Daily Inspiration: Meet Rachael Mosley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Mosley.

Hi Rachael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with working a regular 9-5 job. I would wake up everyday, doing the same thing, working and building someone else’s dream. So I thought, what dream can I build? I’ve always wanted to be a braider, but I always had the mentality that it was more of a hobby and not a career. Then I thought… if anyone can do it, why can’t I?

So I started doing some research with my husband to see the best options for pursuing my dream in the hair industry. When we found the best option, I jumped at it right away. I started cosmetology school in June 2018. I was working a full-time, 9-5 job while going to night school five days a week.

While in school, teachers and students continuously commented on my incredible talent for braiding. I knew I had a niche for braiding since 2010. At this point, I realized I wanted to specialize in braiding. I was slowing taking clients from home, working on friends and family.

With six months left of cosmetology school, I decided to change my job into the salon world. I got a full-time job at a blow-dry bar. I quickly realized this may not be the best environment for me to thrive in. It made me realized that I want to work for myself, I want to build MY dream.

I graduated cosmetology school in December 2019, and I received my cosmetology license in February 2020. At this time, I was renting a chair part-time while still taking clients at home. My clientele was slowly building. I had maybe 2-4 clients a week.

As COVID-19 came along, salons closed down. I got a job working at a grocery store, thinking to myself, maybe this wasn’t the best time for a career change. I found myself working to build someone else’s dream, again!!

May of 2020, salons were able to reopen. As nervous as I was, I went back to renting the salon chair. All the sudden, I started to see more messages and requests for my services. With the overwhelming responses from new clients, I was able to move into my own salon suite in June 2020.

I was more nervous to have my own salon suite than I was to take the state board testing for my cosmetology license. With the responsibility of rent all on my own, I was so scared I wouldn’t have enough clients to cover the cost of rent while making a profit. I had no idea how to run my own business. I was scared I would fail.

Week after week, my clientele built quickly. Before I knew it, I was booked for two weeks at a time. Then three weeks at a time, it just kept building. Instagram has been one of my best tools for marketing, however I was now receiving an excessive amount of client referrals. Before I could realize, my dreams were unfolding right before my eyes. I was now specializing in braiding and working on building my own dream.

As the holidays approached, I was nervous business would slow down, as I only specialized in braiding. I was wrong. I was booked as much as I would allow myself to be. This allowed me to consider expanding my business.

February of 2021, I expanded to a double salon suite with four styling chairs. I found myself so nervous again to expand, as I was nervous this would fail. In March 2021, 2 friends I met in cosmetology school joined my salon. I couldn’t believe how quickly my dream was coming to life. I was now able to refer and book for additional stylists in my salon.

We have now been open for five months and continue to build an incredible experience for each client we service. We learn new things every day and build each other up with every client we take.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With the struggle of building my clientele, I am also a Caucasian Braider, building a clientele with ethnic hair textures. It has always been the topic of conversation as to how in the world did a white girl get into the world of braiding and have as much talent as I do. I have felt the judgment of being doubted based on the color of my skin and not having an ethnic upbringing. This makes building the trust of your clients harder than most, with the odds against you. However, it is the most satisfying feeling when you go above and beyond your client’s expectations when they doubted you in the first place. It is even more rewarding when they refer their friends and family to you.

Now, as many others had this same struggle, COVID-19 was one of my struggles as well. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to build my clientele in the midst of this pandemic. As a pandemic was new to the world with taking the necessary precautions, I was still brand new to the salon industry as well. It just became the new norm. Working around face masks, sanitizing more than the standards, and also being sure not to catch or spread COVID-19. I’ve experienced clients rescheduling and many cancellations as well due to COVID-19. This has made me revise my policies to ensure a safe, clean environment for my current and potential clients.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in braiding. I have built quite the profile for excellent braiding styles. I have been known for the experience I provide. Not only do I provide excellent braid styles, I also provide a full-service braiding experience. Most Braiders do not include a wash, blow dry or the braiding hair. As I pride myself on providing the best experience for my clients. I include washing, blow drying and hydration treatments for my clients. I believe the health of the scalp and hair comes before the hairstyle. The only way to guarantee healthy hair is to provide those services.

I am also very selective with what braiding hair I use. With that being said, I provide the braiding hair for each client. I make trips to the hair store every week for each client and do my best to find the colors to match the desires of my clients. This has been one of the multiple selling points for my business.

Contact Info:

• Email: misterinb@yahoo.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/misterinb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misterinb/

Image Credits
Rachael Mosley