the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

money, money, money, money

get into my account!

wow you guys! what an amazing response to my message last week! i don’t think i’ve ever had that much engagement on here! whoo! also, big thanks to all the readers who emailed and even gave some ideas for what i can write about as this progresses. i’m blown away by all of your supports! many thanks.

this looks like njerep…

this week i’m working on the financial statements for fresh. documents like profit and loss, balance sheets and cash flow statements. all of it is swahili (shout out to my african readers).

::: side bar :::

why do we use swahili as the word to say that i don’t understand something? i wonder why it’s swahili and not gaelic or njerep? i mean, why can’t we just say, ‘i don’t get it’? ALSO, maybe it’s swahili because i’m 45 and that’s what i heard growing up and it was a common term used to say, ‘i don’t get it’. yeah, that’s probably it.

::: side bar closed :::

i know that this is one of the ways i can improve my business but it is DRYYYYYY. it is BORRRRRING. it is ‘not a waste of time’ but feels like it is. all of the columns with money going in and money coming out is a lot. bank service charges? CRAZY! salon supplies and sundries? that seems like it goes up every month (things cost more, we all know that). wages and salaries? cost of goods sold? professional fees? i could keep going. i won’t.

these bankers are pumped to help you!

it does make me realize though, how badly i am in need of this understanding if i want my business to succeed at all. business is like a formula with an amazing equation. revenue-cost of goods sold= profit. seems pretty straight forward but then….

when i opened freshair, i had no idea about any sort of business sense. i knew i needed bookings (revenue) and that my staff and products used (cogs) would be deducted from the bookings and tadah! richie rich! ok, i didn’t think i would be instantly rich, i just thought that was it.

hustle hard, closed mouths don’t get fed on the boulevard (ace hood lyrics)

well, things went badly and 5 years in, i took a business course and it helped me understand the real process of that equation. i learned about taxes (folks, pay your taxes). i learned about banks and lenders. i learned that when it comes to money, the structures that support this country are really relying on you not knowing anything when you open a business. they are banking (you like that double entendre) on you figuring it out as you go so that they can capitalize on your lack of understanding. i know this, because i lived it and i am currently working it out.

what if there was a different structure? what if there was a way that we could be vetted BEFORE opening a business? maybe just a course about what you’re about to get into? like gun ownership or a drivers license? wouldn’t it be cool if that was an option? maybe i would have never pulled the trigger on this shop if i began with more knowledge about the way REAL business works in a capitalistic culture. maybe i would have found something else to do?

i just know that this system needs help. from the documents i mentioned earlier, to the banks and lenders, it’s flawed. maybe next week i’ll talk about my idea for business fund raisers like a go fund me but not? it’s bizarre…stay tuned. i’m just tired of the banks and their ‘no solutions’ all they want to do is give me loan which solves nothing. what about angel investors? yipes! don’t get me started on that! next time… next time.

-p

the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

i’m not really in the mood for introductions and ‘get to know me’ type talk. if you know about our shop, you might know about this blog. this blog, yipes. if you know about this shop you might also NOT know about the blog. it’s like a thorn, not in my side, just there. thorn. looking thorny and useless. i’m hoping that writing again will turn the thorn into something nice like, i don’t know, a flower or a cookie or something calm-ish.

this space is calm

leah and i signed up for a 4 month business course and one of the items i must complete is to spend 90 mins a week on my business and all the things that my business entails. i have taken it on to also, during this 90 min session, write here. i love to read and sometimes i dream of writing. i’m not sure I have what it takes to be a legitimate writer, but the internet and this platform make me feel like i may have a little something?

when we first opened 14 years ago i was diligent with the writing and i did some decent work (i wrote an opinion piece on george zimmerman that i was really proud of. it’s lost now. thanks wordpress 😐). then life, kids, stuff started taking up the time. i began to slow down with the writing and then every once in a while, i would come back to it. this course, i’m hoping, will help me maintain the writing and in turn, boost me somehow? who knows…

bathroom selfie from the past when i may have been boosted, by youth…

so I’m gong to be here once a week, chronicling my limp digital life (and actual life as well). there is the hope that i could be growing something helpful, useful and maybe a little supportive? i mean, i won’t know if anyone will read this or will care, but i can at least start. if you do read this, please drop me a line, let me know you exist. it would be really nice to know that i’m not just writing into the abyss. tbh, i should be working on taxes right now and then making a video… should i post those here? …i dunno.

these sunday posts are going to be just like this, random thoughts that rattle in my brain. not fully edited thoughts and concerns, probably some weird judgements and ideals that only make sense to me but i think that’s the point? this post is a sorry excuse for an introduction but boom! have a good week, and…. that is all.

-p

The Fresh Perspective...

So Black History month is over…

what’s next?

I did some light googling and it looks like Wikipedia says:

March

• Brain Tumor Awareness Month (United Kingdom)[6]

• Irish-American Heritage Month

• Mustache March

• National Colon Cancer Awareness Month

• Women's History Month[7][8][9]

• Youth Art Month

she says she happy it’s march and she’s a woman

Who decides what we celebrate? Is it our Government? Is it us? I mean, Wikipedia is made for us by us so yeah, been wondering abut that? Does anyone know how we decide what causes to celebrate? Why mustaches in march and not goatees or beards (because it sounds good?)? Women’s history is awesome but what about kids? Ok, i’m just stirring the pot is all. It’s a new month!

