Why I Decided to Start My Own Business | SMH Branding
Why did I start my brand Curly Temple?
Their are so many reasons that forced me into entrepreneurship but there is one experience that stood out to me the most. This one experience changed my entire prospective and is the reason why I created the brand we have grown to love today.
By trade I am a licensed dental hygienist. Being a dental hygienist really shifted the way that I thought. I spoke to various people, black, white, wealthy and poor. Those huge houses that I used to drive by I now had an opportunity to meet the owners. Every time I asked my wealthy patients what they did for a living they always told me that they owned their own business.
I didn’t know what I was good at or what I was passionate about at the time but I would feel so inspired after talking to them. I just didn’t know what business I wanted to pursue and quite honestly, I lacked the motivation.
One of my biggest motivators is my anger. That anger came upon me one day at work when I found out my coworker made five whole dollars more an hour than me. That is right! Not one or two but five dollars more than me. I was bewildered by that number because I was not only employed 4 years longer than her, I also ran the department. When I approached my boss about the unfair pay, she said and I quote “I guess a $1 raise wouldn’t hurt me…” I was so insulted.
I spent four years of my life with that doctor. She came to my wedding and I sent all of my family to her practice for care. Why was it so difficult for her to pay me equally and fairly? I gave my all to that job. Anything she needed from me I was there for her and she was willing to lose a loyal employee rather than paying me what I deserved. That is when it all clicked for me. It’s her business and she can do what she wants.
I think as an employee we not only have blind loyalty to an institution but we also become entitled to the company's growth. As an employee we work so hard to help other entrepreneurs grow their business and we expect to be compensated fairly. Any accolades or huge clients they land we can sometimes get caught up in the hype and forget that none of these accomplishments belong to us. They belong to the owner. That is why it’s important to remind yourself that your job is NOT YOUR BUSINESS.
Business owners have the right to hire and fire you how they legally see fit. They can change your position and demote you at any moment. If you die today, I am positive they will have your replacement the following week. I used to believe that because I worked so hard for my boss, she had to pay me what I deserved. I was entitled to her money. That was simply not true because at the end of the day it is her business. She could pay me whatever she thought I deserved regardless of how amazing I believed I was as an employee. And at that time my value to her after 4 years was only a dollar. Twenty-five cents a year.
That was a hard pill to swallow and I was absolutely devastated. In a few weeks I quit that office and moved on to another job and then another. I kept finding myself in and out of work because I just did not have the team spirit anymore. I invested so much time and effort making someone's else dreams become true and I had nothing to show for my own.
That was heartbreaking. I loved that job and most of all I loved helping my patients. But I got to say that was the best thing that ever happened to me. I left that situation with a completely new view on life. I had to do some self-reflections to see what actually made me happy. Why was I so heartbroken? Then it clicked for me that although I hated my profession, I loved my patients. I adored helping people and I enjoyed helping her business grow. I was fully invested in that office. Suddenly, that was taken away from me. Those patients, her growth, did not belong to me and once I left her practice, I knew that I would no longer be able to interact with them again. All that time I invested to help her business grow was now gone. The business did not belong to me.
This is why I started SMH Branding. I know so many entrepreneurs that want to start their own beauty brand but have no idea which step to take. They get an idea, quit their job and try to hustle their way through. If that is your plan let me tell you that is the wrong path to follow. Believe me!