Marie-jameslyne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
While growing up in Haiti, I would always get up early in the morning to do my own hair to go school. It became an everyday routine for me to always do my own hair. When I moved to the United States in May 2011, Me and my twin sister Esther continued to use our talent of braiding & styling hair towards our family and friends. Later on, I got myself a job at McDonalds, during my time there I realized that it wasn’t for me and that I’d rather be my own boss. So I decided to quit McDonald’s and pursue my passion in hair braiding/styling. The journey wasn’t easy there were numerous trials that made me want to quit. However, the endless support I received from my loved ones helped me attain the same drive I had in the beginning of this journey. Now my hair braiding/styling business is currently thriving and I plan to continue my work and expand its capabilities so that it gains opportunities that will make me a more successful person in the future.

 Has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a smooth road but could’ve been smoother, in my opinion, if the clients weren’t so much of a difficult hassle to handle. What I mean is that being my own boss means that there are decisions I have have to make that will either result in happy clients or not so happy clients. Though I am still young and I still have to learn the ropes about things, I endeavor the obstacles that are in my path because I won’t allow any stops towards my path to success.

HBME – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company is known as H.B.M.E (hairbymarienesther) we’re specialized in braids, sew ins, etc. However, hair is not the only thing we do. We also sell our hbme Florissante products such as hair growth oils and edge controls. We also started an organization in Haiti known as “hbme #509 organization”. What we do for the organization is that we pay for kids to go to school and also do school supply drives, we started with 20 kids and we are hoping to help more kids. Giving back and helping others make us happy because we knew how the struggle was when we grew up there and I know the people really appreciate what we are doing for them. The thing I am proud of the most is how far the company has come.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment was when I decided to pursue my talent in the braiding/styling hair business. Since I’ve taken this path, my life has been an adventure. I’ve encountered many people of all walks of life that brought so much joy into my personal life, for instance I’ve been meeting clients I get along with very well and they are also proud of me. I’ve also picked up some things here and there to bring betterment in my business. So glad that I quit McDonald’s and started my own business to become my own boss or I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the happiness I’m feeling right now in the present.