Inspiring Conversations with Kaila Smith of Slaytoven Natural Hair Lounge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaila Smith

Hi Kaila, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I learned how to braid at 6 years old. My mother taught me how braid. The very first style I ever learned how to do was Senegalese Twists. Once, I was older, my mother started to let me do her hair to perfect my craft.

Fast forward to 2014-I started my freshman year at UNCG. Now, to be honest, I wasn’t eager to go straight to a four-year university. I actually wanted to go to cosmetology school right out of high school and get straight to work on my business. But my mom had other plans. Education was non-negotiable for her, and I knew that if nothing else, cosmetology school would always be there.

When I got to UNCG, I quickly realized I loved everything except going to class lol. Campus activities, friends, nightlife—it was all calling my name. But, like every college student learns, fun runs low when the funds do lol. My parents sent me money, but I was blowing through it fast. So, I knew I had to do something. That’s when I started charging $40 a head for Senegalese twists and faux locs, along with $25 blowouts.

Business picked up quickly. In fact, I was so booked that when my mom found out I was only charging $40 for braids, she was livid! She had trained me to provide professional-quality work and believed I should be charging way more. But I realized that because my prices were lower, I was getting way more clients than the girls at A&T, who were charging $100-$120. I was doubling their clientele in a week!

At that point, I knew I had something special. So, I made my first-ever hair page—but not on Instagram. Back then, Twitter was the place to be. I posted every style, tweeted updates, and kept my name circulating. Eventually, I moved to Instagram and created my first official hair page, Kai’s Hair Page.

By the end of my freshman year, I had built so many clients that when I went home to Charlotte for the summer, I ended up taking clients there too. Once I started, I never stopped—people just kept asking and asking.

In 2015, my sophomore year, I moved into my first campus apartment with my roommate, Torrey, who also did hair. She specialized in sew-ins, and I was the go-to for braids, so we built a system: if someone needed a sew-in, I sent them to her; if they needed braids, she sent them to me. Eventually, we started bartering services and even teaching each other our skills to expand our businesses. We got to the point where we were styling side by side in our living room, servicing girls back to back. At that point, Torrey and I had campus on lock! If you weren’t getting your hair done by me, you were getting it done by Torrey.

Business was booming, and I told my friends, “I think I need a name for this.” At the time, I was heavily into trap music, and my favorite producer was Zaytoven. I loved how he created beats and songs, and I saw myself the same way—except I was creating styles. So, I took the “Zay” out of Zaytoven and dropped in Slay instead. And that’s how Slaytoven was born.

By my junior year, three of my best friends and I moved into our first off-campus apartment. And thanks to a construction mix-up, we ended up with the biggest four-bedroom unit in the complex—two front doors, two patios, and a bonus room. So, of course, I turned the bonus room into a studio! That year, I was finally going to class lol while also servicing students and locals. It was also the first year I became a mentor. One of my friends, Carryngton, wanted to learn how to braid, so I invited her to shadow me. She picked up my techniques quickly and started building her own clientele. At that point, I had grown my business so much that I was providing braiding hair, using an online booking system (no more booking through texts!), and was always fully booked. Sometimes, my clients had to book with my mentee, Carryngton, instead—and the gag was, she had learned to braid just like me, so there was no difference in quality! To this day, Carryngton still offers luxury braiding services in Florida.

By senior year, my business was thriving—I had logged 300 clients into my booking system. What 18-year-old me didn’t know was that stats show you need about 200 clients to successfully start your own salon. Meanwhile, I was graduating college with 100 more than the recommended number, all because of my passion and consistency.

I graduated from UNCG in December 2019, and by January 2020, I was enrolled in hair school, ready to get my license. It wasn’t easy—I actually had to transfer schools. But I am proud to say I graduated from Millennium Trade Academy, owned by Miss Tonya, a Greensboro native with multiple salons in the area. Millennium met me where I was and groomed me into the professional I am today. And because of the consistency I had built in college, I was able to keep working throughout hair school and fund my tuition out of pocket.

Today, I am a successful suite owner in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’ve had my own suite for two years now, and before that, I was in a partnership. I’m grateful that I never had to hop around salons trying to find my place—I was able to dive right in and build something of my own immediately.

I am so proud of where I am today. Every week, I have the privilege of meeting and servicing amazing women, helping them feel confident, and teaching them how to care for their hair. Because at the end of the day, your hair is a part of your body, and it deserves just as much TLC as the rest of you.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I truly believe every challenge along the way played a role in shaping me into the businesswoman I am today.

One of my first struggles was balancing school and business. When I started college, my heart was still in hair. I was more excited about running my business than sitting in a classroom. But because my mom made it clear that getting my degree was non-negotiable, I had to figure out how to juggle both. There were times I would be up until 3 or 4 AM braiding hair, only to turn around and be in class by 8 AM. Eventually my grades did slip due to me giving more attention to my business than my education. There were several semesters I had to write an appeal to stay in school. I was exhausted, but I refused to let either my education or my business suffer. Eventually I gained discipline and that discipline stuck with me and made me the hard worker I am today.

