Sylvia Brown: A Driven Young Motivated Entrepreneur
Photo Credit: Lauren Benzo
May people may ask, “What is a driven, young, motivated entrepreneur?” It is something that is not hard to explain, but this woman is a great example of the meaning. Sylvia Brown is the oldest of nine children that grew up in the city of Erie, PA. So you can say the experience of being in charge of something was embedded in her mental.
Walking into the self-branded salon called “Designs Hair Studio by Sylvia Brown,” wearing a Bisou Bisou Maxi dress, Michael Kors caramel open-toe sandals, with the matching bag and sunglasses, you would think this woman has it made. Yet, there was a deep and determined motive to what she wanted out of life and to be in the position that she is in today.
Sylvia started doing hair back in the early 80’s. At the same time, she was employed at the local phone company. She was very grateful to have fulltime employment, but she did not feel passionate about working paycheck to paycheck. This type of lifestyle did not hold interest this woman whom was a single mother. Sylvia made a list of the pros and cons in her life and then sat out to work on her foundation of becoming a beautician.
She would move on to doing hair in her house and knowing that this was something that she wanted she was passionate about, she decided to going to hair school. After she received her beautician and managers licenses, she then worked for salons in her hometown along with creating and promoting hair shows, but she knew that her plan was moving towards being her own boss. This is just the beginning of her journey.
A friend of Sylvia pulled her aside, and talked her into becoming a salon owner. Sylvia felt a little reserved by the idea but she knew in order to move forward on her career path, this would be the first step to open more doors for her.
Within a year of starting her first salon, Sylvia built up her clientele, she had a staff full of great employees, and she finally understood the meaning “identifying a passion and turning it into a career.”
From working at the phone company, to giving up on that job and seeking a career in something she was passionate about, to running and branding over 3 salons, you can say that Sylvia took what she has a passion for and made a dream her reality. Sitting in her salon and looking at all that she has achieved with her brand, makes it plain to see that the sky is not the limit for this driven young motivated entrepreneur.