7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part I
7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part I
African American service members cannot find hair salons, barbershop and beauty supply stores in close proximity to military installations that will cater to their unique grooming requirements because they are often placed in remote/rural locations.
After conducting
the five interviews of African American service members located in the U.S. or
overseas, it was revealed that they all suffer from a need of affordable hair salons,
barbershops and beauty supply stores catering to their unique grooming requirements.
They each explained the drawbacks they weren’t aware of until they were relocated.
Awareness of such things as proximity, cost, availability, resources,
standards, reputation were not at the forefront of their mind prior to joining
their branch of service and leaving home. They each had their go-to stylists,
barbers and supply stores. The interviewees realized once arriving to these
remote locations that these comforts would no longer be the norm. They now
travel back home or commute further that three hours for services that were
less than 30 minutes away! A number of them settled for mediocre services that
damaged their hair or caused them to have to learn how to maintain their hair
themselves. Many spend time on YouTube crafting organic products or ordering products
online. The overall consensus was that they needed ethnically conscious businesses
near their location to aid in maintaining their normal grooming standards.
There is
an opportunity to invest in hair salons, barbershops and beauty supply stores
in remote locations for African American service members. From experience, word
travels fast when you find shops nearby that can meet your needs. With a large
number of service members constantly cycling through these locations, the
businesses would have a steady supply of clientele. It is a venture worth pursuing
because all five interviewees expressed not only the concerns they had but also
concerns their friends and coworkers had as well.
I agree that there is an opportunity that exists in investing in hair salons, barbershops and beauty supply stores in remote locations for African American service members. We have to work together to help these service members get the same opportunities that everyone else gets.
ReplyDeletethe opportunity that you have chosen for this assignment is a wonderful opportunity to pursue,a I agree that it is most definitely a opportunity worth seeking a resolution.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your idea is well thought out, and it appears you have done the interviews, it looks like you didn't flesh out the interview information and what you learned from each interview. I would have loved to I've seen what each interviewee had to say and what each interviewee taught you about this opportunity.
I loved reading your original post about this to see that you are now using this for further research! There is 1000% an opportunity for this! We shouldn't allow any sort of inconvenience to a certain race, more services that cater to their needs should be available throughout each and every city it shouldn't be limited to only certain cities! Just like there's at least 4 different barbers and salons in each city should be the case for salons to cater to that audience! After reading more into the details of the interviews it furthers my notion that it should become more easily accessible! Great work!
ReplyDeleteHello Shandresha,
ReplyDeleteI love the novelty of your idea . In previous blog post I have lamented about a similar opportunity of Black Women having a shortage of hair stylists with the expertise to style Black Hair . I have never considered the opportunity that you referenced and it honestly pains me to hear that our Black men and Women of service have a hard time finding access to people who can at the very least service their hair . This was very well-written, and wonderful work .
I enjoyed reading your first post on this topic. You show great passion, and determination to make a change. I think your idea is great of investing in beauty salons and barber shops in remote locations near military bases as there will always be customers and it will be easy for customers to go there. Perhaps opening up a shop on base or inside of the base would work too. Subtracting gas money for the customers and with how secure the bases are it'd give the shop workers and owners a sense of security and form a more comfortable and relaxed environment. Excellent work, I look forward to hearing more about it.
ReplyDeleteHey! I enjoyed reading your post and thought you did a great job of identifying a unique opportunity. I also wrote about a salon, just with a different twist/aspect that I thought could be brought to the market for consumers. As this is not a problem for me personally, I have never really thought about the struggles that many face when stationed at a military base in a rural area. This is absolutely true though and I think it could be a great opportunity. One thing that I think you could have improved upon would have been to expand on the barriers that exist with this opportunity, as there are many. Other than that, great job!
ReplyDelete