Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Carthon-Lyons.
Hi Adrienne, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The story really starts in the 1990s when I was walking down Georgia Ave. in DC telling a friend that I’d like to own a natural hair salon one day. It was more of a dream than a goal, and I didn’t think it would ever happen. I was “just” a dorm room stylist doing everything from wraps and perms to rod sets and braids. Fast forward a few years, and I found myself working on my first line of natural hair care products with a family member before natural hair really became an “in” thing. We started posting “House Call” videos with Dr. A~ on YouTube, and to our surprise, my styling videos were getting six figure likes! The brand began to grow from there as well as demand for appointments at the “salon.” Little did anyone know, there was no salon even though my cousin kept advertising the existence of an Entwine Salon. I wanted to operate with the highest integrity, so I began working out of a friend’s salon in addition to my house in Baltimore. I was all over the DMV. That was draining in addition to maintaining a tenure track position at a local university. So I opened the salon separately from the product brand with a different partner. The salon was immediately a success and has remained in demand ever since despite a separation from the original brand, and my original business partners on the brand and salon sides. I learned that I was my best thing, and I bet on me. Naturally, Nadine, a new and organic approach to 4C hair and special hair concerns was born, and the salon was renamed Twists Locks Love Salon almost a year later from its original opening in 2011.
We had the good fortune to start off on 28th and Huntingdon in 21211. That corner space had excellent signage and driveby traffic. Our social media marketing at the time was top notch, and we grew significantly. Three years in, I left my full-time job exclusively focused on the salon. Over the years, we’ve had some of the best talent anywhere at our salon, and we’ve tried to help develop a lot of upcoming stylists as well. Our original team was one of the best in the city or anywhere for that matter. Many salon owners have come out of our salon, and we continue to offer training to others. The key to our success has always been honesty and a heart for people. We give back far more than we ever publicize, and we try our best to keep family (that’s what we call our clients) first. Southern charm came to the big city.
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?
The journey has been incredible! But it has been anything but smooth.
Some of the struggles were learning to manage interpersonal relationships. Having partnerships that were not in writing permanently altered two relationships that were important to me. When I didn’t have enough faith to believe in my ability to stand by myself, I was easily taken advantage of. I learned to stand in my own worth and handle business without emotional attachment to relationships or people because my businesses were my babies.
I had not experience running a business when I began, so I had to learn as I went along. I was a talented and gifted stylist and product developer, but everything else, I learned in workshops, classes, trainings, and on the fly. Experience and common sense were my best teachers. I just tried to create the type of businesses that I would want to patronize.
I worked the first few years for very long hours and almost all of my days to cover bills and funnel more money into developing the products and the salon. For a few years, the only money I ever saw personally was just a few of my tips. I basically worked for free because I love what I do, and I believed in my dream. Not until around the end of the third year did I really start to see anything that resembled a profit. Even still, that was not too bad considering most businesses fail before reaching the age of five.
I learned the hard way that all partnerships require a detailed operating agreement regardless of whom the partner is. I’ve learned that you had better keep your eyes on your own money, or people will cheat you and rob you blind in your face. Business can be very cutthroat; owners have to guard themselves from staff and the public alike. Selecting whom you allow in your space as a client and staff is of the utmost importance; energy can shift the whole dynamic of your business. Finding and retaining talented, honest, and reliable staff has always been a challenge in this area because someone with all three traits is sometimes really just the ideal.
I’ve learned that proper training and onboarding is paramount. You really have to make sure that you duplicate yourself in others and make sure that your vision that they support is clearly articulated, or they will be busy building their own on your dime. Therefore, I’ve learned that hesitating to fire one bad apple is always a mistake. You have to be fearless in protecting your brand and the integrity of your space. People will get away with as much as you allow.
You have to know undeniably that money matters and so does self preservation. I struggled for years with a work life balance. I’ve learned that you have to mind. your books in order for your business to grow, and you also have to delegate, delegate, delegate. You cannot do it all, nor should you want to. You have to commit to being a lifelong learner to perfect and stay on top of your craft. And in all of your learning, don’t be so selfish as not to share with others. There’s enough room for everyone, so be generous with instruction with those who are willing to learn.
Learning how to access capital and how to manage it can be a challenge as well because you really aren’t working with a lot in the developmental years, and trying to grow too fast can really stunt your business. Growing incrementally, even if it’s slower, is important to help you soar and not crash and burn.
I’ve learned a lot because I’ve struggled a lot, so I really could write book chapters on the things I’ve learned.
We’ve been impressed with Nadine Beauty Enterprises, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Nadine Beauty Enterprises (NBE) is comprised of Twists Locks Love Salon, Naturally Nadine products, and most recently, Lyons Emperors Brand.
Twists Locks Love Salon has been one of the premier natural hair care salons in the Baltimore area for over a decade. We are a full service natural hair salon that offers everything except relaxers. We cultivate and style all types of locks, loose hair, braids, twists and whatever one has in whatever way it comes out of their scalp. We cut and color curly hair for people of all ethnicities and hair type as long as the hair is natural or transitioning. As far as specialty services, we offer Sisterlocks(TM) and specialize in thinning and hair loss. We’ve helped hundreds of people regrow their hair. We are proudest of the fact that we are known for our clients’ “healthy hair.” We can style, but we also care about our clients’ overall well-being and helping them meet their hair goals. Our problems are good ones. We always have more requests than capacity, so our biggest complaint is that new people have difficulty getting an appointment. As frustrating as it is not to have enough hands to serve everyone, that’s a good problem to have. And the good part for potential clients is that it’s worth the wait. We do solid hair care.
We are also proud of the fact that the salon is the storefront for Naturally Nadine hair products that have been sold all over the country and in three continents: Asia, Africa, and North America. Our products are for the ingredient conscious individual who cares about what they put on their bodies and hair. Everything smells good, feels good, and is good. Each product delivers what it says it will, and we have repeat buyers online and in the salon. Without any real marketing, Naturally Nadine has had excellent word of mouth reach that is a part of the incremental growth on which we pride ourselves. We are able to customize almost all of our products to accommodate specific needs and allergies. We deliver a spa for your body and hair.
Due to COVID-19, we shifted more to our online sales of hair products and began promoting the newest baby, Lyons Emperors Brand, a trendy brand of messaging apparel. Our newest addition is being poised for accelerated growth over the next two years.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
While most people know my for hair care and as an English and Women’s Studies professor, I’ve always just wanted to write full-time. I’m a writer and artist at heart. I love writing plays, painting, playing music and would live abroad at least nine months of the year if life permitted it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected] | [email protected]
- Website: www.naturally-nadine.com
- Instagram: @twistslockslove
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NaturallyNadine | www.facebook.com/TwistsLocksLoveSalon
- Twitter: @NNadineBeauty | @DrCarthon
- Youtube: NaturallyNadineTV
Image Credits
Keston Duke
Vince Hunter
Cheyenne Durant
