Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathi Edwards.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I spent seven years working in the hospitality industry, and although it taught me a lot about customer service, communication, and creating memorable experiences, I eventually realized I didn’t feel fulfilled in the work. I knew I wanted a career that allowed me to be creative, build genuine relationships, and make a more personal impact on people.
My journey into hair started in 2018 when I began retwisting my boyfriend’s locs, but never imagined what that skill would bring. I started cosmetology school years later, and soon after I starter school I knew I needed a change. I enjoyed learning about loc care, improving my technique, and seeing how much more confident someone could feel after leaving my chair. They would always get up and say “you got me right” and that’s how I became Get Right by Cathi. I quit my full time job and started traveling and doing hair while still in school. I obtained my braiders license. I soon moved into a suite, and I fell in love with working alone and having a more personal connection, and I’ve been in a suite ever since!
That decision led me to cosmetology school, becoming a licensed cosmetologist, and building my business, Get Right by Cathi. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to serve hundreds of clients from different walks of life, including collegiate and professional athletes. Country music artists. I’ve been featured on the local news and podcasts. Those opportunities have been exciting, but the most meaningful part is still watching a client’s confidence change when they look in the mirror.
To me, locs are about much more than a hairstyle. They can be deeply connected to someone’s identity, confidence, and personal journey, so I take the responsibility of caring for them seriously. I’ve continued educating myself so I can provide not only beautiful results, but also healthy hair practices and an experience where every client feels welcomed, respected, and cared for.
Building a business and beginning a new career later than I originally expected has come with challenges, uncertainty, and moments when I questioned myself. However, it has also taught me that there is no single timeline for success. Today, I’m proud that I chose fulfillment over familiarity. I am honored to call myself a master loctician.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In the beginning I sacrificed most of my assets to open my shop. I gave 100% of myself and my time to investing into my future. When I started school I had just left a domestic violence relationship and I was very determined to ensure my future was secured, I felt as if I allowed the experiences in this relationship to hold me back from my full potential so naturally I gave it everything. Scared and all.
I experienced burn out at school. I was in a probationary period for many months due to attendance.
I have faced health issues I was experiencing major vision loss and i found out in January this year it was due to a brain tumor and I had brain surgery in February. I had issues surrounding this, including lymphedema, hypothyroidism, Cushing disease, high blood pressure, and pre diabetes. I lost a lot of my mobility and could barely walk. I am recovering and doing much better, doing physical therapy and have made huge improvements. I am grateful to the grace and support my clients have shown me during this time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Get Right By Cathi?
As a cosmetologist there was many routes I could choose.. and I chose locs! I retwist, repair, detox, reconstructions, and start locs. I provide consultations where we go over goals, pricing, and get to know each other.
I think what sets my business apart is that I genuinely care about the person attached to the hair. Of course I want every style to look great, but I also want my clients to feel heard, educated, and comfortable every time they sit in my chair.
I’m naturally curious, so I’m always learning. Whether it’s studying scalp conditions, new techniques, or the science behind healthy hair, I love growing in my craft because it allows me to better serve my clients.
I’m proud that Get Right by Cathi has grown almost entirely through relationships and word of mouth. That tells me people don’t just like the results… they enjoy the experience enough to trust me with the people they care about.
At the end of the day, I don’t want to be known as just someone who does locs. I want to be known as someone who genuinely elevated the experience of loc care and helped people feel more confident in themselves than when they first walked through my door.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t think of myself as taking as someone who takes reckless risks… I take calculated ones. If I’m going to leap, I want to know I’ve done everything I can to prepare first. But I also believe that staying somewhere you’re unhappy can be an even bigger risk than trying something new.
For me, the biggest risk was walking away from a career I’d spent seven years building in the hospitality industry. It was familiar, stable, and comfortable, but I knew I wasn’t fulfilled. Starting over in cosmetology was intimidating. I worried I was beginning a new career later than everyone else and questioned whether I had missed my opportunity. Looking back, that fear was completely normal, but it wasn’t a reason to stay stuck.
Building Get Right by Cathi required faith, patience, and a willingness to be a beginner again. There were no guarantees that clients would come, that the business would grow, or that everything would work out. But I believed in the work I was doing and in the impact I wanted to have.
Entrepreneurship has taught me that growth almost always lies on the other side of comfort. Every meaningful opportunity in my life has come from stepping into something uncertain, and because of that, I’ve learned to trust myself a little more with each risk I take.
Pricing:
- Retwist + 2 strands $140
- ACV detox $50
- Retwist $115
- Half a head/ crown only retwist $100
- Half a head/ crown only+ style $120
Contact Info:
- Website: https://getrightbycathi.booksy.com/a/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getrightbycathi?igsh=d2dyN25sc2VhYjFi&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@getrightbycathi?_r=1&_t=ZT-987LjFJKR0n
