Nikia Londy of Intriguing Hair: Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry

Invest in a quality hairpiece. For those days when you just have a bad hair day. It’s as simple as putting it on and walking out the door. Don’t forget the wig head and stand. It makes styling extremely effortless. I recently had a customer who had thinning in the front of her hair. It became difficult for her to camouflage the thinness with her hair. I suggested one of our hair toppers. She just sent me an email thanking me for saving her 30 minutes from her daily routine in the morning.

As a part of our series about “Five Things Anyone Can Do To Have Fabulous Hair”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nikia Londy.

Nikia Londy is the owner of Intriguing Hair, a one stop solution for consumers to purchase high quality hair extensions, wigs, and hair pieces. Nikia is a member of the American Hair Loss Council and hopes that through the services Intriguing Hair provides, clients have a renewed sense of faith, confidence, and style.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My career can be defined as passion meeting purpose. I’ve always had a love for hair. I would style my great aunt’s wigs when I was very young. I always tell people to think of the thing you are unable to live without your greatest joy, obsession, or hobby. If you’re a collector of a particular product. That feeling describes my attachment to my career. From the age of 12, I would research celebrity hairstylists. Who created the very best hair extensions installation or color? It was a fixation. I remember going to the hairdresser every Saturday and taking my hair out in an attempt at duplicating the hairstyle. I would get in trouble, but I didn’t care.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I’ve always have had a mentality that I have to outdo everyone. I would be the first one available and the last to leave. This on top of being a people-pleaser at the time. I was young and driven to succeed. I remember being asked to assist with a few celebrity clients for a day-long shoot. I gave my all and was responsible for the majority of the work. I didn’t negotiate or care about the pay it was just about the experience. It didn’t bother me until I realized the company, I worked for was paid 1000 times the amount I was paid. I just happened to overhear a member of their management discussing it over the phone.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

That’s a great question. I became successful from the start of my career compared to my counterparts. What differentiated me from them. I made sure to befriend the most successful individuals within my industry. I would pick their brain and often emulate them. I didn’t shy away from their critiques. I also worked on areas I thought they could improve within myself. One of the best strategies I would use is when I closed big deals or was having a great run. I continued I didn’t stop because I had surpassed my sales goal. When you have a winning mentality. Nothing is impossible and everything just becomes so much easier. It also worked the same way when I was having a bad sales month. I just wanted to close sales, but the desperation could be read from my face.

In your experience what were the most effective ways for your business to generate leads and sales? Can you share a story or give an example?

Make a lasting impression on each interaction and customer. Before you can have many. You need one. We can be so focused on being bigger and better. Think small use that to your advantage. You’re able to respond faster. Build a connection and work the relationship. A Thank you letter with a handwritten note goes a long way. Follow-up once you gain the sale. Follow thru with every statement you make. This is when you start building trust and a loyal advocate. I will always remember the advice I received early in my career. We were selling a particular product for $500 and directly across the street our competitor was selling the same product for 1 cent. Our CEO had flown in and was making surprise visits within our area. I was quizzed on what made our same product so much better. “We were the better company” I than delivered our mission statement. He looked me dead in the eyes and said “wrong, you are the difference” It was at that moment I realized I was a valuable asset.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m very grateful that I have an understanding partner in life. I’ve been blessed to pursue all of my dreams while raising a family. My husband is the individual I turn to when I need an extra eye or just need to vent to someone.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

The first time I ever gave a presentation in front of a group of executive leadership. I don’t know why I decided to wear stiletto shoes and I have wide feet. I remember giving this two long hour presentation I was focused on the pain rather than the delivery of my message. I also naturally talk fast. I remember after I was done and looked at the audience. Someone said “Breathe” everyone including myself burst into laughter. It was an ice breaker for the next presenter. I learned to make sure that I’m dressed professionally but comfortably. Also, to pace myself when speaking.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?

Don’t allow fear to get in the way of your dreams. Every failure I’ve had was a lesson in becoming better. All roads will lead you to exactly where you need to be. I remember the first sales team I ever had. They consisted of just driven individuals. I worked on developing the lowest-performing individual on my team. The thought behind it was your only as good as the weakest member of your team. He became a sales powerhouse better than I could have ever imagined. Naturally, he moved up within the company. Years later it just so happened we went for the same position. I knew it was mine. I was devastated when he received the job over me. I couldn’t wrap my head around someone I had trained and developed beat me. His team’s numbers were better. It made the most sense. I could have given up. I could have allowed it to hurt my ego, but I moved on to work harder and improved.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you please share “Five Things Anyone Can Do To Have Fabulous Hair”. Please share a story or an example, for each.

