How Asha Downes began an organic business of hair-coaching based on science and self-acceptance |

Find out the ways Asha Downes turned her own natural hair journey into a training and coaching company that is based on extreme gentleness in addition to science and self-love.

Since her earliest days, Asha Downes dreamed of being able to have hair that was longer. She enjoyed playing hairdresser with friends and experimenting with hairstyles of different types but she received numerous reminders that it was hard to grow her hair with afro texture to the lengths she wanted.

Everything changed when Asha was in the final stages in her teens. While browsing YouTube she came across another artist who was sporting the same hair style and naturally, long hair. Although everyone said it was impossible, his hair was healthy and healthy and full of. Asha realized that if her creator was capable of it, she should be able as well.

Presently, Asha runs Naturally High Hair, a company that assists women in growing their hair by providing personal guidance, as well as instructive seminars . Asha received with the 2022 Fall Creator Fellowship, and we were awestruck by her gentle, holistic way of taking care of her customers. Additionally she's working toward the most advanced level of trichology certification to further enhance her knowledge in the field she is working in.

This is the tale of how Asha made her love for hair into a coach and educational business that's changing the lives of women's hair to the good.

Making a passion-driven project an innovative business with authenticity

When Asha began to learn about natural hair's benefits and ways to preserve it, she was not all on her own. women from all over the globe were also sharing their experiences with hair. Her memory is "This was before YouTube became the online commercial platform that it is today and people were sharing their advice as well as recipes, stories, and mishaps."

"It was a paradigm shift to observe the number of Black women talking about this issue together in spite of their location in various regions of the globe. Everyone is going through this experience, and now it has been given a name: the natural-haired movement."

If Asha made the decision to make her personal story, she found herself drawn to YouTube since it was where many other creators had already been spending time. "I became one of the group," she explains. "I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was looking to be a part of the group."

On her YouTube channel, Asha captured everything she went through on her journey to comprehend how to go about caring for her hair. It was a passion for Asha, and Asha determined to share the real person she was. Her audience loved following along when she told her story through the years, and as time went on, her YouTube channel and the Instagram page increased in popularity.

"While I recorded my experience in the very early stages I didn't pay attention to the numbers of viewers or views" she said. "It was an opportunity for me to share my journey in my hair. People found it interesting and decided to take part."

As Asha's popularity in social media gaining strength the process for creating content began to become more deliberate, and she began to think of possible options to aid her users.

Meanwhile, Asha was working full-time and living in different countries all over Europe. She did research on hair-related jobs in large corporations, but it wasn't the way she wanted to feel.

Asha became a creator just to share her personal experiences. Her positive and honest videos caught the eye of people and she began to realize that she could have an impact. Her understanding of the potential for monetization would enable her to invest her earnings back in her fans and expand her knowledge. She was certain that her dream project was changing from a hobby into an income-generating venture if she could give the full attention of. It all fell into place.

Asha was on the move visiting the Caribbean as the pandemic forced all of the world to shut down. With nowhere to go and plenty of time to spare it was a great chance to be involved.

"There was no opportunity for me to pursue what that I was convinced of. In lockdown, it was when I was able to be me that I decided that I had the ability to create my own chance."

And so Asha started doing her work.

The potential of a simple launch

Asha initially intended to sell physical haircare products, but she was asked by a mentor who looked at her online presence that was an enormous one. She suggested she offer individual consulting instead. That advice, combined with the difficulties of finding items due to the pandemic in the world, led Asha on a digital journey.

Her first offering was a one-on one regimen-building consultation. She was unsure of the reaction of her customers to her product and that's why she made her launch strategy simple. She created a Typeform application, and published the URL on Instagram along with an explanation of her coaching service.

"I told people about what I had been working on and encouraged individuals to take part," she shares. "I received more than 200 requests. They were only applying to get coached by me. They did not require payments, but they did provide me with their email addresses and discussed the concerns they had about their hair. They then contacted me with the link to reserve."

It's a great method to try the concept with no cost upfront. Asha developed a product that cost a reasonable amount and gathered how much interest the product was receiving from its target audience.

Through the use of software that she used to learn about the requirements of customers and put them in their own words. She also increased her list of subscribers to her emails. The people who thought that it would be a great match became her first customers as she proved the idea was viable prior to the time and effort required and the millions of dollars for the announcement of a large-scale campaign.

Asha started meeting with customers. But she quickly discovered that the demands from clients were much more extensive than recommending products and creating personalized hair routines.

"I realized this work involves more than just picking the right products or styles. You'll need to be creative and think outside the box."

"There's an underlying connection between self-acceptance and growing your hair to be healthy and longer in the beginning. The hair can only be kept alive and then destroyed. Hair is a dying fiber. You can't revive it so whatever you do to your hair your hair's memories can affect the growth of your hair in the future."

