Today we’d like to introduce you to Albernisha Blackman.
Albernisha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began selling hair my freshman year of college. I attended Florida state university and needed some extra money and I didn’t want to work my first year of college of 2015. I decided to begin selling hair in remembrance of my aunt and grandmother, who passed away from lupus (hence the butterflies and L(Lynette) T(Tranae) W(Williams). I decided to dedicate my company to them and all other Lupus survivors who go through a stage of losing hair. I believe aside from my hair company. I began doing YouTube to make a spotlight on my life with my daughter, cooking and being an entrepreneur. YouTube was a big step for me as far as stepping out of my comfort zone. It allowed me to help other young women who are having children, especially dealing with postpartum depression. I believe That our voice can help people in so many ways that we won’t notice.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of the struggles along the way were finding the proper funding to fund my business. Aside from selling since 2015, I was the first in my family to actually start a business, so I had no knowledge of the correct way to do anything. I had to learn to deal with disputes on my own, purchasing inventory on my own, and learning how to build my own website on my own. Disputes were also a struggle as a wholes with fraud being so big these days, I took losses totaling $15,000 and it caused me to stop selling hair for about a year. A sophomore in college at the time running a hair company with no business advice and guidance was tough.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about LTW Extensions – what should we know?
I believe that when you do things with purpose and not for the money, it makes it all more worth it. I’m sure my grandma and aunt are proud of the fact that I started something off of their names and I’m trying to build a legacy for my daughter, of course. Aside from my business, I have a talent of cooking and everyone knows that about me.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think the most important characteristic to my success is my drive to never give up. There is always somebody watching you will never know. I believe that you have to have the drive to persevere through whatever. Growing up, nothing was ever handed to me, so I went out and got everything on my own. I paid my own bills all throughout college; rather it was selling hair or selling food. My drive to be a go-getter is what’s important to my success. I’m always going to find a way to get it done. That’s what sets me apart from others.
Contact Info:
- Website: AbLashae.co
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Albernishaaa
- Twitter: _Ablashae
Image Credit:
Corey Wheeler (maternity and grad photo)
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