I thought I had it figured out.

In November 2020, while I was still in cosmetology school, I created Eccentric Oasis. I was doing all the things I had been taught to do. I had the name. I had the logo. I had the vision. I was building my clientele from my apartment, and, in my mind, I was well on my way. I genuinely thought I was about to become an instant millionaire.

That is not exactly what happened.

What followed was a much less glamorous version of entrepreneurship: learning, pivoting, starting over, questioning myself, and discovering that having a vision for a business and being prepared to build one are two very different things.

Then came the salon suite.

Eventually, I took what felt like the next big step and moved into a salon suite. This was supposed to be the upgrade season. New space. New opportunity. A chance to finally make Eccentric Oasis look and feel like the business I had imagined.

I stayed there for about three months.

I had one client.

Yes. One.

It was humbling, but it also taught me something I couldn't have learned from cosmetology school, a business plan, or a social media post: looking like you're growing and actually building something sustainable are not the same thing.

The business wasn't the only thing evolving.

Life continued happening while I was trying to figure out entrepreneurship. My career grew. I became a mother. My priorities changed. I learned more about business, leadership, money, beauty, wellness, and myself. There were seasons when Eccentric Oasis was loud and visible, and seasons when it became much quieter.

But it never completely left me.

And looking back, I don't think those years were wasted time.

I was becoming more capable of carrying the vision I had created before I fully understood what it would require.

This time, I'm building differently.

I'm not approaching Eccentric Oasis like the version of me who started it in 2020.

I'm not chasing the appearance of success.

I'm building intentionally.

Eccentric Oasis is evolving into a space where beauty, healthy hair, wellness, service, and entrepreneurship can coexist, from the Beauty Bar and Hair Spa to the Cleaning Bar and now The Oasis Edit. There is still plenty to build. There will probably be more pivots. And I'm sure there are lessons ahead that I don't even know I need yet.

But this chapter feels different because I'm different.

I thought I was building a business.

Turns out, part of the process was becoming the woman who could run it.

Welcome to The Oasis Edit.