Meet Tati Samson | Beautician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tati Samson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tati, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I moved to DFW in 2018 it was the ultimate Struggle for me to find women in my area to properly and professionally care for my hair. I drove miles looking for hair salons and could never find any. I would have to drive 40 minutes or more into Dallas or further to get my hair done. That process was exhausting and I knew I needed to fill a gap because I wasn’t alone in that journey. I come from a family of licensed beauticians and barbers and decided I needed to continue in the family business. I wanted to give my community the luxury they desired without having to travel far & long for something so important to our confidence.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business exists today because my passion outweighed any notions of settling. I went to college & studied Mass Communications & Public Relations. I dreamed of working in Commercial Television. After graduation I packed up and moved to NYC to chase that dream. Life in NYC didn’t go as planned. The dream wasn’t going as planned & I ended up homeless & couch surfing trying to make a way, so I settled for a job in sales & was finally able to get my own place. When the expenses of NYC became too much I decided to move. After much research Fort Worth TX became my destination.

My partner & I transferred our jobs to TX & moved. We moved here with $196 in our account. Our first night in Texas we slept at Dallas Lovefield as we made our plans. We stayed in 9 different Airbnb’s until we were able to rent our first Townhome & get settled.

I continued working in sales until I finally decided my passion wasn’t there so I quit. I moved on to a job at Wells Fargo. However, I was still not satisfied. But through all of these jobs I always used my talent for doing hair as side work. Even if I had to travel to a clients home I was willing to go and do what I loved.

My partner finally sat me down and said “You should open a salon, because that’s what makes you happy.” and I truly listened. I made a list detailing why I would be a good business owner.
1. I’m a people person
2. I have great managerial skills.
3. I’m great at finances and accounting.
4. My public relations background makes me great at marketing.
5. Most importantly, I’m great at braiding hair, making wigs, and locs.

From that moment on I resigned from Wells Fargo and started working on my business.

In my 1st year I grew my clientele from 0 clients to over 200 clients and it continues to grow. I am so grateful for the support of the people in my community. I advertise online, I put business cards in stores all across my community, I gave out free styles, did $3 raffles for Service , discounts for referrals, and business grew. As it grew, I supported my community with fundraisers to send someone to prom and later back to school supplies and in return my community supports my business by always returning to me. This success has been beautiful and I am forever grateful. None of this work was easy. The long nights, the preparation, the and continuing growth were tuff but we made it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am such a foodie! When my family comes to town we find great restaurants. I love Brunch at Dream Cafe in Uptown Dallas but also love a good relaxing moment at the Fort Worth water garden or a movie at Coyote Drive In.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
During this journey there’s Two People who absolutely deserve recognition for where I am today in this business. First is my Partner Shaquille Henry. He has stayed up days and nights helping to establish my business, funding the start of my business, & always being there for supply runs or simply entertaining my clients with his ability to connect and make everyone always feel welcomed. Second is my late grandmother Myra Washington. She is the first person in my family to pass down the skills of beauty and the entrepreneurial spirit to always go for what you want and do it successfully.

Website: TADAbraidsnlocs.booksy.com

Instagram: TADAbraidsnlocs

Facebook: TADAbraidsnlocs

Other: Styleseat.com/TADAbraidsnlocs