Life and Work with Janiése Essor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janiése Essor.

Janiése, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first taught myself how to braid when I was seven years old. Around ten years old, my older brother noticed I had a skill and made me braid his hair every two weeks to help me get better. I also helped out in my grandma’s beauty salon as a teenager. Helping out in the salon was great because I got to spend time with her, but I didn’t want to make a career out of doing hair – AT ALL! Fast forward to 2014, I worked two jobs, braided hair and was a full-time college student feeling unfulfilled in everything I was doing. I suddenly quit my jobs with no real back up plan. I prayed and asked God to just “help me make enough money to pay my car insurance.” Since 2014, I haven’t had to look back! I’m from Boston but moved to AZ in January 2017. By November 2017, I leased my own professional space. I have a consistently growing clientele In Boston, Arizona, and California. I have NFL players, some artists and other professional athletes as clients who don’t mind flying me out to them to take care of their hair needs!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This ride has been an entire rollercoaster! Nothing worth having should ever come easy, though. Early on, my struggles pertained to not understanding how to take care of my health. I would work for hours on end without eating or adequate rest. Mentally & physically, this wasn’t good. I had to learn the hard way, If I am not good for myself, I am no good for anyone else. Some other struggles involved me feeling stifled and held back professionally when I knew I had so much more to offer. Again, I had to understand how to put me first.
My advice: Take Care of Yourself! Your mental & physical health, your dreams, and goals. Do not allow yourself to forget about you and what God gifted you in this process!

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I specialize in Protective Hairstyles. Protective styles do exactly that, protect natural hair from the harsh elements of an environment that can lead to hair damage. I believe I am most known for my neatness and consistency. I have an obsession with patterns so I LOVE to see uniformity in the styles that I create. What I am most proud of is the impact I leave on my clients – to the point some of us consider each other family. I have people who fly or drive from different parts of the country, just because of the experience and the quality I provide. That’s what sets me apart. It’s a complete blessing and high responsibility that I do not take lightly. It’s an honor definitely.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Women – across all ethnicities- are such strong beings that are huge assets to any team, company or large scale organization! We just have an innate ability to teach and lead with strictness but also care. With the current wave of support for women from women and men alike, I believe we are well positioned for many different leadership opportunities from running more companies to even running the country!

Contact Info:

• Website: jdivastyles.com
• Email: jdivastyles@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jdivastyles

Image Credit:
Janiése Essor

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