Ashley Williams and Khat Brim founded “Hair Are Us,” a seven-figure quality hair extension, weaves and wigs company in Atlanta. They started the brand in 2011 after they decided to collaborate and work together on the project.
The two best friends come from an entrepreneurial background. Khat came to the table with her hair extension business knowledge while Ashley was business savvy and had a vast business network. They decided to go into the hair business because, at the time, not many people gave it a thought.
The two entrepreneurs started from their home base in Atlanta, sold out hair bundles out of their car trunks and parking space, and once they began gaining more attention and online orders, particularly from Florida, they decided to explore the market there. They moved to Miami for six months and hired a store and gradually built demand for their products.
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“We did all of the groundwork, passing out flyers like we did in the beginning in Atlanta; we were our own promotion girls, we did all the online orders, we were customer service reps. We just did everything! At the time, it was only three of us running the business,” Khat told Global Grind.
Two years after the Miami business settled, Ashley and Khat decided to open a store in Los Angeles, the mecca of beauty. The decision to move to LA was inspired by the company’s loyal customers and within a few months of launching in LA, Hair Are Us exceeded expectations.
The duo started their hair business with $1,000 each and in less than three years, their investment yielded them $2 million in revenue.
“We went from selling bundles out of the trunks of our cars in parking lots to having three retail stores and a thriving e-commerce business. We’ve had many ups and downs. But we have learned so much from starting, maintaining, and growing a business by doing this together,” they told Black News.
Although the hair brand is doing well, Ashley said they are cutting out any complacency. She said they want to focus on becoming a household name so that when people think of hair extensions, Hair Are Us will come to mind.
“We have the advantage of having our product available in stores, and a lot of other brands are based mostly online,” Ashley told Global Grind. “For us, the physical relationship is so important. We’re hoping to give you an experience whenever you come to our store. We like to think of ourselves as a beauty bar because we also offer makeup and lash applications. There’s engagement and we thrive on that.”
