Absolute Uncertainty: The Inspiring Story of Chantele Gray

Deneen L. Garrett:00:06 01:49 Welcome to an intimate conversation with women of color. This podcast provides women of color, LGBTQ+, and allies a platform to use their voices. Join us as we share our personal journeys. I am your host, Deneen L. Garrett. Well, hey there, an intimate conversation with women of color listeners. Thank you once again for returning week after week to hear what my guests have to say. We are sharing our personal journey, so it means a lot that you are sharing in that journey with us. So whether you're listening from somewhere within the U.S., whether or not you're an international listener, We greatly appreciate you and thank you for listening to us. Please continue to listen, to subscribe, and to share. And today's episode was another very enriching conversation. It was with my hairstylist extraordinaire, Chantele Gray. And it was just wonderful just learning about her and about her journey and being able to share that with you and for others who are aspiring entrepreneurs or whatever it is that you're aspiring to, you know, that you are motivated through Chantele's journey just to keep going, just to keep moving forward. Again, I enjoyed talking with her. I enjoyed sharing her with you all. So without further ado, let's get into today's episode. Chantel, how are you?
Chantele Gray:01:49 01:51 I'm great. How about you?

Deneen L. Garrett:01:51 02:27 Just awesome. Thank you so much for joining. Oh, thanks for having me. Absolutely. So I want to welcome you to an intimate conversation with women of color, and I want to let our listeners know who we're speaking with today. So we have Chantel Gray. She is the owner and operator of Pretty Girl Hair Studios, as well as Pretty Girl Cosmetics. And she is my personal hairstylist. Hey, hey, hey. Yes, ma'am. Yeah, so Chantel, tell us a little bit more about yourself.

Chantele Gray:02:27 03:29 Well, I'm definitely a Detroit native, born and raised here. Graduated from Cass Tech, class of 99. Went to beauty school, got my cosmetology license, and pretty much been in the beauty industry for about 20 plus years now. It's crazy to even say that. Good lord, i've been doing this a long time and it doesn't really seem like that. Um, like danine already stated we have well, I have a salon in radford, michigan pretty girl studios and um, we've been there for about seven years now and um, Just recently launched our cosmetic brand in february pgs cosmetics Um, it's what pretty girls wear so um If you guys are looking for a wonderful brand to try, you guys can definitely go ahead and check out our website at pgscosmetics.com or you can feel free to come into the salon. We have some in the salon as well.

Deneen L. Garrett:03:29 03:49 Yeah, absolutely. And so you launched your product fairly recently and you had a private open house with your clients and had the, I had the opportunity to try. And of course I walked away with a pretty girl and then a hot girl because both are me at times.

Chantele Gray:03:49 03:59 Listen, and they look so good on you. Oh my God. They just fit your personality. I mean, with the hair color, it's just, that's Deneen.

Deneen L. Garrett:03:59 04:17 Yes, absolutely. And speaking of the hair color, not only is she my hairstylist, but she customized my color. So for all of you who see my pictures and you see that red popping, that's Chantel Gray of Pretty Girls Studios.

Chantele Gray:04:17 04:17 Yes, it is.

Deneen L. Garrett:04:19 04:40 So Chantel, I want to focus on being, you being a black woman, you being an entrepreneur and specifically in the hair industry. So Chantel, why is it important for women of color? So again, we're talking about entrepreneurs. So as a black woman entrepreneur in the hair industry, why is it important for you to have a platform to use your voice?

