Braids made Perfect A Business birthed out of pain

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12 verse 9

She has held on to this during some trying times. This scripture verse stood out to her before she started her business. This Bible verse became her anchor, and her affirmation; “The purpose of this scripture verse, and its meaning to me is that I know I am not the perfect braider, but I will ensure that they are perfect for my clients. My strength has been made perfect in my weakness, and this strength I share with my clients.”

Black Beauty Salons became the place to not only get your hair done, but locations where Black people could talk about their community. You usually could jump into a conversation about town gossip, what was happening in the world, or parenting tips because your children were driving you bonkers.

Deanna Johnson, founder of Braids made Perfect, has found a way to bring back the old school salon experience with a twist. “It is Hair + Therapy Simone,” Deanna begins to tell me. “With my clients, I walk through life one braid at a time. They don’t all come and tell me their business, but when I am braiding hair we go through the process together, and in those few hours a lot of healing can happen.” 

Deanna’s entrepreneurial journey began as she sat with her mom, and braided out the ends of women’s hair. “My mom taught me how to do hair when I was nine years old,” Deanna shares. “Yep! I will never forget it. Paulette’s Beauty Touch Salon; I got so good that after a while, her clients would ask for me to braid their hair. I was a natural at it.”

In high school, Deanna learned how to braid her own hair. Then she started braiding hair for her friends.

“It wasn’t a bad job, especially for a teenager. I was making like $50.00 – $60.00 per style. I worked with my mom all the way through high school. I missed out on a lot of fun because I was braiding all the time.” There was an important lesson that she did learn from her experience. “If my daughters want to learn how to braid, I want them to do it because they love to, not because mom made them do it. I want them to make that choice.”

Deanna will tell you that the business was birthed out of pain.

“In 2018, I separated from my husband of ten years. I had to replace his income. There was nothing else I could do, and then I remembered, I do have a talent. Braiding was something that I could do. He gave me my hands, so I started braiding. I started in September 2018. It became the only way for me to make the money I needed to support my daughters at the time.”

Deanna shares with me the difficulties that she faced starting her business.

“I went through a hard time, and I was depressed, and I needed help. Mental health challenges are real. It was a nightmare. I would leave my clients, go to the washroom and cry. My therapist said that braiding hair was good for me. I was able to admire my work and this helped my serotonin levels. I found that interesting, but my therapist was right. There was a feeling of accomplishment, and pride that I felt when I finished braiding my client’s hair.

I noticed this was therapeutic for them as well. WE cry, we pray together. We have been able to walk through life together. I am not a therapist, but I have a gift of encouraging women. I have had clients come and sit down and read for hours. She read her book, and I listened to music. Braiding is therapeutic for me, so it all worked out.”

“How did the pandemic affect your business Deanna,” I queried?

“When COVID-19 hit, I needed that break, so it was actually good. I was doing really well, exercising; I was in a good place. I was separated, but I didn’t tap into the process of the divorce. This was a big hit for me. Then the second wave hit, and I had to close the businesses again. I closed because I wasn’t sure of what was happening. When my landlord decided to sell the house, he was very aggressive, and he wasn’t doing things the right way. I couldn’t deal with all that pressure, my kids were struggling with school, and mentally my children were not doing well.

I am new to the single mom game, and it was a lot for my kids. In the beginning, my youngest would sit at my feet until I was done. I would feel really bad, because I was being pulled in so many areas.

I decided to move; I hated the fact that I didn’t have enough money to choose the home I wanted to live in with my daughters. There was so much going on, so much. That is when I realized; the government was not paying my bills. I decided to continue taking clients. I have to be careful, so I ensure that I follow the COVID-19 protocols, and keep everyone safe.”

“What is your signature style Deanna? I know most stylists have a signature style.”

“Wholesome locks. I made this my signature hairstyle. It is costly. Being on a journey with your locks is a beautiful thing. It is like working on becoming whole.  I like to say that I am working on becoming HER! It is a style that lasts up to a year. My clients come for a touch up every two to three months.

I have a lot of women look at themselves in the mirror that I have stationed in front of my chair, and they criticize themselves. You can hear the negative self-talk. When their hair is done, their shoulders are up and their heads are held high. It is about changing that negative self-talk into positive self-talk.”

Braiding is a creative art that allows you to bring out your creativity for the world to see. Deanna knows that honing this skill can help you, especially if you want to become self-employed. To Deanna, braiding is a door opener. “Finally, NO ONE can take away your skill from you. Your two hands are your money makers. Treasure them and take good care of them.” This is the message that she shares with her students who attend her online classes at the BMP Academy.

“I am now seeing the fruits of their labour, and this is why I decided to open an online school called BMP Academy (https://bmpacademy.thinkific.com/). I wanted to share how braiding has allowed me to go from making $2,500 per month, which barely covered my bills, to over $6,000 per month. It has given me credibility and confidence to launch my first teen workshop. It has created opportunities for paid travel, guest speaking and celebrity video shoots, and it has granted me more time to be with my children. It has also been a great creative outlet for me!

I also teach hands-on classes. Some of my students have learned and done very well. One of my students has now started her own business, and she is doing very well. I have another student who took my master class, and now – with some styles – she is better than me. I always wanted to teach but my confidence was low, and now I am doing exactly what I want to do.”