In this Entrepreneur Profile, BlackSpeaks.com decided to feature Miracle Thornton, founding owner and operator of Miracle Beauty, a home-based hair salon in Las Vegas, and mother of an 8-year-old boy.
A native of Los Angeles and a resident of Hollywood, Thornton, 27, comes from a family of cosmetologists, barbers and members of the entertainment industry. Her grandmother, Gladys Thornton, was the lead singer of the Marvelettes, the 1960s all-girl R & B music group. Her mother was a hairdresser and her father was a barber. Both served actors, actresses and models.Thornton grew up working in their salons and managed her mother’s salon later in her youth. She has been working since she was 14, including in salons, in telemarketing and customer service.
She started her own hair service business 12 years ago in Los Angeles. She obtained her cosmetology license in California in 2012. She has been in the salon business for over 10 years. Thornton started Miracle Beauty in Los Angeles before she moved to Las Vegas in 2016. Her hair service offerings include braiding, detailing, extensions, eyelashes, finger waves, pixie cuts and other short hairstyles, press curls, relaxers and weaves. She has served as a barber for both men and women. She has also been taking classes in fashion merchandising from the Los Angeles Technical Institute, also known as LATTC, and has transferred academic credits from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Thornton plans to own her own beauty supply store within six years.
The following is a Nov. 16, 2019 phone interview between BlackSpeaks.com and Thornton:
1) I understand that Miraculous Beauty’s website is still under construction. When will the website be up and running?
Miraculous Beauty’s website is in the making as we speak. It’s in a great woman’s hand and will be up and ready shortly.
2) When did you open the salon? How long have you been in business? What is the size of your salon? How many employees work for you?
I created Weaveology with Miracle before Miraculous Beauty. Transitioning from a small business owner to creating the LLC, I have multiple partnerships helping me create a place for employees, which will be handpicked accordingly.
3) How many customers can you have a week? Are they all recurring customers? Do you get a high percentage of new ones and how do they find out about your salon? Do African-American professionals make up the majority of your clientele or is it really mixed? Which services do the different groups tend to use the most from your observation?
Good question. My weeks differ depending on season but most recurring and when I do marketing on different revenues like Craigslist, Facebook, Instagram and Groupon. I do see a good 1 percent to 5 percent rate back and, of course, the word-of-mouth action makes up a good percentage of my business success. My clientele is mixed. I do specialize in weave extensions in all race groups along with monthly trims and good products to nourish the hair.
4) Are you the founding owner of the business? Had you always wanted your own business?
Yes I am the CEO and owner of Miraculous Beauty and Weaveology with Miracle. I want to have multiple revenues of business that bring out my passion and love for that avenue.
5) Do you have years of experience in the personal care and beauty industry. Where have you worked in beauty and personal care before and what were your experiences?
I’ve been licensed in cosmetology since 2012. I was raised in the beauty industry. My mom is a hairstylist and my dad is a barber. Around age 15, I started playing in my friends’ hair to actually master well-installed weaves and just get my license to take my skills further shortly after graduating high school and getting pregnant with my son, Jaylen.
6) How did you find your partners? Were you college students before or classmates in high school?
My partners were already written in my life. I found each of them in different ways but usually at a networking event, through some being clients of mine or just meeting people in other job fields and connecting.
7) In which city and state are your operations based? If not, which other city and state?
Miraculous Beauty is based in Nevada. Weaveology with Miracle was in Los Angeles but was crossing over to Las Vegas.
8) What made you decide to open your own business? When did you make that decision and under what circumstances? When did you start, buy the property and launch your new business? What business or organization was in the building before you opened up the salon and what became of it?
Everybody has purpose and, when you have worked for other people and recognized what you want to contribute to your field, you start to move in that direction so that has been my journey. I’ve managed and co-owned a couple places but now I’m making it out on my own in Nevada.
9) Have you joined any business organizations and other groups? If so, which ones? Are there any articles about your business online or in any magazines or magazines? If so, where? Would you e-mail them to me?
BlackSpeaks is my first organization and I’m so excited to be a part of this community!
10) Walk me through a day of work for you as owner of Miraculous Beauty. What do you do first? What do you do last? What happens in between? What challenges and blessings do you encounter on a day-to-day basis? I realize that each day can be different. It isn’t cookie-cutter. What would you call a good day? What would you call a bad day? Please be specific.
A good day in my shoes is waking up at 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. I’m preparing Jaylen’s clothes and breakfast or lunch. After he is dressed and fed, I’ll take him to school. When he is dropped off, I’ll go and work out. Then, I come home and get dressed. Then I take my first client. Around noon, I usually drop off any orders for extensions and get myself a snack or lunch. Then I get back to work. Some days Jaylen has games in the sport of the season at school and I attend his games. I cook dinner, do homework daily and end my day with emailing and catching up on things that are for the next morning.I don’t usually let something affect my day so badly. On some days, timing is not on my side. I have so much on my plate at once but that’s life! Small things can become giant!
11) How has the millennium affected your business? How has the economy with some joblessness, consumer debt, college debt, homelessness and other features affected your business? Are you finding more and more customers with financial difficulties? Are the number of customers decreasing because of the struggling economy?
The beauty and retail industries don’t really get affected by the economy because they are necessities. This millennium has opened up more lanes in beauty, if anything, and is rapidly growing as we speak.
12) Are any of your family members or friends supporting your business? Any siblings or children? What about a spouse? If so, whom? In what capacity do they serve Miraculous Beauty and for how long?
All my friends and family support me and encourage me to go in the beauty lane. They see how I have been able to profit and they have been a part of my journey in this business.
13) Do African Americans and other racial minorities support your company? If so, how? Bank financing or capital as support? Patronage or customer participation? Website development? Advertising and marketing? Word-of-mouth spread? Special event sponsorships and events? Exactly what type of minority businesses have supported you? Have you reached out to them or have they approached you? If so, how?
Yes! I’ve been working with BlackSpeaks! F. Zaria Chinelo has helped connect me in many ways to help me grow my business. I have resources with the local Urban League and some other groups I am becoming aware of that I will be partnering up with soon.
14) Do African Americans support other African-American businessmen and women, sufficiently in your view? What would you like to see?
I fully feel the black women are coming together and making this world a better place in our times! They are clearly becoming the New Age African-American businessmen and women of our time.
15) Do you see enough African Americans and other racial minorities as successful as you are in businesses similar to yours? If so, who? Do you feel that you can help young African Americans who may have some difficulty breaking into business management and leadership? Do you see enough young blacks and minorities serving in leadership and management roles such as yourself as an owner of a business? If so, why or why not?
I am around people way more successful than me. I’m trying to get to my peak and, when I do, I will open more outlets for young entrepreneurs who face common difficulties. But I have been connecting with young blacks serving in leadership and management roles.
16) What advice would you give young businessmen and women in business in terms of management and leadership and advancing their careers?
Don’t stop your pursuits. Create a way! Use your resources! Connect with your communities and the people in your field. Put love and passion into everything you do. With time, you will see the progress and residuals of what you bring to fruition with creativity.
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