Chantele Gray:04:41 07:35 Because we need to see more successful African-American beauty professionals. In my opinion, and I don't know if I shared this with you, your last visit, but it's interesting how I even got into the beauty field. And I don't want to take a long time, but I knew when I was young that I wanted to do hair, but I had no idea about beauty school, no idea about even how to get into the salon. I had an event that I was going to, um, some years back. And at the time I was working in a daycare and, um, this young lady who was working with me, her boyfriend was working in like the, well, one of the most popular salons known in the city of Detroit. I don't really want to put them on black, but long story short, you know, I had an appointment at a certain time and this individual did not arrive to the salon until like three hours later and had two people in front of me. and it is this stigma attached to um african-american beauty professionals that we are unprofessional that we don't um Really take into consideration our client's time. I mean nowadays you got this generation Wanting you to come washed and blow dry like they're kind of changing the game in a negative way and I feel like those of us who our professional who kind of been in the industry a long time, who have a good reputation. These are the voices that need to speak out more. And we need to kind of go and grab the younger generation and kind of school them on some things as it relates to being professional in this day and time. Like that's not a lost cause. It's still very important that we hold up the standard. And I feel like me knowing that this is what people assume. I mean, I've had clients who will come to me and they'll be done in like maybe an hour, hour and a half tops. And they're kind of like, Oh my God, I didn't know I was going to be done this quick because they're used to being in the salon for hours. And I feel like it's just time for those of us who are still upholding the standard. Those of us who are professional have a good reputation. It's time for us to speak out so that we can kind of cancel out this stereotype that we're not professional these days. And I'm like, I know I worked hard to get to where I am. I don't want anybody thinking that I don't care about their hair, first of all, that I don't care about their time and other things that they may have going on when they come and visit, you know, our salon. And so just as a beauty professional, I feel like we must have a platform and we got to talk about it. You know, it's just very important.

Deneen L. Garrett:07:36 09:08 Yeah, absolutely. And you know what, so I'm sure I probably frequent that salon, if not that one, then others that, you know, had you in there for four hours. You know, I remember getting hair washed and blow dried and leaving and coming back, being, you know, in a salon at midnight. Yeah, it was absolutely crazy. But I think what's key about what you just said is care about hair. Yep. And I think that's part of the difference. So when you care about here, you're able to be professional. You have a professional establishment because you're looking at a relationship. So you're having a relationship with your client. You're having a relationship with your clients hair. to maintain it, keep it healthy, grow it if that's what they want to do, you know, spend time coming because you didn't just, you know, mix up the color and that that was it, you know, it was, you know, trial and okay, let me try this, you know, switching up. So by you actually being dedicated to me getting the color that I wanted, you know, that that's part of being, you know, the care piece. So, you know, kudos to you and I've seen you doing Instagram lives and Facebook lives and encouraging other professional black women in the hair industry to come together and talk, especially during COVID. You're always mixing it up. You're always looking to take things to the next level. So in addition to the few things that I just mentioned, how else are you using your voice for black women in the hair industry?

Chantele Gray:09:09 12:09 Definitely, like you've already said, kind of going live, doing just kind of like these quick talks, definitely sharing my voice, even when it's, well, now COPE has kind of shut it down, but I'm a big advocate for going into the beauty schools, you know, talking to the next set of beauty professionals, those who have entered into this, the beginning stages of their career field. I feel like it's very important that we go back because for me, like I said, I had no idea how to even get started, how I was introduced into the salon world was when I was working in a daycare, one of the parents was a hairstylist. And I told her how I just really liked doing hair. And she was like, well, I need an assistant. Would you want to assist me on Saturdays? And I was like, absolutely. So this was my first time really going into a salon because at the time, You know, I pretty much would buy the hair books and practice the hairstyles that I like to myself and on my mom and my sister But we didn't really have the money to go get our hair done like that because that was definitely a luxury growing up in a single-parent home and so um when I was introduced to that, you know, I learned a whole lot by watching not really a whole lot of um people came to my school, especially black girls, even though I went to a predominantly black beauty school. But it was a lot that I learned through trial and error. And so, you know, when I think about my journey, I'm grateful for it. But I wish that I would have seen some successful professionals come and talk to us about the industry, being realistic with us. Because, you know, these days, social media got people thinking, especially this new generation, that you get you a bunch of followers and you're going to be off the hook. And that is just not true because our industry is so saturated and it is a lot of very talented individuals. It's going to be more than a couple of shots on Instagram. That's going to get you some clients. And so part of me using my voice is definitely going into the schools, talking to the up and coming beauty professionals. And then I actually interviewed them and I hired them, you know, if they're a good fit, like right now, the two young ladies that's working with me, Both of them were my assistants, and I just recently promoted them to level one stylist because one of the things that I realized too is that, you know, these young ladies did not go to beauty school just to get their license to assist me. They want to grow in their gift. They want to grow in the industry. And I want to watch them grow because I didn't really have anybody take me under my wing, take me under their wing like I'm doing with these young ladies and helping them get a leg up. you know, in the field. I literally had to hit the pavement running when I got started. So part of my platform and part of me giving back is trying to provide an opportunity for the next phase of beauty professionals.