Another challenge was pricing and knowing my worth. When I first started, I charged way less than what my work was worth because I was just excited to be doing hair. I remember my mom going off when she found out I was charging only $40 for Senegalese twists. She knew my work was professional-level and that I needed to value my skills. Learning how to properly price my services and stand firm in what I charged was a major lesson.

Then, there was the challenge of navigating hair school. Even though I had already been doing hair for over 10 years by the time I enrolled, I quickly realized that hair school wasn’t about teaching me techniques—it was about teaching me sanitation, safety, and professionalism. I had to humble myself and learn things from a completely different perspective. And to make things more complicated, I had to transfer schools at one point, which felt like a setback. But looking back, it was one of the best things that ever happened because Millennium Trade Academy truly helped refine me into the stylist I am today. A lot of eager cosmetology students don’t realize that cosmetology school isn’t about teaching you how to do hair well—it’s about teaching you how to do it professionally and safely. But the real world is where you refine your skills, and your growth depends entirely on how much you apply yourself.

Lastly, one of the biggest struggles was trusting myself enough to go all in on my own business. When I first started, I had a partnership before transitioning into full independence. That move was scary—stepping out completely on my own, securing my own space, and handling everything by myself. But once I did, I never looked back. It forced me to grow in ways I never imagined, and today, I’m proud to be a successful suite owner in Charlotte.

So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road, but every challenge taught me something valuable. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that hard work is never in vain.

We’ve been impressed with Slaytoven Natural Hair Lounge, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a professional braider and natural hair care specialist, and I take pride in not just styling hair, but educating my clients on how to care for it properly. I specialize in luxury braiding services, specifically knotless braids, boho styles, and soft, natural-looking protective styles that prioritize hair health. While braiding is my passion, I also focus on overall hair care and maintenance because I believe healthy hair should always be the foundation of any style.

I am most known for my attention to detail and the experience I provide my clients. When someone sits in my chair, I don’t just braid their hair and send them on their way—I take the time to educate them on proper maintenance, recommend products, and create a relaxing, luxury experience. My goal is for every woman who leaves my chair to feel beautiful, confident, and informed about her hair.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the relationships I’ve built with my clients. Many of the women I service have been with me since college, and I’ve watched them grow in their own journeys while they’ve watched me grow in mine. I’m also proud of the mentorship I’ve been able to provide to other aspiring stylists. Seeing people I’ve taught go on to build their own businesses is extremely rewarding.

What sets me apart from others is my foundation of experience and my commitment to professionalism. A lot of stylists learn their craft after cosmetology school—I had already been braiding for over a decade before I even stepped into a classroom for formal training. That experience, combined with my business knowledge and background, has allowed me to run a smooth, professional, and high-quality salon suite that focuses on both beauty and hair health.

At the end of the day, my goal is to make sure that every woman who sits in my chair walks away feeling her best—inside and out.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always creative, independent, and a little bit of a hustler lol. I had a natural curiosity for learning new things and a drive to master whatever I was passionate about. From a young age, I was always using my hands—whether it was braiding hair, doing arts and crafts, or coming up with little business ideas to make money.

I was also very observant. I loved watching my mom work when she was doing hair at home. I paid close attention to how she interacted with clients, how she marketed herself, and how she built her business from scratch. I didn’t realize it at the time, but all of that shaped the way I run my own business today.

Personality-wise, I’ve always been social and outgoing. I love being around people, and I love making people feel good. That’s probably why I gravitated toward the beauty industry so naturally—helping women feel confident and beautiful has always been something that brings me joy.

I was also determined—when I set my mind to something, I was going to make it happen. Whether it was learning a new braiding technique or figuring out how to balance my business and school, I was always willing to put in the work.

Looking back, everything about who I was as a kid makes sense now. The creativity, the hustle, the love for making people feel their best—it all led me to where I am today.

One of the biggest influences as a child has been my cousin and mentor, Joi Mebane. She has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years, and from a young age, I watched her build and develop her own beauty empire in Atlanta. When I was in middle school, she would send me products to test out, and by high school, I was traveling to Atlanta to work alongside her. I started with simple tasks—cleaning up, restocking, working the cash register, assisting with makeovers, counting drawers, and even learning basic accounting. I was getting hands-on experience in running a business before I even fully realized I would have one of my own.

Joi has also been instrumental in shaping both my and my sister Gabby’s development as strong women in business. She has always told me that I am ahead of my time and that the role I’ve been created for doesn’t even have a name yet. That reminder has been so important for me because it encourages me not to box myself in. It reminds me to embrace my unique journey and trust that the path I’m on is leading me to something greater than I can even define right now.

Her mentorship is steady and never overbearing—she never pushes me too far, but she always holds me accountable. I owe my business discipline to both her and my mother. Their influence has been invaluable in shaping me into the entrepreneur I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://mysite.vagaro.com/slaytoven1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slaytoven__?igsh=bmw5dWF6YWR0NTdq&utm_source=qr