Many students on FAMU’s campus have taken their side hustle to a new level, and have made their entrepreneurship a key part of their lifestyle.
Second-year health science student Amari Jefferson ism a good example. She has expanded her braiding business to a level that she did not expect.
Prior to coming to FAMU, Jefferson had mainly done her own hair as well as her close friends and family. When she came to college, she was simply looking for chump change to keep her afloat throughout the time she spends being a student.
“I’ve always loved doing hair and the process of completing it but my main drive for starting my business on campus is how much fun I have getting to know new clients and seeing how happy everyone looks with fresh hair,” she said.
Her passion for getting to know her clients while doing their hair is how she manages to stand out among a sea of hairstylists, and it has proven to work for her. Jefferson provides refreshments, television for entertainment, along with a bubbly personality to impress her clients.
Second year pre-occupational therapy student Taniyah Symonette said, “My experience with Amari was very calming, and she provided a comfortable environment.”
Jefferson started her braiding page on Instagram titled bra1ds_by_a.a and promoted her business by word of mouth; since then, she has grown her presence on campus as a stylist.
When Jefferson began her freshman year, she was mainly doing men’s braids and twist styles in addition to box braids, passion twists and other braiding styles.
Recently, she has expanded her services to locs, starter locs and retwist. Jefferson has even gained enough clientele to have a business partner who specializes in faux loc styles in order to improve the quality of her services.
A newer client who utilizes Jefferson’s loc services, Christopher Peterson, said, “Amari provided great customer service. She constantly asks for approval to make sure she does your hair the way you like it; not to mention she pretty darn good at it.”
Although her business has expanded, Jefferson is still a student and juggles a full schedule while being a member of Black Women in Medicine and a member of the e-board of the Healthcare Management Club.
“I am constantly doing stuff and my day is full of activities, but with a good calendar and some time management I have been able to accomplish everything I need to do,” Jefferson said.