Jola’s Hair (1)
Jola’s Hair is a distinct hairstyling company- it caters exclusively to a niche clientele: young girls and teenagers. With a community-centred approach, the enterprise has facilitated the styling of over 1,000 school girls in Ibadan and Oyo and expanded recently to create a hair school to train teenagers interested in learning the art of hairdressing. In today’s interview, we find out from Jolaogo Bayonle, Founder of Jola’s Hair, what inspires her particular style and hear her thoughts on the evolution of hairstyling in Nigeria.
Nolina: Hello Jola, so glad we finally got a hold on you (Smiles). You’re quite the scarce commodity.
Jola: (Laughs) And it’s not like that o. It’s just been a busy couple of months, but I’m happy to be here. Thank you once again for the invitation.
Nolina: The pleasure is all ours. Perhaps we will start off the very beginning- when did you realize you were gifted at hair making?
Jola: Wow. (Smiles) It all started in secondary school. I went to a boarding school, where we had a busy term but a lot of time on our hands after our final exams were completed. In this time, my friends and I would just play around with making one another’s hairs. We would have cut our hair before the term began, but by the end of the term, our hair would have grown so we would get creative. It just so happened that I found out that I made neater and nicer- looking cornrows, so my friends wanted me to make their hair all the more.
Nolina: And how did Jola’s Hair start?
Jola: There’s this thing we say here in Nigeria that a hairdresser’s hand can be painful or not. I remember my friends used to say back then in secondary school that they didn’t just like coming to me because they liked the outcome but also that my hand was not “painful”. Jola’s hair started after I left secondary school and went to the University. I started it as a side business because it was nice to make that extra cash and supplement the ultra-rationed pocket money which my parents gave me (Laughs).
Nolina: Did you always know you wanted to float Jola’s Hair full time?
Jola: Actually, yes. In Uni, I studied Business Administration, so I was eager to expand Jola’s Hair right after graduating. I remember that one of the benefits of studying a program like mine was that I was able to directly connect some of the principles I learned to my hair making hustle, even then as a student. So yes, it was something I was eager to explore.
Nolina: I’m curious to know if your parents supported you on this journey, when you started Jola’s Hair that is.
Jola: (Smiles) You know, I actually love talking about the role my parents played. I find I’m some sort of outlier when I share my story and it just makes me all the more grateful to have been blessed with my type of parents. Several people venture out without parental support but I did with the full backing of my parents. I always say that my folks may not have been angel investors but they were- and still are- knowledge investors. It was my dad who taught me the importance of planning and NOT ever winging it.
Now, a lot of my work is heavily reliant on planning but in the early days, I ALWAYS winged it and it made my father so upset (Laughs). He used to say back then, “Jola, don’t let indiscipline clip your wings.” My ever poetic father. It was he who got me to begin to practise consistent documentation and scheduling in an orderly manner. My mother, on the other hand, had a knack for picking up on what made clients comfortable. When I had my shop at home back then- over 10 years ago now, she would make this irresistible puff-puff for my customers and engage with them on various topics. I mean, she’s a people-person so it was not surprising. I bet some of my customers came back because of her hospitality. So yes, parental support was and still is an invaluable resource to me.
Nolina: You know what I think? I think we should have more parents like your Dad and Mum.
Jola: (Smiles) Awhh. They will be so pleased to hear that. Thank you very much.