Deneen L. Garrett:12:09 14:38 And you absolutely do that, because as a matter of fact, one of one of the stylists that you just mentioned, you know, when you're not available, she does my hair. Right. And so Of course, she doesn't have your experience and years and all of that, but I still walk away very satisfied, right? So I appreciate that. And that just goes to show what you're about. So you care about hair. You also care about other people, you know, elevating in the industry and not just being behind the scenes, being behind you. That's not important for you. You want everybody, you want everybody to blow up, you know, the glow up, you know, whatever we're saying these days, you definitely want that. And so that's part of why you have the journey you had. Cause we did talk about this when I was there and you know, and you said how, well, I didn't know this. I didn't really see that. And I'm like, how did you not? Because every time, every corner you turn, there's a, there's a hair salon. But the point about that is, is you didn't, you weren't aware because it's part of your journey to be able to say, I didn't and look what I was able to do. Look what I was able to create. Look how I'm taking things to the next level. And that is very inspiring for someone who like, I don't know what to do. You know, like I'm interested in something, but I'm not quite sure how to get started or what to do, you know, or even thinking they can't do it. And so for someone to hear your story, to hear how, you know, you have to do a lot on your own, you wasn't exposed to a lot of it. And then where you are today. That's huge. And that's why you have the journey that you have. And that's what I want listeners to hear and to know is that you didn't, you know, you didn't have that, but look at where you are now. You have a beautiful salon, very professional salon. The atmosphere, everything is professional. You do great hair. I love my hair. I get compliments. As a matter of fact, I haven't had my hair colored since, I don't think, what, end of February? Right. And somebody said the other day, I love your color. I'm like, ma'am, my color is wearing out. But it looks so good to wear as they thought that my hair is colored. So that goes to show a lot. So we kind of already answered this other question. We've answered it. You've answered it in different ways. But what would you tell a voiceless? What would you tell you back then today?

Chantele Gray:14:41 18:52 that it's okay to bet on yourself. Because, you know, at the time when I graduated from Cass, I originally enrolled into Wayne State University because it was just kind of drilled that you need a college degree. And I salute everybody that goes to college, that gets their master's, their bachelor's, PhD, whatever. But For whatever reason, I just felt like that was not the path that I was supposed to take. And it was a very scary time because You know, my, uh, family at the time was not very supportive of going to beauty school. It was looked upon as a joke. It was looked upon as you can't really make no money doing this. You know, how are you going to make a living? This is just a hobby. Like you need something else to fall back on. And there was a side of me that really almost, um, did not bet on myself because My family had a very, very, very, um, major impact in my life. And so you don't want to disappoint them. You'd want them to be proud. And you feel like they're telling you what you need to hear. I was kind of that child after I got into like my adult years, I didn't really do a whole lot of risk taking risks. It was, I'm gonna listen to the older generation, whatever they say, I'm gonna do it because they know better. And it was just something in me that was like, I got to try this. I got to try this. And I went on ahead and I bet on myself. And like we were talking, it really is amazing to me to see how far I've come because I never saw myself as a business owner. I knew I wanted to do hair, but owning a salon, not just owning a salon, but going from working in somebody's salon as a booth renter to moving into a suite and was owning, you know, a booth renter at that time, then opening up a salon and having booth renters to switching to a completely different model where now I have employees, which means Now I have to be responsible for W-2s and payroll and supplies and just this whole different model. And I never saw none of this. I did not see it. I didn't think it was in me. I didn't think I wanted the responsibility. But like you said, it's crazy how your journey, as you just keep walking, it would lead you and bring out of you things that you didn't know was in you. And I would definitely tell individuals to bet on yourself. You have to speak out. You have to encourage the next generation or the next person. You just don't know how a lot of times the things that we go through and endure, it has something to do with us, but it has way more to do with us fulfilling purpose and being an example. to somebody else because like you said it's people that look to me like man you're really doing it and because i'm me i feel like y'all don't even know i got so much further to go i feel like i'm still slacking you know it's just certain things i'm still trying to maneuver through because again I, I, I had nobody to really point me in a direction. So I'm literally like how the Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered. I really feel like that's me right now because there was no playbook, you know what I mean? There was no instruction manual on how any of this was going to go. Now, granted, I believe in asking for help. So I do have some individuals that I can call and talk to and get like professional help, but definitely, um, wanting to make sure that we know how important our views are important, how important our journey is and how much of a blessing it can be to somebody else. So don't be afraid to bet on yourself. Don't be afraid to share your journey because somebody needs to hear it. Yes. You know what I mean?

