Exploring Life & Business with LaTisha Etter and Harkena Pigg of Eye of Rah Beauty Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTisha Etter and Harkena Pigg. Tish and Keno’s team shared their story with us below:

LaTisha Etter and Harkena Pigg attended a braiding certification course on separate occasions. Their experiences wasn’t the best but still inspiring! As fate had it, they connected and became inspired to offer beauty courses and promote entrepreneurship to those aspiring. We have 20 years of braiding and hair styling experience. Being cousins was a bonus to the brewing partnership. We aim to share our knowledge on your journey of starting your business. From inspiration, Eye of Rah Beauty Academy was established in 2019.

Our purposeful school exemplifies principles of empathy, determination, and compassion. EORBA is a platform to promote convenience for individuals aspiring to become braiders, natural hairstylists, and beauty industry business owners. Our class fees are cost-effective and designed to be affordable to all those that desire to build techniques and knowledge related to braiding, natural hair, hair safety, sanitation, and other beauty industry components. We accept sponsorship for those enduring hardship and eager to acquire education from EORBA.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our road has not been smooth. We have struggled with finding an affordable location to house our classes.

We guess spots in different locations to host classes monthly. The market in Nashville is relatively expensive, so finding a permanent location has been difficult.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Eye Of Rah Beauty Solution is a Sole Proprietorship, but we do business as Eye Of Rah Beauty Academy.

Mission: Our mission is to create an environment of empowerment to inspire aspirations for our students to be encouraged to expand beyond their potential.

Vision: Be innovative, be powerful.

Purpose: We aim to empower women taking our courses to be confident and knowledgeable in branding their businesses and promote a strong network of beauty professionals.

What sets us apart is that we offer here at EOBA different beauty avenues that could lead to entrepreneurship starting as young as 8 years old. We offer the following classes: Braiding Boot Camp, a start-up Press On Nail Business, Lets Loc Together starter loc and upkeep, Feed-In Frenzy, and our main course is, Braiding Certification. The Braiding Certification requires 16hrs of Health and Sanitation to become a registered braider with the state. Our unique self-paced hybrid class with a combination of web-based online learning (e.g., video lectures, online discussions, or activities) and in-person learning (technique, trendy new braid styling) is convenient for most working women and mothers.

Braiding Certification: EORBA offers a 16-hour HYBRID (combination of web-based online and in-person learning) hair braiding certification class teaching sanitation & sterilization, HIV & AIDS, and other braiding and styling hygienic knowledge, such as Diseases & Disorders of the hair & scalp. The price of the class is $355; including a basic kit. As a bonus, we provide braiding technique critiques, branding, marketing advice; hair care knowledge, products, and tools.

Bootcamp: EORBA offers an in-person braiding Bootcamp class to teach those aspiring to learn to braid or learn more about new braiding techniques. We provide knowledge of skills, the latest trends, the process of neatness, and hair care. The price is $85. We also offer some insight into those wanting to start a hair-braiding business and exploring the idea of becoming a certified braider.

Goals: Educate and empower women and girls at an affordable price. Create a network of entrepreneurs through EORBA. Provide second chances for a productive career. To encourage confidence to promote leadership and positivity for societal acceptance. To start an entrepreneurship advocacy campaign. To promote self-efficacy and self-actualization. To maximize the talents that individuals possess. To ensure knowledge of skills and worthy compensation. Impact trends of poverty. Give a new outlook on all things beauty.

To help transition those who face adversity. Helped pay dues back into society, presenting them with a way to make money by being their boss. To open a salon for our students to help build their clientele and serve our community.

What do you think about luck?
We consider it destiny to keep pushing for our dream to educate our community about the avenues of the beauty industry as we continue to network each year because better than the last.

We are a small business but aspire to be even bigger. We aspire to create a nonprofit entity for our business to promote continued community outreach.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eyeofrahbeautysolutions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EYEOFRAH_BEAUTYACADEMY/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EyeOfRahBeautyAcademy/ 

Image Credits
LaTisha Etter, Harkena Pigg, and EORBA