This November will mark six years since I became an entrepreneur. In that time, I've grown 3 successful businesses. I'm a hairstylist/loctician behind Loc'd by Jemm, I created my own All-Natural Hair Care Line named Jemm All Naural Hair Care, and I also started a clothing brand named Melanin. On top of all of that, I'm a mom, a boy mom at that lol. Balancing all of it hasn't been anywhere near easy. Some days it's a genuinely a struggle because there's always so much to do and not enough time to do it. The early morning and late night are so exhausting but I wouldn't trade this life for anything. Especially when I finally sit down and look back at how far I've came I realize that all the hard work, all the exhaustion, and the late nights is paying off. My goal is to build a legacy and that is not something that is done overnight.

Loc'd by Jemm is where it started, behind the chair. Hair was always something I enjoyed doing from high school. I was in cosmetology class and I worked at an amazing salon for on the job training. Did I know I would make a carrer out of it? Absolutely not. I never even did locs in high school and now it's my passion. I love being able to transform and create not only hair but my client's confidence.

Jemm Hair Care grew out of that same passion, giving people a way to care for their hair at home the way I'd care for it in the salon. A question I always got asked by my clients after I finished their hair was "What products do I use now?" "How do I take care of my hair?" and that's when it came to me. Instead of telling them the diffrent products they can use why don't I just create the perfect product with all the best ingredients so they don't have to go hunting for it or end up using a product that does way more harm than good. The beauty industry has alot of chemicals in their products and my goal was to create 100% natural products for my clients and for anyone who needs it.

Melanin came from wanting to build something outside of the hair industry. I actually always wanted to start a clothing brand especially on the days where I felt that my business wasn't going anywhere or the days I wanted to dive into something new. I actually tried a few times but I wanted my brand to be rooted in identity and self expression. When the idea Melanin came to me a year ago I knew this is what I wanted my brand to be.

Being a mom while running three businesses means there's no real "off" switch. There are days I'm filling orders and editing content after bedtime or taking client calls between school drop-off and pickup. It's a constant balancing act, and I won't pretend it's easy, but what I will say is that this life taught me discipline I didn't know I had.

I also had to learn the hard way that if I don't put myself on my own calendar, I don't exist on it. Self care stopped being a "someday" or "next month" and became a scheduled non negotiable, the same way an appointment or a restock date is. Protecting that time is what keeps me able to show up for my businesses and my son without losing myself in the process.

I've been in this game for almosy 6 years and only now I feel like I'm truly understanding how entrepreneurship works, not the version people post online. So many people step into this world expecting things to take off overnight. That's not how it works. You build your legacy, your empire, from the ground up, brick by brick. It takes time. It takes years. It takes failure.

Not every day is going to be a good day. Some days will be the hardest days you've had. But as long as you believe in yourself, believe in your dream, and believe in your vision, anything is possible. That belief is the one thing that has carried me through every version of this business, from year one to year six.