I was one of those lucky people who always knew what I wanted to do. It wavered once or twice as far as my career choice, but was always my passion. 

Hair. 

Braids Are the Foundation

As a child I loved playing with barbies.  I would use koolaid to dye their hair and braid the same styles my mom did on me. It wasn’t easy doing cornrows on that tiny head so when Matel put out the Barbie styling head it was MY direct prayer God answered! It paid off; by 11 I learned to braid my own hair. By 15 I was doing full sew in weaves on myself. 

Pocket Change

Throughout high school I always had money! I made a name for myself braiding all the girls and even some of the guys hair. So much so that I remember sitting in class at my Catholic High School and getting a note to come to the Monsignor’s office. Frightened out of my mind because I’d never been in trouble before, I walked slowly towards the office playing over my morning wondering what I could have done. I opened the door to find out that one of our Varsity basketball players needed his hair braided to be in regulation for the game that night! Yes, they pulled me out of class to take care of it! ???? I said that to say this: Hair was my long standing hobby that I’d hoped to make my career some day.

Decisions, Decisions

In 2005 I was in my sophomore year of college, paying out of state tuition at The University of Texas and undecided about what I wanted to major in. I approached my parents about going to cosmetology school and was quickly shut down and reminded that finishing my degree at UT was the primary focus. 

My sister Sanya had left school one year prior to pursue a professional career in track and field. She was privy to the conversation between my parents and I. Wise beyond her years, she went to bat for me like she always has. She reasoned that her leaving school to pursue her passion was no different than what I wanted to do. And in an act of unexpected fairness, my parents agreed. 

I enrolled in cosmetology school a few months later and never looked back. Despite the agreement I made to go back to UT once I got my license. 

Water under the bridge. 

Hobby to Career

By my 5th year as a licensed cosmetologist I was no longer taking new clients.  I built a robust clientele and was reaping the benefits of my 10,000 hours. 

I was a six figure chick in the elite six figure clique! Although I had my own salon, due to ridiculously high over heads the business was only breaking even at the time. So every penny I took home I stood behind the chair to earn.

 I didn’t foresee how much motherhood would change me. 

Money can’t Buy…

After having Slade, like most moms I planned to return to work after 3 months maternity leave. As the time was nearing I composed an email to let my clients know I’d be back in the salon. As I typed, I found myself limiting the days and times I would work as I thought about leaving Slade!  Certainly not my intention, I hit send before I could change my mind. Before I knew it I was working two days a week for a few hours a day. When I got pregnant with my youngest, Shiloh, nothing changed at work except now I was no longer earning 6 figures. There was a me, before motherhood, that would never have let that happen. But the mother me cares more about time with my boys than being behind the chair for an ungodly number of hours a week. 

So, now what?

Since my 6 figure bills haven’t changed! 

Stay At Home Mom… Kinda

Like tons of moms, I am figuring out how to work from home. 

I have always been creative (is that a horn toot??) and I love to make things. A client of mine recently introduced me to the Cricut Explore Air 2. I’ts made all my crafting dreams come true. I’m launching a company called esSGee Creations! Hoping to make events like birthdays, baby showers and even take home planning much easier on my mommi friends. When my kids go to sleep I spend my nights designing and crafting my decor boxes and Im finally ready to share them with you! In an ‘instagrammable” world, be ready for your moment. 

I don’t know what my future holds. Maybe I’ll return to the salon full time once my boys are in school. Maybe I won’t. I’ll say this of my experience though, as much as I enjoy earning good money, I’ve found such a joy in doing things I love and if those things bring me good money again one day then that’s a win! 

Follow my journey as I create beautiful crafts for my family and hopefully yours. 

If you’re a crafty mom, be on the lookout for my tutorial vlogs coming soon to Mommination!

Are you a stay at home mom? What are some of the ways you earn money from home?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time,

Mommi Shari