The theme for this month is entrepreneurship. It's one thing to take this journey as an adult, but another to do it while still in school. There are so many students out there creating names for themselves and starting up businesses while still in school. One in particular is Jamilah Hakim. She started her company, Nia's Hair in August of 2011. Nia's Hair provides 100% Human Hair as well as Virgin Indian Hair, Virgin Malaysian Hair, and Indian Remy. All of their products are processed with steam and has NO CHEMICALS. They offer inches 12-26 in Natural Black or Natural Brown. With exceptional quality, Nia's Hair is the place to go for your hair needs! What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
What motivated me to become an entrepreneur was the economy, my family and financial support while in college. The economy is terrible right now and a lot of people are surviving because of their online stores. I would also like to be able to take care of my family one day and buy them things they have always wanted. Lastly being a college student is hard! I wanted to be able to support myself in college without having to lean on my parents so much.
Do you get a lot of support from family and peers?
Yes I do get a lot of support from family and peers. My family supports me fully and helps in any way they can. Some of my peers help me to advertise and get the word out to others about my business.
What are your long term goals?
Some of my long term goals include opening a store that carries my product, donating money to underprivileged children in my community, and being one of the top companies that provide premium quality 100% human hair in the world. I also would like to obtain my masters degree in psychology; and work at a family practice with my mother who is working on her masters in psychology as well.
How do you want to make an impact on society?
In the near future, I would like to work with organizations that help people with cancer feel comfortable by providing them with extensions or wigs.
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs starting on this journey as a student?
As a student it is hard to run a business and maintain school work. The first piece of advice I can give is to purchase an agenda book. ORGANIZATION is key. If you can organize all of the things you need to do on a daily basis everything will fall into place. Secondly STAY PROFESSIONAL. One thing I have learned while focusing on my business is to stay professional no matter what situation you are in. There will be people who will not support you or always have something negative to say. It is best to handle these people in the most professional manner. I also recommend an iPhone for entrepreneurs who have online businesses. iPhones are great for checking emails on the go. Also there is an app that allows customers to scan their credit cards directly from the iPhone. Last but not least remember CUSTOMER SERVICE. If you have exceptional customer service and good quality products you have the potential to be very successful.
Check out Nia's Hair website www.niashair.com to learn more! This month they're offering 15% off all products! You can also reach them by email at niashair@gmail.com and be sure to follow them on Twitter @Nias_Hair and like them on Facebook Nias Hair-Virgin Indian Remy Hair!
