Female Founders: Calvaniece Mason On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Female Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Learn when to say NO and know that it’s okay: Oftentimes people will want you to discount your product or service, possibly give it away for free or a social media shout out. Know when the backend may be lucrative for you or when to say “No, at this time I can not do this”.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Calvaniece Mason.
Calvaniece Mason is the Founder of Calvaniece Mason Hair Brands Co., a professional hair care and luxury hair extensions company. As a Professional Hairdresser, Calvaniece has been called upon to work with many leading fashion and beauty professionals around the globe. She has worked backstage at New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week at the Élysée Palace, Vogue’s CFDA Awards and The Golden Globes Art of Elysium.
A hair care expert with distinctive knowledge and skills, Calvaniece has served as a Lead Educator at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta. Calvaniece has trained under the Award-Winning Francesco Group in the United Kingdom, Aveda’s Advanced Academy in New York and has earned a certification in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School.
Calvaniece is an Influential Business Leader, Entrepreneur and Humanitarian who has turned her love for beauty and passion for business into a purpose driven sustainable hair care brand for women of color.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I grew up in the beauty industry. I often say I’m an industry baby. My career started in my mother’s hair salon when I was in high school. On the weekends I would style my classmates’ hair and assist my mother with her clients.
After graduating high school I worked a couple of jobs I didn’t like. I even enrolled in technical college to become a surgical tech but after one semester I knew that career path was not for me. After being laid off from a job at a factory in my home town, I decided to follow my dream and go for what I truly enjoy doing. I found the nearest dumpster to throw my steel toe shoes away in and I enrolled in cosmetology school at the Georgia Institute of Cosmetology, and let me tell you, that was the BEST decision ever!
After graduating cosmetology school, I moved to Atlanta and I went on to further develop my skills by training with the Award Winning Francesco Group in Europe. This helped catapult me into other opportunities, and I became an educator at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta. One day I went to my director at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta, Jimmy Montan at that time, and told him I wanted to take a course at Aveda’s Advanced Academy and his exact words were “Let me see what I can do’’. Jimmy had been with Aveda since the beginning days when Horst Rechelbacher started his first school. I went on to attend Aveda’s Advanced Academy in New York where I enrolled in Runway Styling courses. This led me to the opportunity to work with Jon Reyman, who is absolutely amazing.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
The most interesting thing that has happened since I launched my business was discovering the amount of work-related issues for hairdressers.
I remember having a conversation with my Aunt, who was also a hairdresser, and her telling me that she had developed carpal tunnel and that her doctor told her that a lot of hair stylists develop carpal tunnel. I remember her saying “you might develop it over time”, and I was thinking to myself “no ma’am”.
So, I started doing research and discovered that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was an occupational hazard in the beauty industry. It was extremely common for hairdressers to develop severe hand pain, numbness and weakness and they were at a high risk for getting this condition.
The beauty industry has nearly five times the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome compared to the rest of the population. It’s often due to repetitive improper use of hand tools for long periods of time throughout the years. I remember when I trained with the Francesco Group in Europe, one of their top priorities was emphasizing ergonomics, even when cutting hair.
That was the first time I took a hair cutting training where you cut hair sitting on a stool, because while they wanted to educate you on creating a nice precision cut, your posture was most important. Fast forward to 2014, I was working with my students in Salon Concepts at the Aveda Institute, and something like an epiphany came over me while the students were doing blowouts on clients.