Deneen L. Garrett:18:52 21:02 Absolutely. You know, um, when I was right before I launched the podcast, I had a conversation with my coach and he said, you and I can say the same thing to the same group of people, but they would only hear it from you. And that is so absolutely true. Like, you know, you and somebody else could do the same thing, but there is only going to resonate with them when it's coming from you. So everybody, we all have a part to play. We all have our people that we need to impact that we need to be an example for those individuals. And so just, you know, keep going, you know, you can't do it, you know. the next person can't do it the way that you do it. And then you're a game changer with it, right? Because, you know, you change your business model. You have a business. You went from one, you know, you said with the booth renters and now you have employees. And I believe that when you were looking into that, you saw how sustainable that model is. And that's why you changed that. So from years for now, when we're looking, when we're riding, like I was just on one of the mile roads, And just noticing how, you know, that used to be this, but it's not any longer. And it's because a lot of people, they don't necessarily have that business mindset. They're like, Oh, I just want to do this. And they just open and they just do, but they have no idea about how to sustain it, how to run it. And they probably make assumptions that, you know, the same people who used to, you know, whatever it is that they're doing, wherever they did it at before those same people, will show up in the business and that's not necessarily the case. You know, the people who you think are going to be there for you are often not the ones that will ride with you. I mean, sometimes yes, oftentimes no, sometimes as strangers as other people. So, you know, you're writing that playbook now. So that's your journey, your journey, your purpose. Part of it is for you to write the playbook for those that are coming behind you. So Chantelle Gray, I want to thank you so much for your time. I absolutely love that bet on yourself. That is so powerful. It is absolutely correct to bet on yourself. So before we wrap, anything else you want to share to our listeners?

Chantele Gray:21:03 21:49 Just want to encourage everybody because we're still in a very uncertain time with all of this stuff going on during this pandemic. I just want everybody to remain positive. You know, sometimes you are going to have to cut the news off. I know we want to stay aware and, you know, we want to be kind of in the know, but I would really just encourage everybody to you know, take some time off your social media if you need to just for your own mental health and safety and sanity because it really is a lot going on. I do believe that trouble won't last always and just stay safe, you know, do something that you love to do, you know, stay in touch with your loved ones, but let's try to keep a positive outlook during this time.

Deneen L. Garrett:21:49 21:59 Absolutely. I thank you so very much and I Just want to, again, thank you for coming on an intimate conversation with women of color and enjoy the rest of your day.

Chantele Gray:21:59 22:02 Thank you, Deneen.

Deneen L. Garrett:22:02 22:03 All right. Goodbye.

Chantele Gray:22:03 22:04 Bye bye.

Deneen L. Garrett:22:12 22:49 Well, listeners, I hope you enjoyed my talk with Chantel Gray of Pretty Girl Studios as much as I did. I really enjoyed talking to Chantele, getting to know her more, and learning how she bet on herself. as well as being encouraged to continue to bet on myself and encouraging you all to do the same. So once again, thank you for listening to an intimate conversation with women of color. We look forward to you coming back every week. Continue to listen, subscribe, and share. Thank you so much.