We had the good fortune of connecting with Niqcole Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niqcole, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Some habits I feel like helped me succeed at the level that I’m at right now would be, organization & utilizing my social media accounts for good marketing. Although I’m not the most organized person, having structure throughout my business helped me see where I’m at and where I’m trying to be! It’s still a long road ahead but without doing either thus far, I would still be at square one. Also, simply saying NO! For some people this is a very hard thing to do and for others like me it’s not. When you have goals you’re trying to reach you have to learn to weed out anything that’s not beneficial, in other words sacrifices have to be made. This goes for resting when I’m feeling burnt out as well and setting aside time take care of myself: mentally, physically and emotionally. Whether it was taking self-care days, working out and eating healthier or simply laying in bed all day recharging.

Another key habit to have is positive thinking, no matter what’s going on or happening I always try to find the good in the “bad” that’s around me at the moment. I wake up and listen to positive affirmations if I have a morning where I’m not feeling like my best self. Which then leads to manifesting my goals and speaking life into them, always remember your words and thoughts are powerful.
On the other hand a few habits in which I am currently working on as a business owner would be budgeting and networking MORE. Simple right?! Which leads me to say being consistent and taking action in whatever I’m attempting to accomplish. Whether the goal is big or small keep taking the necessary steps to reach them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a self taught loctician and I’ve been doing it full time for 5 years, during my 5 years of solely doing locs it truly tested my patience and the faith I had in myself and my inspiring business. Before committing to this career I didn’t have much experience specializing in locs except doing a friends here and there. I was growing in my talent with every client that sat in my chair, there were good days and of course bad ones but I just took every failure and found the lesson in it. I’m very proud of myself for staying down through the days where I didn’t have any clients to here recently being completely booked to the point where I was no longer able to accept new clients. I’ve also relocated from my hometown to Texas to expand my brand and connect with many other people & potential clients. My brand is my baby so as it grows, so do I. I’m super excited to see what Texas brings! A lot of my clientele and attention came from Instagram, I would ask my clients how they found me so I would know what and where to post my work consistently. Although I try to utilize all of my social sites to promote, Instagram is still my number one and word of mouth goes super far as well.

While everyone has their way of running their business, I like to make my clients comfortable in whatever way I can. Creating a safe place for them is ultimately my goal along with making them feel and look better than when they came. Everyone has a story, everyone comes from different backgrounds and almost everyone needs somebody to confide in and to almost all of my clients I became that person and I love that I can be that for them when needed.

My success story isn’t done just yet but I hope that I can continue to inspire and motivate others to take that risk or leap they’ve been contemplating on. LocsbyCole believes in you, now go be great!

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?
Well I’ve recently relocated to the Dallas/ Fort Worth area but I can give a few spots to hit up in Chattanooga and maybe some of the readers can also give me insight on things to do in DFW!

Chattanooga:
Eats:
-Lakeshore Grille, they’re brunch is amazing with even better mimosas, get there early because it gets packed! It sits along the Tennessee river so views are nice too!
-The Oatmeal Experience is just that it’s a local food truck specializing in unique oatmeal flavors. I’m sure you’ve had oatmeal but this is way different than the ordinary cinnamon & sugar oats. (Instagram @theoatmealexperience)
-Cashew, vegan cafe that serves many different vegan entrees, snack and drinks.

Fun:
-Chattanooga selfie museum, cute little photo rooms with props! Get cute and snap it up.
-Pints and Pedals , tour the city on a motorized multi seater bike while stopping at local bars, enjoying music and the scenery.
-Escape rooms! We have plenty all over the city, with all different themes.

Nightlife:
-Unknown caller , a low key speakeasy bar specializing in unique drinks & vibes
-Chattanooga cigar & hookah lounge , get your cigar and hookah fix all in one location.
-The comedy catch A local comedy club, good way to end the night with laughter, food and drinks.

And if you’re needing a fun and effective way to work off the weekend head on over to -Nothing but Sweat Monday – Saturday and burn some calories!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First person that I have to recognize is my Mama, reason being is that she opened her motherly arms and welcomed me back home after living out of state for 4 years with no hesitation. Not only that, she allowed me to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my life through trial and error even when she didn’t understand! I worked on perfecting my skill straight up out her living room & my bedroom until I was able to venture off and go into a salon to work and eventually work out of my own suite. I can’t thank her enough for giving me that space to find my calling and love for locs. Secondly my best friend to the end, seriously a ride or die! From day one she’s had my back through any and every life change I made and supported them 100%. When I first started “doing locs” you would’ve thought it was her business the way she promoted me at work, at restaurants, or just randomly handing someone who had locs one of my business cards. I appreciate the love she has for me and for being one of the moving forces that keeps me going.

Lastly but definitely not least, my clients, friends and supporters! If no one wants to see me win and be great my they all do! A lot of my clients started and stayed with me since the beginning and that’s a true definition of loyalty. Without them there is no Locs by Cole, they’re my human billboards and I love that for us!

Website: www.locsbycole.com

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/locsbycole

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/locsbycole

Facebook: Niqcole LocsbyCole Jackson

Other: TikTok: Locsbycole

Image Credits
1st photo of me in white Photographer: Andre Robinson Website: www.andrerobinsonimages.com Instagram: www.Instagram.com/andrerobinsonimages

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