Follow Your Intuition: 2015

Another year of bundle hair being a huge hit! With so many hair companies out there, what are some of the important things that you look for when you purchase hair? Affordable prices, quality hair, celebrity clientele? I WEAR GLAM has all that and more! I got the chance to speak with the owner, Latoiya Roland about brand and its big plans for 2016.

With there being so many hair companies, how does I Wear Glam separate themselves from other hair companies?

Well my primary focus are my customers. I’m really hands on making sure the customers are getting what they want. Other companies have a staff of 500 where and they’re like “oh we’re making money! , and that’s all they care about. Whereas, I have a team but I am very hands on with my brand.

My connections have helped me be the choice of celebrities for hair. I don’t think that other companies have that support from celebrities.

Social media is extremely important on running a business. How has it played an important part in your business?

It is the easiest tool to get and it’s free! It really did help to get the word out. I didn’t think that I could have customers in Australia and that’s all from promoting on social media. That doesn’t make just me a local brand but it makes the brand international. I didn’t know that it would go this far but I’m grateful that it did.

You have some high profile celebrities (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Taraji P. Henson) wearing your hair. Who is your next dream client?

Of course Beyonce! Everybody loves Beyonce and want her as a client. We’ll get there one day! But if I have to choose some else I would choose First Lady Michele Obama. (Good answer!)

What made you get a physical location?

Just being fearless. I knew that I had a good product and the feedback was great. It’s doing very well and it’s been a learning process since we’ve only been open for a few months.

What can we expect from I Wear Glam in 2016?

Well, I Wear Glam virgin hair care products (shampoo, conditioner, curly cream, and a hair masque) are coming to Walmart.com. Maybe getting to franchising, and possibly wholesale. Making sure that the structure within the company meets the needs of our customers. You want things to go as smooth as possible. Structure is the key.

What advice do you have for that young lady who is trying to follow her dream as well?

Don’t let anyone build your dreams. Just go for it.

Speaking with Latoiya makes me want to put an extra pep in my hustle! Lol. We see you working girl!

I’m no stranger to the I WEAR GLAM brand! I’ve been a customer for over a year and I have no complaints. So if you’re looking for a new hair company to purchase your bundle hair that's long lasting, good customer service, and affordable prices, I highly suggest I WEAR GLAM.

Be sure to follow I WEAR GLAM on Instagram @iwearglam and check out their website at iwearglam.co!!

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The Queen of Icing

When you hear the words “Girl Boss”, what kind girl do you think of?! Someone who’s hard working, doesn’t take NO for answer, a risk-taker, and confident. If Girl Boss was in the dictionary Mary “Mz.Sittlez” Seats picture would be under it! The CEO of the urban-glam clothing line Cupcake Mafia has made her mark in the industry with the uniqueness and originality of the brand.

I actually got a chance to sit down with Mz.Skittlez at the Cupcake Mafia Boutique & Bakery in Atlanta. We got a chance to discuss her book “The Icing on Top Ain’t Always Sweet”, having a loyal team, and a quick trip down memory lane of her being a music artist.

What inspired you to write your story? Why was so important to share it?

Honestly, I used to be embarrassed about my story. I was booked to speak at a homeless shelter, and that was the first I shared it. I spent four hours speaking with a section of kids that were suicidal or have attempted suicide, just trying to uplift their spirits.

Later that night I received an email from a young girl stating that I saved her life. She was going to commit suicide that night! She heard my story and it gave her faith.

You were once a music artist. Would you ever go back to music?

Ummmm, nooo.(laughs) I don’t think so. Everybody always ask. I work with a lot of music artist and when Cupcake Mafia initially started it was to bring female artist together. So, more girls wanted to be a part of it who weren’t female artist that were regular artist that like draw or spray paint. I needed a way to engage everyone even if they weren’t an artist and so why not do it with clothing, because girls love clothes!

Do you ever go back and look at your old YouTube videos?

Omg yes! People are always coming up to me saying they use to come to my shows! I’m like ohhh, I want to climb under a rock! (laughs) I was so young at the time. What tore me out of the music business was that the management I was with forced me to be someone. It didn’t really give me time to be who I was musically. Because of that it really pushed me away.

They say that you can’t get to the top alone. How did you go about finding a loyal team?

I think there will always be those challenges. You will find those people that will stick you until the end, the people that will stick with you until they transition into something else, and you’ll have those people that will just not be around. You have to sort them out. I think I’ve done a great job at that. I’m a good judge at character. When I meet you I can tell off top what you’re motives are and if you’re going to work. The five people that started out with me, four of them are still around.

I really speak family within my business. More or less, you work with me more than working for me. I try to give the people around me the opportunity to grow.

Where do you get the inspiration for your collections?

Well I definitely know my demographic. If you know who your girl (customer) is, what they listen to, where they shop, what blogs do they look at, then you’re able to create something specifically for them. Cupcake Mafia is about girl unity. So to unite girls, you have to know their issues; you have to know what strikes them in the inside. I look at the girls around me and I get inspired, plusI travel a lot.

I imagine that running a successful business gets crazy and tiring. What motivates you to keep going?

When you love what you do, that should inspire you. I tell people if you could not wake up with $0.00 in your bank account and still want to do it, then you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur! There’s going to be times where you are going to have ZERO dollars and you still have to wake up and blog, or still have to wake up and be an artist. There was times when I had zero dollars, even in the negative and I still wanted to see Cupcake Mafia work.

My team, which I stated before is like my family, and my daughter also motivate me.

What can we expect from Cupcake Mafia in the next 5 years?

I definitely want to have five different locations. Hopefully collaborate with Forever21, have several shoe collaborations. Just staying current and relevant!

What’s your favorite quote?

A slow rise to the top is a better than a fast fall to the bottom. That’s like my mantra! It is so true! It’s just like climbing a ladder! If you hop to the top of the ladder you’re going to fall, but if take your time with each step up along the way, once you get to the top you’re balanced. You’ll understand that everything that you’ve endure along the way to the top has balanced you out.

Mz.Skittlez is very informative! You know most business owners are not into telling their secrets to success or giving pointers, especially not for free! Talking with her I learned that it’s ok to dream BIG but be strategic. She mentions a lot in her videos to work smarter not harder. So definitely do your research before you jump into running a business.

If you’re in the fashion and beauty business I would advise you to please follow her on Periscope, Instagram, and pick up her book on amazon.com!

Website- www.cupcakemafiaatl.com

Instagram- @cupcakemafia

Periscope- @mzskittlez4