Meet Calvelyn “Ck” Jones | Owner of Simplie Ck: Mobile Braiding Service

We had the good fortune of connecting with Calvelyn “Ck” Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Calvelyn “Ck”, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting your own business isn’t the challenge. The challenge is having enough discipline to continuously grow mentally while you’re producing your product or providing a service.

The key is understanding that your operations of thinking must change. The majority of us have been taught to get a good job and move up the ladder with hard work (which there’s nothing wrong with that) to establish great wealth and a good living. What isn’t said as often is that there are other ways for you to achieve those same goals without being an liability to someone else.

We already work hard as a people so why not work hard for yourself.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started Simplie Ck because I felt like I was missing something in my life. I’ve always braided hair on the side for friends and family but never took it seriously until it hit me. I only used this skill for its bare minimum. I would do hair for favors or to put a little bit of change in my pockets and that’s it. Braiding became really handy when I decided to go back to school to get my bachelors and masters. I was working full time, taking care of my daughter, braiding hair and going to school. Talk about a full schedule is an understatement. After school, I stopped. Just needed a break but the true reason my I stopped braiding was because I didn’t identify what my purpose was. Like I stated earlier, I felt like I was missing something and I put myself through a program called Money Mindset Shift. That’s when I discovered my purpose and knew why I had this skill set. I enjoy making people feel good about themselves and I was able to do that by creating art with their hair. In February of 2020, I started planning. Looking for ways to put myself out in the public. I knew I wanted to keep it simple, find something that the majority of braiders weren’t doing and take some classes. I started asking family members to let me braid their hair to build my portfolio, took a class with Houston Braids, looked up available name, made the executive decision to be mobile and hit the ground running. The most valuable lesson that I’ve learned through this process is to believe in myself. I honest thought the prices that I was charging for my services were enough but I was so wrong. I would ask my customers about their experiences and what they would normally pay for a service. I was low balling myself so much, I was slapping myself in the face. The encouragement and appraisal that I received boosted my confidence in charging what my services are worth. I even did my first ever hair competition and won 3rd place. Everyday, I’m learning something different about myself and my business. One of my customers left me a review on ChairWatch (a service booking app for businesses) that stated “she brings the salon to your living room”. Little things like that let’s me know I’m doing something right and to keep going. In all, I would like to say if you have a dream just go for it. There’s no need to figure out everything, there’s no way because what works for you may not work for others and you won’t know that until you just do it. I am proud to say that I’m the owner of Simplie Ck, your mobile braider simply for every occasion.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston have a lot of different places to visit and things to do. A few restaurants I would take my friend would be The Greasy Spoon (great soul food cooking), Mia’s Table (old school dinner feel), Lazy Dogs (steam punk vibe), The Desert Gallery (yes sugar) and 1751 Sea and Bar (oysters her are awesome). Can’t forget about the food trucks like the Funnel Cake Bar as well. I would want to introduce them why Houston is called the “Melting Pot”. For entertainment there are live bands throughout Houston and karaoke by the livest KJ there is, Lady BG Karaoke Production. For a little action, we’ll do some physical activities like Top Golf or iFly. Most of all, just sit and chill. Catch up on life and the lessons we’ve learned thus far.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutouts goes to my cousins Joseph Russell owner of TruInsight Media, Henry Russell also known as HTRoots the Barber, Vance Dixion owner of Just a Kid from Aldine Mail Rt., Trenton Russell owner of BirthVision apparel, Kesha Washington owner of House Fit Factory and Pines Learning Center, La’Nessa Harrison owner of On Chime LLC, Donae owner of Houston Braids and her team, Will B. Vance owner of ChairWatch and his team along with friends and family starting their own things as well.

Website: https://simplie-ck.chairwatch.com/

Instagram: @simplieck

Facebook: @simplieck