylist.
I honestly tried to fight the natural gifts my family and God gave me, but I couldn’t fight it. After trying college and a technical school then working at a bank, I had enough of “looking” for a career. A friend of my mother’s owned the Paul Mitchell School Columbus and there was an article about her story. My mother had me read the article and I was sold on going to cosmetology school at 23. Which was much older than a lot of the ladies who went to cosmetology school.
I quickly realized that I needed to hurry up and get out of school so I could legally take clients at my mother’s salon. I was woman with bills and responsibilities by this time and lived on my own. In the meantime, I had an existing online business selling custom distressed denim to get extra money. By the time I was in cos school I was selling my denim pieces out of the school. My teacher would get so frustrated with me for just casually walking out of the class, but my grades were good, I didn’t miss any days, and I had bills to pay.
Towards the end of school, I was in a program where I could take two clients at a time. The program was sort of hard to get in too. Doing all this extra work all because the clients that came to the salon wanted me to do their hair. We also got to keep any tips, so more clients meant more tips. By this time, I built a small secret clientele outside of school as well. I figured if the state board closed at 5, then I could start clients at 5. At the time a particular teacher at the school suspected I was working on clients outside of the school but because my bills came first, I let her think whatever she wanted without saying a word. It was none of her business anyway.
Fast forward to passing my stateboard test. That was certainly one of best days. I didn’t have to work at a corporate office or worry about how I was going to provide for myself. I finally found the key. Over the years I had no problem getting clients. I worked with my mom and aunt, and they loved having me in the salon with them. Along the way, I learned how to do full body waxing and eyelash extensions as well. My mom even accommodated me and built a private room for me in her salon. That’s what lead me to moving my business into a suite.
I paid my mother for two spaces at her salon for some time before pitching an idea to her about a suite-style salon. She took over the neighboring business and turned it into salon suites with stylists like me in mind.
There’s one constant in my whole career story and it’s my mother. She’s my rock and always brings me back down to earth. Before thinking about stepping into the beauty industry, I saw how hard she worked, how late in the night she worked. My brother and I had everything we needed because of her and my dad. They were a team, especially when it came to raising us. But her hard work was engrained in me. It was something I tried to fight at first but once I embraced it, I learned that there were ways I could do it better and different. She tells me all the time how she’s so proud of me and just allows me to be myself in every way.
Alright, 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 hasn’t always been smooth. Working with your mother isn’t always easy. We are constantly working through things to better our relationship. My mom has a big heart, and she leads with that so mixing business and personal is something she’s used to. I, on the other hand, love to separate the two. It’s hard when everyone (clients and stylists) literally seen me grow up right before their eyes. I’m constantly reminded people that I’m grown now lol. It doesn’t help that I still look 23.
Just the other day my 23-year-old client asked me how old I was thinking that I was the same age as her. Lol
I’m sure having this “issue” is why I stick to the program and business. I want people to take me serious.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m a cosmetologist specializing in color and healthy hair. What sets me apart is my experience. It’s a one-stop shop. From full body hard waxing to eyelash extensions. I really take pride in fulfilling my client’s needs. I’m proud of the fact that I have made it to a point where all of my clientele are referrals. Not one client that comes to see me not know another. I would like for readers to know that my salon space is a place of relaxation. It’s a place where you can talk about anything and receive exactly what you asked for. I want women to be able to take off whatever armor they use to protect themselves in their jobs, at home or anywhere else and just relax.
What’s next?
I do have hopes of some sort of product. I’m not sure what direction I’m going towards but in normal Tae’Lor fashion, I always have something up my sleeve and love to keep things to myself until I have a good grip on how to execute.
Pricing:
- Services start at $55
Contact Info:
- Website: Vagaro.com/onlytaelored
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlytaelored/
- Other: https://saloneart.com/
Image Credits
Ashley Nickole
