An Interview with Coral

Knowing my gift came from GOD wasn't an "ah ha" moment for me.

Stan: When did you start doing hair?

Coral: When I was 4, my sister purchased a play salon set for my niece, who is 6 months younger than me. When I saw it, it was as if heaven opened up for me. I immediately told my niece to "Go get some scissors, I have to cut your bangs!" (Bangs are strands or locks of hair that fall over the scalp's front hairline to cover the forehead)

We both got in trouble but the bangs were a hit! My niece wore bangs for many years after. By the time I was 9, I had my first weekly client. Ms. Johnson, a widow who lived on the first floor of our apartment building, would sometimes watch me do my friends hair. One day she asked me if I could do her hair. My immediate response was "Yes!" Ms. Johnson paid me $5 every Friday night to braid her hair. That's when I realized I could monetize this thing I loved so much.

I officially started doing hair when I got my first salon job as a shampoo girl in 1981, when I was 14 years old. Prior to that, I braided hair for all my friends in the neighborhood, which was a very diverse group of young people. Boys and girls from many different ethnicities would come to me to do their hair. I guess you could say I always had an affinity for hair.

Stan: When did you know this was a gift or talent from GOD?

Coral: My mother would read from a pocket Bible to me when I was five. I curiously went to the church on the corner of 57th and University in Chicago, by myself at age 7. It was down the street from where I lived in Hyde Park. I would pass this church on my daily walks to school. I was learning about GOD, but did not know about spiritual gifts.

Knowing my gift came from GOD wasn't an "ah ha" moment for me, it was more of an "ordering my steps" kinda thing. I did not realize GOD was guiding me. After 8th grade graduation I worried about my future. I was 14 and my parents made it clear that support would be cut off at age 18. "What do I want to do when I grow up?" was the deep burning question I had. I quieted down and asked "What do I love to do?" "Hair!" was the answer that came to mind and I said it out loud. The moment I made that statement, the phone rang.

It was my friend Chris calling to ask what I was doing and if I could come meet his uncle, who was a hairstylist, who needed a shampoo assistant. I was shocked! It was like lightning had shot up through my bones. I quickly got dressed, didn't even finish my favorite cereal or cartoons to run to Chris's house and secure my first professional salon job, which paid me $200 a week.

By 16, I assisted Bernard Johnson of the famed Ultra Sheen Dynasty, and by 18, I was licensed and working at the beautiful Nieman Marcus salon at North Michigan Avenue, Chicago.” After 10 years of working retail and private salons, I felt I had learned enough to give salon ownership a try for myself.

Stan: When did you accept the LORD?

Coral: The day was Sunday, August 8th 1997, it's a great story that I tell people in my salon!

Stan: What adversities did GOD bring you through that you don’t mind sharing?

Coral: When I was divorced, I was left alone with three kids, a business and three months behind in rent. I did not know what to do but pray. It seemed impossible for quite a while, but little by little I was able to make it. GOD provided every opportunity, and still does.

Stan: What advice would you give entrepreneurs?

Coral: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 I cling to this.

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