How a single mum built a $1m empire

A 26-year-old single mum says she’s on track to rake in $1m in annual revenue from her home-based hair extensions business and is now teaching others to summon up the courage to take the plunge with their own enterprise.

Samantha Harrison started her business from her home in Coolum, Queensland aged just 17 and now has a handful of staff including a social media manager, with forecast turnover of $900,000 this financial year.

The big turning point for Samantha Harrison Hair Extensions’ remarkable growth has been branching into online and in-person business education in 2020, teaching others how to get into the beauty industry.

She knows all too well how taking that initial leap of faith can be daunting, but tries to instil in her students the confidence to take control of their work destiny.

“I had been scared to leave my stable job, I’ve been a single mum … I’ve been all of the versions of my target audience. I’m a dropout, I don’t have any qualifications – I’m self taught everything I know,” Ms Harrison told NCA NewsWire.

“I never thought I could financially leave an abusive relationship.

“My family and I grew up really poor.

“There were so many times in my life that fear of finances kind of controlled my life.

“I really do talk from a place of experience and understanding and compassion.

“I know that it’s scary to have that self belief. I feel like resonating with them on such a personal level can help push them to make the step, stick at it and make something of themselves.

“I’ve definitely gone through hard times much like everyone but having that perspective can either break you or make you.”

Ms Harrison has plenty of examples of students she’s motivated and inspired who are now highly successful.

“One student got really sick working for a company with a toxic environment … so she was actually off work and on compensation for two years. She was completely lost – she didn’t know what she was going to do.

“She saw one of my ads pop up, came and did one of my hands-on workshops, which all include the online aspects as well.

“And I’ve never met someone just as passionate about hair as I am. She’s such a go-getter and has absolutely fallen in love with the industry.

“My goal is to do as many clients as possible whereas she’s doing the work-life balance.

“She does a handful a week and that more than provides for her and her family.”

Ms Harrison said her business feels like “the best job in the world” because she makes her clients feel so good.

“I love the transformations.

“We have people cry in the chair.

“No-one is ever going to be sad for having longer, sexier, thicker hair.”

Her training covers the full aspects of running a small business including how to procure goods wholesale and how to make your own private label brand.

She’s learnt entrepreneurs have to spend money to make it.

“If you can let go of the whole money blockages, you can make more money faster by investing (in your business),” Mr Harrison said.

“It took me a while to understand: I was always fearful of ‘what is this is my last dollar? What if it doesn’t work out?”