Ericka Dotson, mother and beauty mogul, is a dynamic businesswoman who has broken barriers in the hair care market. As co-founder and creative director for Indique Hair, Dotson has spearheaded the aggressive expansion of opening the luxury hair retail boutique in over 13 markets, including Africa, and is not slowing down anytime soon. Positioning Indique as a socially conscious, premiere provider of Virgin Hair Extensions - Dotson has leveraged her brand to receive national acclaim including making the coveted INC Magazine 5000 list.
The Beginning
“Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure it feels good,†says Ericka Dotson, a former hair stylist and now the brains behind the brand. She began Indique Hair in 2007 to fill what she viewed as a void in the hair care industry in which women were investing their time and money into hair extensions that weren’t meeting their needs or expectations. Dotson began formulating the foundation for Indique hair by researching premium hair options that were currently available. To her surprise, the premium hair market was not untapped but the general knowledge of premium hair was severely lacking. It was during this journey of discovery that she met her partner Krishan Jhalani. Jhalani was born and raised in India and had previously run a human hair export company. His business acumen paired with Dotson’s creativity was a match made in premium hair heaven.
“The premium hair market was virtually nonexistent so there was no frame of reference for us,†Dotson says. Dotson and Jhalani worked together to create a product they knew would best benefit their clientele. Trial and error was their mentor and sounding board. For Dotson, transitioning from a service industry into a business owner was like training for a marathon, it was a process. Time management was a skill she had to master in order to make her dream of a premium hair retail boutique possible.
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Building an Empire
“These women were investing a lot of money over time and they were frustrated … Our product took them out of that space. We knew our product was easy to manage, we knew it was versatile, and we have a variety of textures,†says Dotson of Indique Hair products. After several years, Indique gained a small, loyal client base and the first two Indique boutiques were born, one in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City and the other in Boston, Massachusetts. Opening these boutiques was a milestone for Dotson. “In the beginning we didn’t have any staff. I was the sale liaison that worked in the boutique and I handled all of the marketing. Krishan handled all of the distribution online and to the boutique,†she says. During which time, Dotson was able to establish an invaluable rapport with her clientele and become an expert consultant for her product.
As the business grew out of the current locations, Dotson was able to use that growth as a blueprint for future expansions. Indique grew from two locations to 13 with international notoriety in a few short years. Indique now has retail stores across the U.S. and distributors in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central America.
In addition to providing quality hair extensions, Indique Hair also provides education. The Indique Hair Academy
was created in 2011 to provide stylists, cosmetology schools, or salons with certifications. There are four basic installation techniques covered in the certification: Individual Beaded, Beaded Weft, Hot Fusion, and Shrinkable Tubing. These installation techniques provide an avenue for professionals and the like to further their careers as professional hair extension specialists. With the in salon/classroom certifications, the instructors can work around the schedule of their clients to provide them with the best learning experience.The Future
So what’s next for Indique Hair? In one word, expansion. Dotson says she and Jhalani are currently looking for possible spaces in Miami, Charlotte, Dallas, and Nigeria. Dotson has a few adventures on the horizon, including a new line of extensions for their more frugal demographic. The line will still carry the integrity of the Indique name, meaning less money for the same stellar quality. With a limitless future, Indique Hair will blaze more trails without a doubt. And for all the other entrepreneurs out there looking to make their dreams come true Erika Dotson leaves this inspirational words, “Look at what your competitors are doing and do the complete opposite. †And as Dotson has demonstrated – being a trailblazer is a sure way to success.
About Indique Hair
With a winning combination of hair experts and stylists, and more than 25 years of industry experience, Indique Hair International provides 100% virgin human hair that is natural and of the highest quality. With an impressive client base that consists of Lady Gaga, Lala Vasquez, Rihanna, Ciara, Jill Scott, Brandy, and more, Indique Hair’s unique Indian virgin and natural human hair extensions are lustrous and tangle free. Indique Hair International is the only company that produces hair extensions at the source, with headquarters in India; Indique Hair has free-standing boutiques in Brooklyn, Soho and Little Neck in New York; New Jersey; Philadelphia; and Boston. For more information visit IndiqueHair.com.
Author Candace Mitchell (@loveCandyV) is co-founder and CEO of Techturized Inc., enabling hair care personalization capabilities in the market for female consumers around the world. As a computer scientist and fellow coder, she spends her time in the lab working on the company’s first product, Myavana — a mobile social platform for black hair care, available on iOS and Android.