I began researching manufacturers that made hair tools such as hair dryers and flat irons and I started working with one to create a hair dryer that was compact in size but had a powerful motor that would keep the hand in an upright ergonomic position. That’s when I officially launched Calvaniece Mason Hair Brands Co. My first product was the Elite Pro Turbo|Lite Professional hair dryer which I launched in 2015 at the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh goodness yes! When I first started I was just at the end of my cosmetology school hours and when you’re in school for cosmetology you do everything from waxing to nails etc. So, I styled one of my friends’ hair and after styling her I was like, “let me wax your eyebrows.” Most of my friends never told me no because for one they knew I was talented, and secondly, they somewhat trusted me. I went to apply the wax and apparently applied way too much because I completely removed her entire eyebrow! When I pulled the wax strip, I had a look on my face like I knew I screwed up and she immediately grabbed the hand mirror and the only thing I could think to say was “ well it’s not too bad it will grow back. At least you have a bang to cover it”. That’s a memory that will last forever, but at least we can laugh about it now.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Jon Reyman is a person I am grateful towards. Jon taught me so much on paying it forward, being kind, being humble and opening the door of opportunity to others. I am forever grateful for Jon Reyman because all of the shows at New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Vogues CFDA’s were available to me because he always shared them with me.
I was able to work shows for designers such as Oscar De La Renta, Nike Kids Rock and so many others. When we wrapped up New York Fashion Week one fall season, he presented me with the opportunity to work Paris Fashion Week at the Elysee Palace, which is the official residence of the President of France. When we came back from Paris I worked at the CFDA’s with Jon. He always shared some of the best opportunities of my career with me and so many others. Being able to be at the CFDA’s at the Chateau Marmont seeing Anna Wintour, Dianne Von Furstenburg, Reese Witherspoon, Chanel Iman, Kim and Kanye was a dream come true.
While we were in Paris, it felt like I was in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada’’, but the Paris Scene, it was really a dream come true. I remember American Salon would always share Redkens backstage Fashion Week DVD Videos and Guido Palau was always the stylist. I remember I would watch those DVD’s until I fell asleep., I would even cut out my favorite runway looks and place them on a pink poster and it’s like somehow I manifested it all for myself.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
This is a great question and a topic that I feel so passionate about. While many of today’s women organized efforts have contributed to the development of female-owned and operated companies that enrich the lives of people in their respective communities.
I have come into contact with many young women who aspire to find their voice, pursue higher goals, own their own businesses, start their own brands and become an important active individual in our society. For many women the relationship between entrepreneurship and leadership continues to be fraught with insecurity and confusion.
In interacting with other women, I realized the strong need for women supporting women, being more collaborative as opposed to competitive and sharing resources. Becoming the Founder of your own business takes an extreme amount of faith, especially for minority women and women of color where funding capital is often time more limited.
What I have come to understand is many women today want to become founders of their own business and ideas, but oftentimes feel as though they don’t know where to start to obtain the funding resources they need for a startup, and are oftentimes afraid to seek it. As a woman, I feel as though this is an issue because some may lack an adequate support system, the fear of failure and still having to deal with equal pay due to gender inequality.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
For Women to claim their power, and see their advice and expertise valued as well as respected, the first step is to conquer internal barriers and continue to work together with other women as well as men to consciously create change in the world we live in today. This may mean lobbying local lawmakers and Congress to combat some of the challenges and obstacles faced. While there are laws and policies that have attempted to create a favorable business environment the actual changes have not been implemented. In the United States, women still earn less than men. Oftentimes in business women are afraid to ask, we underprice our products or services and oftentimes give them away for free! That’s why it’s important that women get confident in their skills, price accordingly, gain respect and grow economically. I feel that women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship should be encouraged by our government and implemented by society as it will include many advantages and economic growth for the economy overall.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
I think women should become founders so that they can see their true strength and capability. The messages around us tell us that we are not able, skilled, nor independent, not leadership or entrepreneurship worthy, not capable of making proper decisions in business as well as for our bodies, nor managing careers that require confidence and strength.
While there are so many women who have come before us and broken glass ceilings, created new lanes and left their mark, there is still a terrifying glass ceiling that is within many of us that needs to continuously be shattered.
There is something I read from Christine Karumba that I clipped out and placed in my affirmation jar, and it’s “One woman can change anything but many women can change everything”.