With this understanding in mind, Asha shifted to a more holistic approach that focuses on acceptance of hair and self-love .

"One of the core concepts of my course is the concept of extreme kindness. If you want to be kind when it comes to your hair, you must be willing to accept the look. Accept it with patience and comfortable that it looks certain ways. It is a connection between self-acceptance, radical acceptance , and compassion, as well as the preservation of hair to allow it to increase in length."

Becoming attentive to feedback of clients has helped Asha expand the content of her coaching course and also define the structure of her business overall. As she worked with clients Asha realized that coaching on a one-time basis could help clients who were happy about their appearance. However, it didn't work for those who required more accountability.

The experience inspired her to develop the comprehensive program of coaching called Longer Lengths(tm) and provides ongoing support for longer periods of time while clients develop healthy hair habits and mental attitudes.

Nowadays long Lengths(tm) is her most popular offering of training and is the primary way she works with people with one-on-one. For clients who are at various stages in their hair-growing journeys, Asha provides the 90-minute long-hair course Grow-Your-Fro. .

Asha is selling her on-demand crash course in the form of an on-demand product, which allows users to gain a quick victory any time, and she takes batches of longer Lengths(tm) customers on a few times per year.

A carefully planned mix of programming is a great option for those who provide the services of coaching. Self-serve products are more affordable and flexible, offering customers the opportunity to engage with the company before making a larger purchase. Higher-end 1:1 programs are ideal for those who prefer personal interaction. With both options it is feasible to get your message to the largest market of your organization.

In the next installment, we'll look at the methods used by Asha to overcome challenges as well as ensuring a sustainable company aligned with her passion as well as her clients' needs.

Asha's advice to get free of obstacles

Each business faces its own challenges. However Asha can face any challenges head on. Her secret? Engage experts, combat the illusion of being a fraud and discover your uniqueness.

Helping others will save you time.

"I am aware that I do not have complete answers."

"I am aware that I'm not able to know everything... Talking to an expert could help me cut through the chaos and help me save the time. This is the reason I place the most importance on this kind of knowledge."

Do you need assistance with your company, but you're not certain where to start?

Finding evidence will help us face the imposter illusion head-on

Start by keeping an upbeat record. "I keep a record of anything good I accomplish," Asha elaborates. "I have a list of my accomplishments. I start to teach my brain to concentrate upon the positive aspects of my own existence."

To keep your own positive track record Set up the computer with a folder that you can store 5 star reviews as well as notes from your clients. When you feel down or scared, access the directory, and reflect about how amazing you are.

The second step is to establish yourself as an authority within your area of expertise. According to Asha, "Another way to battle the illusion of being a fraud is to be absolutely enthralled with the product the product you're selling. I'm certainly not afraid of becoming obsessed with things to the point where some customers find me strange. I've got a huge collection of information about hair. I'm constantly reading about hair science, hair and much more."

A thorough investigation into your area of expertise and increasing your knowledge can reduce the uncertainty. This can be done through individual research, practice or by investing in higher education qualifications like those of Asha .

After she discussed the incident with her accountability coach concerning her experience, she discovered that a lack of specifics resulted in it being difficult to shoot in the moment -- the film script was not fully completed, and the goal was unclear. After she'd defined her goals, revisited her video, and made improvements the imposter syndrome faded.

And now, Asha asks herself, "How can I tackle this challenge in a manner that, even if I'm going through these feelings, I still feel okay? Why am I creating this video? And what do I want viewers to accomplish when they view it? If I can answer that issue, I'll be able to deal with any pain I'm feeling."

In simple terms, imposter's disorder is a part of creativity that affects everyone, but it doesn't have to be a cause for concern. As Asha says, "The great thing about facing this issue is it opens the door to being a person that does not run away in the face of stress."

Take advantage of the qualities that distinguish you

Embrace the characteristics that make you stand out as a person of the moment. A person who has a certain trait or skill set can set you apart from others and connect you with many more clients.

"Apply yourself and do this,"" Asha says. "And you'll be able applying your knowledge across different fields so that you can add your personal spin on the work you're doing. In my situation I also offer advice on German as well as Spanish."

Asha also has a research background that gives her content the added scientific edge.

"Don't focus too much on the details of what your competitors in the field are doing. Find your own way to stand out and constantly improve your capabilities which will allow you to differentiate yourself."

By asking for help in overcoming imposter syndrome by sharing your individual skills and expertise, you'll begin the process of making your business something that you are confident in .

"Follow your heart's desire. It is a pleasure to have designed this program, which is centered on self-compassion, empathy, hair science, cosmetic science, accountability for hair care, nutrition, and overall health, and to integrate all this into one."

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