Micha’s Mane Event
by Micha Nixon
I’m Micha, pronounced My-cah. Not Me-ka or Me-sha. The name is important because it’s part of my brand. So, let’s get that right from the start. I’m a 17-year old rising senior at Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes,Florida. My thing is hair. Specifically, I’m an expert at twisting and braiding. I started braiding hair when I was about 13 years old. I would see other people braiding and I was determined to learn. My dolls were my first customers. I practiced daily until I became good at it. It’s funny, at first, I didn’t braid hair for
money. I did it as favors for my closest friends. Then one summer when I was on a church trip my friend helped me perfect my braiding skills and after that,
it was on.
I practiced on her hair the whole trip. People were impressed. Everybody said I had a natural talent for doing hair, so, I started braiding my male friends’ hair.
This led to hair extensions and now I’m doing all sorts of fun things with hair. I had no formal training; the art of doing hair seemed to come natural to me. As I got more advanced in my techniques, I realized that this could actually be my own little business.
As a teenager with a full social calendar, money tends to be important. I’ve got senior trips to explore, parties to attend, and clothes and music to buy. My parents were not going to give me money every time I asked. And that’s when a light bulb went off. Why not get my braiding license and join this entrepreneur’s race to success?
I talked to my mom who suggested that I could make extra money in high school as well as when I head off to college next year. She was right. There’ll be more
girls and boys on a college campus and for that reason, I can probably clean up! But Mom didn’t stop with that one suggestion. She also recommended me to her colleagues and before long, I was doing a graduate student’s hair. It felt good being a “real” professional. But the best part was that she paid me $50!
Wow, I couldn’t believe it. That’s the most anyone had ever paid me for doing hair. “This could work,” I thought.
Each time I did a good job, my clients would tell others, and before long the clients were rolling in. Now I realize that I can supplement my college education with my own business. What better way to build my confidence, learn about business and make some cash than with my own enterprise? I’m excited to see how my business will grow in college next year.