This is why more women should become founders, to continuously create the change we wish to see in our society, to be able to support the organizations and causes we believe in, and the politicians whose views align with the world we desire to live in.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
That you can become an overnight success! I must put this out there because we are in the prime of social media, where pictures are worth a thousand words and you can create the illusion of success. But, building a business and brand takes work. You need systems in place and the funding to put people in place to handle the things you are not skilled at.
Entrepreneurship, running a business and building a brand is risky and entails many unforeseen circumstances. It takes time to create brand awareness and brand love which are the building blocks of any successful business. You want to be able to scale your business, not just make money quickly. You want to have a purpose behind your business and creating awareness behind your brand’s purpose takes time, it requires consistency.
Speaking for myself, it would be an honor to make it to a 25-year mark in business having employees all over the world changing the lives of others through sustainable efforts.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
While everyone is not cut out to be a founder I do feel that no individual woman is as creative, skilled and powerful as we are together. While you may not be great at being a founder, you might be excellent at leading the accounting team of a company, for example.
It may not be a person’s life purpose to own their own medical practice but to save the lives of others by being a top doctor at their local hospital, or a researcher / scientist in medicine and help to create vaccines to save lives. I feel like the passion for independence is what creates the likelihood for a person to be an entrepreneur, such as the time and freedom of being able to create your own schedule while having unlimited earning potential.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Learn when to say NO and know that it’s okay: Oftentimes people will want you to discount your product or service, possibly give it away for free or a social media shout-out. Know when the backend may be lucrative for you or when to say “No, at this time I can not do this”.
- Don’t take rejection personally: When a customer doesn’t purchase your product or service at the moment, remember all no’s are not permanent, some are just for that moment for various reasons.
- Have a budget for marketing: You have to do the foundational work of building brand awareness and creating brand love and loyalty. This requires marketing and connecting with your consumers. It’s imperative to have an allocated budget per quarter to maximize these efforts.
- Don’t quit because it’s hard: Rome wasn’t built overnight, always remember why you started and let that be your driving motivator when tough times come because they do come! Sales can skyrocket one month and the following month it can be like all you hear is crickets. Don’t let this discourage you, use this as your time to strategize and continuously put your best foot forward.
- Have accounting software: You want to stay on top of your accounting the first day you are open for business, you want to track your mileage the first time you use your vehicle for business, you want to remain on top of your invoices and most important local and federal taxes. While there are many softwares you can use such as Quickbooks or Gusto just be sure to have one in place.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I have used my success working with Trinity Girls Network Corp a 501c3 organization that empowers young ladies and girls with opportunity through education and leadership during Georgia’s Girl Empowerment Month at Georgia State Capitol. I have spoken at the United Nations UN Women of Influence and Power Honors Celebration “Empowering Women Economic Sustainability Through Entrepreneurship and Leadership”.
Currently, in my business, I have implemented strategies for recycling to create a more sustainable environment in which we live, by donating used hair extensions to Matter of Trust which is a 501c3 organization that turns them into mats that help clean up oil spills. I also recycle the packaging of my products with local recycling plants to help eliminate the pollution of plastic in our economy.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people it would be a movement centered around criminal justice reform for people of color. While there are many movements out there and celebrities that are spearheading efforts on criminal justice reform, this is a topic that is also dear to me and I feel strongly about, because I know the impact it would have on the communities and people of color.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Kris Jenner! If I could have a private breakfast or even thirty minutes of her time it would hands down be Kris Jenner. I love what Kris has built for her family and the knowledge she has when it comes to building multiple successful brands. Not only do you see successful brands for her daughters, you see them for their hairstylist and makeup artist as well.
Kris has built a legacy for generations to come in her family and turned the Kardashian brand into a billion-dollar staple, so Kris if you read this, I would love for you to mentor me or just sit down with me for breakfast, maybe even a glass or two of wine. I often catch myself now when making a decision in my business saying “what would Kris Jenner do?”.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Calvaniece Mason On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Female… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.