If I can win, the next person can win.
Terrie Young, Owner of New Beginnings Hair Studio
When you shed tears sharing the story of your growth, you know it’s real.
For business owner Terrie Young, the journey hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it. She’s worked hard for everything she has—and is devoted to inspiring others to reach their best too.
The Mississippi native who now calls Charlotte, North Carolina, home is the definition of entrepreneurship at its finest. She owns several businesses, all rooted in her faith and what she feels is a requirement to help others.
“Seeing others thrive, that means everything to me,” Terrie told THE BLOCK.
“Through everything I’ve been through, God has covered me,” she added. “I tell everybody, if you let God be the center of your business … at the end of the day, it’s going to work. But try to go out and do it in your own strength, you’re going to fail every time.”
Next month, Terrie will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her latest business New Beginnings Hair Studio, which she runs with the help of her daughter, Deasia Young, and sister, Mechelle Anderson, who she says is the backbone of her business endeavors. >>Get tickets to the New Beginnings Anniversary Gala.
“My daughter was finishing cosmetology school and said she had a desire to start her own [business],” Terrie recalled.
Leaning on scripture, she challenged her daughter to come up with a plan she could support.
“If you write the vision and give me three tools of how you’re going to get there, I’ll match your three tools,” she told her.
Deasia did just that, and the process of making New Beginnings a reality ensued.
Terrie gets her entrepreneurial drive from her late grandfather who had a “one stop shop” convenience store in Columbus, Mississippi.
“When everybody was on spring break going places, I had to stay and run the store and do inventory, balance the checkbook and do the budget,” she told us. “I started at a young age with him giving me all the things I needed as an entrepreneur. Of course, at that age [I thought] ‘I don’t want to do this!’ But as I look back now, it has helped me in all of my businesses.”
In Mr. Buckhalter’s honor, New Beginnings Hair Studio is also a one stop shop, selling haircare products and offering beauty salon services.
Terrie made the jump to entrepreneurship eight years ago. Recently divorced after being married almost three decades, she was ready to start again. Terrie moved to Savannah then to the Charlotte area, where the hair studio is located.
“Going through my divorce and still having to go to work and [experience] people not having the compassion and understanding … I couldn’t do it. I walked away from everything,” Terrie said.
“I had to believe in Terrie. I had to believe that I could do it.”
A Selfless Business Model
For Terrie, the upcoming milestone for New Beginnings is more than a celebration—it’s about honoring those who have helped her up until this point, while also extending a hand to small businesses still in the initial stages of growth. Donations will be made to a group of up-and-coming entrepreneurs at the event.
“I feel like everything that God gives me, it’s not just for me, but it’s to help someone else,” Terrie explains. “Some people [in business] can be very selfish. That’s not my heart.
“No matter what I go through, I will always take care of God’s people.”
She shared the story of starting a credit repair company and often not charging for her services, just to help someone out. This selfless approach is still a big part of how Terrie does business—but within reason.
“It’s always good to take care of your people. They have bills. They have things that they go through. But are you giving them the necessities and tools that they need?” Terrie explained, challenging entrepreneurs to always maintain a servant’s heart.
This is something she learned from her grandfather who would tell her, “How you treat your employees determines the success you will tap into.”
“My whole life has been centered around helping people. I saw how my granddaddy would take money out his own pockets and begin to help other people when they didn’t have anything.”
Terrie’s Advice to Young Entrepreneurs
- Get a mentor. “Starting out, you think you know it all … but there’s always room for improvement.”
- Don’t do it all. “You can’t have your hands in so many pots. … You’ve got to be able to know what’s the main thing that’s going to put you on the map.”
- Care for others. “Being self-centered gets you nowhere.”
Known for being a “behind the scenes” type of person, Terrie is going big to celebrate one year of New Beginnings.
The New Beginnings Hair Studio One-Year Anniversary Gala is slated for December 17 in Charlotte. Purchase tickets here. The formal event features special guest Angela Yee from The Breakfast Club and will be hosted by Charlotte journalist and public speaker Brigida Mack.
The gala will also highlight vendors Semicolon Soy Candles, Mane Control Hair Care, Pynk Eclipse Cosmetics and Seasoned and Fabulous clothing brand. Event sponsors include State Farm, TKC Johnson Distributors (known for Design Essentials hair products), Believe Fitness and Divine Whispers/Janie Mayes-Flowers.
Get tickets to the gala here and keep up with New Beginnings Hair Studio on Facebook, Instagram and via their website.
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LaTanya Blackmon
Inspiring story of triumph and preserverance.