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

Hi Tomiah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always had the vision of being able to help people but I didn’t know how I could do that without being in college for years! I perfected my side hustle which is braiding hair because i feel like it makes people feel more confident and like themselves.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
starting my business was not easy because I was young and I was still in school and I had to manage my time with school also saving my money to prepare for what was to come. I’ve learned that many people watch from the sideline and don’t really support when the time is necessary but no matter what type of business you have just because somebody else is doing it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. Everybody does hair, nails and lashes but everybody doesn’t charge the same everybody doesn’t have the same attitude or energy everybody isn’t located in one place of the world so never downgrade yourself in ways that will make you regret life choices.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I honestly don’t know that many places because I’m always working But a lot of places I have enjoyed is restaurants in the city of Atlanta anything on Peachtree Street. It’s nice to see the Atlanta Hawks play at the State Farm Arena as well it’s a lot of things to see everything just looks prettier in Atlanta.

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 and for most God. and I feel like that self-explanatory and secondly my parents my support system and my first set of clients ( Taliyah, Lauryn, Trinity ,etc) because they have been supporting me since day one.

Website: https://braidzbyt.as.me/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Braidzbyt_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraidzbyyT/

Image Credits
To all my beautiful clients, Thank you for these pictures and your permission

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.