The Business
of Beautiful Hair.
Meet Nia. A talented stylist building a business—and discovering what comes with it.
From a kitchen chair on Chicago’s South Side to her own suite and product line, Nia turns a lifelong gift into a growing business. Her calendar fills up. Her brand takes shape. Then tax season brings questions she never knew to ask.
This fictional story brings the money side of the hair industry into focus: the records, responsibilities, and planning that belong alongside a booked calendar.
Talent built her clientele.
Now she needs a plan for the business.
You know hair.
Get to know your business.
Leaving a paycheck behind changes more than your schedule. Through Nia’s story, the book explores what happens when a side hustle becomes your livelihood—and business income arrives without an employer handling withholding.
Written for independent stylists, braiders, booth and suite renters, salon owners, and hair product entrepreneurs, it makes room for the financial conversations that can get lost between appointments.
Beyond the chair.
Behind the numbers.
- The move from employee to full-time independent stylist.
- Keeping track of service income, cash payments, and product sales.
- Organizing records for suite costs, supplies, inventory, and other business expenses.
- The questions that come with hiring help and paying workers.
- Estimated taxes, setting money aside, and planning before tax season.
- Building a routine with bookkeeping and professional support.
Includes a Hair Pro Pre-Tax Season Checklist to help readers prepare their records and questions for a tax professional.
Nine chapters. A familiar turning point.
- The Girl Who Could Always Do Hair
- From Kitchen Chair to Full-Time Stylist
- Building the Brand — Licenses, Suites, and Product
- One Hundred Forty-Seven Thousand Dollars
- March Wake-Up Call
- Walking Into Jacobwise & Co.
- The Six Steps That Saved Nia
- Running a Hair Business the Right Way
- Your Call to Action as a Hair Professional
Bonus: The Hair Pro Pre-Tax Season Checklist
Before the suite.
Before the brand.
From Chapter One, “The Girl Who Could Always Do Hair”
Nia had always had a gift.
Since she was about twelve years old, sitting on the floor between her grandmother's knees on the South Side of Chicago, she had understood hair in a way most people understand their native language — intuitively, effortlessly, like it was just something she was born knowing. She could feel a hair texture and immediately understand what it needed. She could read a woman's face and know exactly what style would make her shine — without being told, without guessing.
Excerpt from The Business of Beautiful Hair. © Jacobwise & Co. All rights reserved.
Support for the
business you are building.
Jacobwise & Co. helps individuals and small business owners with tax preparation, bookkeeping, and year-round support. Nia’s fictional journey brings that practical perspective to the beauty industry.
Need help organizing overdue books or building a monthly bookkeeping routine? Start a conversation about your business and the support you need.
Explore bookkeeping supportYou built the talent.
Build the business around it.
Follow Nia’s journey and bring better questions to your next conversation about business finances.
Buy the e-bookNia and the characters in this book are fictional. The book provides general education, not individualized tax, legal, or financial advice. Tax rules change and vary by jurisdiction. Discuss your situation with a qualified professional.