YEAH!

-p

I am not my hair analysis

I like to think about hair a lot. As a hairstylist, this should make sense, but sometimes I think hair might be taking up too much of my brain space. Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of it in music, so I’ve decided to analyze a few that mention or talk about hair, in a short and simplified format just to put a little rock in your shoe. So that maybe next time you turn on your favourite Spotify playlist or absentmindedly turn the radio on in your car, or while you’re walking down the aisles at Safeway and you hear a song you know arbitrarily, you’ll stop and think a little bit more about the words.

I’m writing about the song “I am not my hair” by India.Arie featuring Akon. If you’ve never heard this song, I would suggest you stop reading now, go listen to it, and then come back. 

The song opens with rapper Akon taking us back to a time in his younger life, trying to get girls and trying to land a job, but having problems with both because his hair is deemed unattractive for one and inappropriate for the other. What would you do it this situation? Style your hair so you can land the girl? Cut it all off so you can nail that job interview and impress the big guys in suits? Either way you’re sort of forced to compromise what you really want right? He says so himself at the end of this verse; he didn’t see success, until after he cut it all off anyways.

Then bops in India Arie. She she gives us a timeline of hairstyles in her life from a young age up until adulthood, dealing with harmful hairstyles, harsh chemicals, and dealing with hair loss. All of these are very common scenarios for young black women with tight afro hair. And along with that comes, shame, embarrassment, sometimes bullying, all in an effort to conform to an image that other people want you to be. 

Later on in the song, India asks a very important question: does the state of her hair actually matter? And that question can be extended to us, and even beyond hair. Does our appearance inherently change our value as human beings at all? I think the easy and obvious answer is no. But if we all believed that as a society, songs like this wouldn’t be written, right? 

There are people who look different from us, who behave differently from us, who speak differently from us, and we judge them. I think all of us are born with prejudice towards others not like us, whether we like it or not. 

The answer to this question is given in the song specifically in the chorus as India sings: 

I am not my hair

I am not this skin

I am not your expectations, no 

I am not my hair

I am not this skin

I am the soul that lives within

One of my favourite things about this song is that the answer is in you. 

It’s 2024. We all know racism exists, that’s not a secret. If you pay attention to the news, you will know that there are still children in the U.S. that have been suspended from school because they refuse to change their hair to meet the standards of the school dress code. Standards that are inherently racist. You may know that we’ve come very far since this song has been released. There are laws that have been enacted so that people with different hair textures can’t be refused jobs based on their hair. (For more information on this, I highly recommend you Google “the Crown Act”). 

This song is almost 20 years old, and its message is still incredibly accurate to today’s society. But I think this song is really trying to get across the message that it’s about self acceptance first. It’s about the soul that lives within. It’s not about placing the blame on the people that create the expectations, or even making them change their perspective. It’s about you accepting you for who you are, knowing where you’re worth comes from, and that your hair has nothing to do with that.

Chanté 

💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵Happy Valentine’s Day💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵

The Fresh Perspective...

So fresh and So clean!

Hi-hi to everyone that cares about our blog! I am back on! Full disclosure, I’m back in school and for some reason, that helps me focus on writing. My classes finish in April so here’s to hoping the posts continue past that! Ha! I make no promises…

As most of you know, new years bring on new goals, challenges and dreams. That’s the same for the shop as well! Since the pandemic, and the changing of our lives, much has shifted. Our goal to have an eco-friendly boutique was stymied by the pandemic and the new and strained shopping habits of absolutely eveyone. Now that we all seem to be back on track, the boutique is as well! We found some new items for all of you to try as well as some new gift ideas and joy bringing jems!

moisturizer? sunscreen? you use this stuff?

There will be a new skin care line we will be revealing next month for our birthday celebration. We have been on Academy Rd. for 14 years and are honoured to still be a part of this street and it’s surrounding community. Come check us out on the 23rd of February and celebrate 14 years with us!

-p

….aaaand if you wanna bring ME joy, like this, comment or share! 😉

The Fresh Perspective...

Holidays! Who’s on one?

love these old school luggages

I’ve been holidaying now for 8 days and it’s been amazing! The cabin we rented had an incredible beach that kept everyone entertained. My time at the cabin is solely for unplugging, relaxing and resting. Because I’m not doing much of anything, packing is a breeze and the Virgo in me has all the items ready to go waaaay before I need to… My poor children…

this is an ultimate dream holiday for me… I do like a little more green though…

We will be taking the rest of the month to explore Manitoba and all she has to offer us. Might hop on over to Kenora if the mood strikes but the kids are interested in exploring our own province. Souris, Carberry, maybe even Carmen! I am excited to pause and to explore. How often do you unplug or take time off? I hope you don’t spend all your holiday time out of Canada(cause she’s not a bad country, terrain-wise), but if you do, enjoy every minute of it!

If you want to give any suggestions to the Okwumabuas explore Manitoba and more ( I just made that up 😝) drop it in the comments and if you want to make me smile, subscribe below!

-✌🏾

Don’t forget to protect your hair and skin from the sun!😎