1. Invest in a quality hairpiece. For those days when you just have a bad hair day. It’s as simple as putting it on and walking out the door. Don’t forget the wig head and stand. It makes styling extremely effortless. I recently had a customer who had thinning in the front of her hair. It became difficult for her to camouflage the thinness with her hair. I suggested one of our hair toppers. She just sent me an email thanking me for saving her 30 minutes from her daily routine in the morning.
2. For Hollywood glam curls. After curling each piece. Hold your hair together in the palm of your hand. Use either a hair clip or bobby pin. To hold the curl together. Allowing the hair to cool down and set will produce more volume and longer-lasting curls. For fabulous curls without heat put a minimum of 4 Flexi rods in at night. You can also use more. It requires minimum effort. When you wake up it will only require less than 5 minutes to remove.
3. Kenra Platinum Silkening gloss is my absolute favorite hair product. It works on all hair textures and types. It eliminates frizz and is lightweight. You don’t have to worry about product build-up. It doesn’t weigh your hair down. The scent is alluring. I also adore their brand packaging.
4. My favorite tip if you need to control flyaway hairs. Spray spritz and hairspray on your comb. Then comb the top of your head it eliminates them. It was a tip I learned years ago on a photo shoot for a hair company. We kept cutting the flyaways off and it seemed the more we cut the individual strands the more they came back. The lead hairstylist gave me that tip and has helped so many individuals since.
5. Everyone should have a satin pillowcase. The main benefit is less friction. Which prevents breakage. Causing less static on your hair strands. Additionally, maximizing the longevity of any hairstyle, you had during the day. Moisture is retained because satin does not absorb whereas cotton does the exact opposite. When I do events such as an hair show, or Fashion week and it requires extravagant hairstyles. I prep the models a day beforehand and make sure to give them satin pillowcases. It makes my job so much easier.

Can you share 3 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

I’m a believer in manifesting. A tool I use is speaking affirmations. Every morning I look in the mirror, smile, and then tell myself “I’m beautiful” along with many other things. It’s a constant reminder to shift my mindset to positive thinking.

Take time to put yourself together. We are in a time filled with zoom calls and disconnection. It can be easy to throw on sweats. Whenever I put the effort into getting myself together, I feel better. It gives me an inner confidence that I’m able to conquer anything or anyone.

Drink plenty of water and exercise. Water is a part of my daily skin and hair regimen. I naturally have dry skin and hair. It aids in retaining moisture. Topical products have limited penetration for hydration. The best thing you can do is drink plenty of water.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

If I could inspire a movement it would be acceptance for who you are now in this moment. Individuals live in fear or are held back by the belief they are not good enough. Many opportunities in life are left because of waiting for the right timing. Understanding your good enough right now exactly how you are is the most beautiful gift you can give yourself.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

The genius thing that we did was, we didn’t give up. Jayz

It was a reminder that eventually my time will come. As long as I stayed the course my dreams will materialize. I often state this quote to my entrepreneur friends or mentees. As long as you believe it will happen it will. Even at my darkest moments when it seemed though my dreams were so much farther from reality, that message would resonate with me.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. :-)

Ali Webb the co-founder of Drybar is my favorite Beauty entrepreneur. To build a service-based retail business that generates 100 million dollars in revenue is no easy task. I appreciate her insight and I’m also an avid listener of her podcast Raising the Bar. I also appreciate the fact that it’s a family-owned business and I can relate to that dynamic.

How can our readers follow you online?

Intriguinghair.com is our website. Follow us on Instagram: @IntriguingHair

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!

About the Interviewer: Jilea Hemmings is a staunch believer in the power of entrepreneurship. A successful career revamping Fortune 500 companies was not enough for her entrepreneurial spirit, so Jilea began focusing her passion in startups. She has successfully built 6 startups to date. Her passion for entrepreneurship continues to flourish with the development of Stretchy Hair Care, focusing on relieving the pain associated with detangling and styling natural black hair. For far too long, people with tender heads have suffered in pain. Until now.