Meet Mia Michelle Houston | ATL Loctician & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mia Michelle Houston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mia Michelle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process wasn’t clean and cut at all. I had absolutely no clue where to start. I just knew I had a talent that I could build off of. I called myself ‘LocsbyMiaMichelle’. I had been a Loctician already for the past 3-4 years, however, this was simply my side hustle in school for extra money. When the pandemic began, my eyes were really opened to the fact that in the blink of an eye everything can change. People lost their jobs, businesses closed, people went and are still going without. At the time, I worked as an advisor in the Office of Education Abroad at the University of West Georgia. School had stopped abruptly with me still having two semesters left to graduate, and of course, once school closed due to COVID-19, so did my job. Witnessing the detrimental affects the pandemic has had on the world and the communities I belong to, I knew I needed to have a plan. I began taking the necessary strides toward making my business more efficient and official. My hair styling side hustle become my main source of income. This meant it had to grow. I needed more income so my clientele had to grow, I had to became more organized, I had to create strict and straight to the point policies, and I had to work on really marketing and promoting my work. I went ahead and filed for my LLC, Mia Michelle, LLC. Since about a year ago, i’ve really been in grind mode, working on building and expanding my business. Though the pandemic has brought on much devastation, it has also brought on much success and opportunity. While it was difficult to maneuver through my last semesters in undergrad, I was motivated to really invest time into growing something I enjoy doing, all while ensuring my own financial security. I saw it as a sank or swim moment for everyone and I chose to swim.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a loctician, I specialize in starter locs, and all loc maintenance including repairs, retwist, interlocking, wicks, styling, detoxes and scalp treatments. I also provide big services like loc extensions, instant locs, and Loc Combining as well. I provide color as a service as well as ‘soft locs’ for individuals who do not want to loc their hair but still desire the loc look as a protective style. I service children as young as 2 years of age as well as all adults with every existing hair type and texture.

I think what sets me apart from others is my eagerness to do more than just provide a service. I pride myself on being consistent in ensuring my clients are reaching their most desired long-term hair goals. I offer more than hair services. I design and sell my own high quality loc jewelry for clients who like to add a little swag to their locs. I also make and sell my own hair products! One of my products is a Growth Oil perfect for stimulating hair growth and use as a thickening agent for thinning areas. The other product is a Rejuvenating Loc Mist. It is great for locking in moisture and hydration. It is also great for combatting dryness and achieving a refreshed look. Lastly, I constantly hear stories from new clients about unfavorable experiences. With that said, I also pride myself on going the extra mile to make sure every client who sits in my chair receives nothing less than good vibes and positive energy. I think my uniqueness lies here because so many people are comfortable in simply getting the job done and forget the importance of customer service. How you treat people and their experience in your chair can very well be the determining factor of whether or not they come back to you for a service again.

It has not been easy and simple getting to where I am today professionally but I have persevered through every challenge thus far by staying down and always looking for new ways to improve and be better. Im constantly looking for more ways to grow and that helps keep the momentum going through every trial.
A few lessons Ive learned on this journey are how to adapt to working in different locations and amongst other hair stylist, business etiquette, boundary setting, and even policy setting. Ive learned to have an immense amount of patience, allowing me the ability to work with children also learned lessons about myself and things I will and will not tolerate as a business owner. Lastly, i’ve learned a lot about ensuring my clients are comfortable and satisfied with the service they receive and the environment they are in.
I am most proud of how far I have come and my success as a business owner. I can remember a year ago repeatedly saying
“I just want to do hair everyday” and now I am doing just that. I literally manifested everything that is happening for me now and I am just extremely grateful to see it all unfold. I am excited about everything I have in store for my clients and supporters. I have so many different ideas for expanding and growing the business. I just recently rebranded and changed my hair brand name to ‘LocMajesty’ .
It is overwhelmingly awesome to see myself reaching new heights and I plan to continue to do so. Id like the world to know that this is only the beginning and that there is so much more that I have in store! To my current clients, I love and appreciate every one of you! Thank you all so much for your support, sitting in my chair and trusting me with your crown! To my future clients, TAP IN , Im looking forward to hooking you up!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting Atlanta, we’d have brunch almost everyday! Brunch is one of my most favorite things to do in the city because there are so many great restaurants to try. Some of my favorite spots are Breakfast at Barneys, South City Kitchen, The Nook on Piedmont Park, Rosie’s Cafe, and BQE. We’d likely visit at least three out of five of the places on this list. Atlanta has pretty much every type of food. I’d want to show her different restaurants with unique environments like Iron Age Korean Steakhouse or Fogo de Chao. We’d visit a Juicy Crab for our favorite seafood selections, and we’d also head over to the southside to visit The Dutch Pot for some Carribean cuisine. Id like to cisit The sugar factory for their wide variety of sweets to choose from. I also enjoy Iscream Ice cream rolls near Underground in downtown Atlanta. These are just a few of my favorite places to eat.

I enjoy being outside and soaking up whatever weather Atlanta decides to offer each day seeing how its never really predictable. We would spend time picnicking at piedmont park. Id also enjoy taking a stroll or riding bikes on the Atlanta belt line.
We’d likely visit some attractions like the Atlanta Zoo or the Georgia Aquarium. Id want to visit the Krog Street Tunnel for a quick photo op! Ive always found our Civil Rights Museum interesting as well as the fact that I can stand right outside of the home Dr Martin Luther King grew up in. We may visit those places, Id also love to do some shopping in the Little 5 points area, there are always great people and great vibes there. We’d do some shopping and hanging out in Atlantic Station.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my older sister Breanna Banks. She is the #1 person in my life who motivates me to be EVERYTHING that I aspire to be and do EVERYTHING that I aspire to do. She’s truly my biggest supporter. She’s also a hairstylist herself and a BEAST at it! She specializes in Natural Hair, Sew, Ins, Quick Weaves, Frontals, Ponytails, Soft locs and more. Check her out on instagram @_doseofb_

I would also like to shoutout my clients! I literally have clients who still travel from West Georgia to Atlanta to come get their locs done by me and I am just more than appreciative for the persistence and support! I love all of my clients! You all keep coming back and are constantly impressed by my work! It means so much to me! I promise to stay consistent and solid! Thank You!

Website: https://locsbymiamichelle.as.me/schedule.php

Instagram: @locmajesty

Image Credits
Dezirae Lawrence Instagram : @do_photography