Brianne Pate held a grand opening for her salon, Spoiled Salon Suites, on Saturday.
In less than a year in business the FAMU alumna has proven that hard work, consistency, and discipline pay off.
“After I graduated in spring 2019 with a bachelor’s in health science, I went home to Orlando. I needed to find a side hustle to help with grad school. I decided to go to Esthetician school which only took three months at Hollywood beauty in Orlando,” Pate said.
Pate became a licensed esthetician In July 2019 and used her mother as her first client for a Brazilian wax. She currently specializes in waxing, facials, and vagacials at her salon at 1540 South Adams St.
Spoiled Queens quickly grew among students in the Tallahassee area after she moved back in August. A member ofDelta Sigma Theta sorority, her line sisters became her first clients. Using social media and word of mouth, Pate had steady clientele. With her most popular deals $25 Brazilians on Mondays from noon to 2 p.m. and $35 Brazilians on Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m., she became the talk of the town and was featured on ABC 27 and interviewed by Karah Bailey.
“I’m the youngest of three siblings and was always called spoiled so I figured since spoiled is a part of me it has to be a part of my business. Queen came from the fact that I think everyone is a queen and I love how the word makes you feel different,” Pate said.
The young entrepreneur continues to give others an opportunity to grow and learn from her.
“Working as her assistant was fun! Who wouldn’t like working for a great person? The pay was definitely competitive. I have no complaints. Brianne was always flexible in scheduling my work times in accordance with my school schedule. Working as her assistant gave me an inside look at how truly special it is to be a young, Black entrepreneur,” Ke’Arrah Washington, her spring ’18 Delta line sister and Spoiled Queens assistant, said.
“Bri is very hard working and organized. We worked together as community service chair and co-chair of BSLS. Bri would have her calendar ready each month prepped and ready with events, ideas and how she would want it way ahead of time. Everything Bri puts her mind to she does and does it above and beyond the standard. People say what they’re going to do all the time but rarely do it to! She wakes up before the sun and is always grinding to get her work done. I only know a few people who have an unmatched grind and Bri is one of them,” said Aja Evans, her BSLS council sister.
Opening a salon in less than a year in business can either make or break your business.
“Most of my decisions are made based on money. If it doesn’t make money it doesn’t make sense. It feels good to have your own salon. Working in someone else’s salon you pay weekly versus monthly so I thought it would be less stress and pressure on myself allowing me to be financially free in providing a place for other entrepreneurs to grow,” Pate said.
“The first service I received was a Brazilian wax. That experience was excellent. Honestly, I’ve gotten waxed twice before but stopped because it was so painful. I literally went and told my best friend right after because she never waxed because how scared she was of pain. She went and made her next appointment,” Evans said.
The money spent to open up her salon had been saved to get a new car. But because she looked at her finances, she decided, “A car will depreciate in value and a salon is going to set me up for life,” Pate said.
With COVID-19 quickly spreading across the world it has hindered some businesses. In the case of Pate, it’s the “reason I have the salon.”
Pate’s next move is to open up a nail spa for independent entrepreneurs in the Tallahassee area. She plans to move to Atlanta next summer.