Ever doubted that women can do or have it all? Well, BAUCE lady Robyn Bowen juggled being an economist, Instagram Influencer and now is the Founder of hair care brand, CurlDaze. You may be wondering what the secret sauce is? Robyn shares: “Having extreme focus on your goals and the life you want is key to managing and having it all. I have hit many bumps in the road, but not letting those things distract or stop me got me to where I am today.”
But let’s rewind. Robyn shares that she actually stumbled on becoming on her current path as an Influencer: “The funny thing is that I never intended on becoming an Influencer. My brother made me create an Instagram account just so he could tag me in pictures. Once I joined, people began to ask me so many questions about my hair and I began attracting brands and it just took off from there. It was a truly organic process.”
One of the challenges new creatives have to deal with is, balancing their side-hustle and career. Robyn shares the hack that worked for her: “I would be at work by 6:00am just so I could get off at 2:30pm and have the whole evening to create content. It truly became a passion for me that I looked forward to doing everyday. It didn’t feel like a side hustle or burden. It just felt like something I was always meant to do.”
So what are the keys to running a successful side hustle while having a 9-5? Robyn affirms: “First, your side hustle must be your passion, otherwise it will feel like a burden and you won’t see it through. Second, carve out a set time that you will dedicate towards your side hustle, just like you carve out 9-5 to work for someone else.”
Additionally, a common question on people’s minds is, when the right time is to make your side hustle your main hustle. Robyn states: “I don’t know if there’s ever a right time because every circumstance is different. The main job is often what is funding the side hustle, so making sure you can financially fuel yourself and new business is important before making any major moves.”
Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that the natural hair care space is very competitive and some can argue, increasingly saturated. However, this does not stop Robyn. She says: “I decided to launch my own brand because although I was working with other brands daily, people continued to ask me what they should use in their hair, which made me realize that the market isn’t saturated at all and people are still in search of good products that work for them. I then decided that I would make products that were high quality that people could trust because they trust and know me. Since then, I’ve been able to push through and grow rapidly, because I know what people want and need.”
And to the naturalistas who need expert advice on how to take better care of their natural hair, Robyn shares: “The first thing I would tell anyone to do, is find someone with hair that looks like theirs and find out what they do to maintain their hair. There is a ton of great information on YouTube that can lead you in the right direction. From there, create a hair routine that works for YOUR hair. Everything that works for one person might not work for you, but the natural hair journey is full of trial and error until you find out what works for you. One thing I always live by is, water your hair! It is growing daily just like a flower, and just like the flower it needs to be watered to flourish.”
Lastly, to women looking to become Influncers and then venture out to launch their own businesses, her advice is: “As an influencer you already have your own business. You have created a brand that people love and trust and you’ve learned how to monetize you. If you are looking to sell a product, you must put the same amount of drive and passion into the product that you did in building your brand as an influencer. The hours are long and the work is hard, but as an influencer you already know that you’ve spent hours/days creating content for others, now spend that same amount of time creating for yourself.”
To keep up with Robyn, connect with her on socials @curldaze @curldazehaircare and visit her website: https://www.curldaze.com
