Real Business Beginnings 05: The Long View

Nathalie Noisette didn't build Coiffure Noisette in a straight line. She built it in the way most real businesses get built: through years of craft, a pivot that wasn't obvious, and a long game she had to choose to stay in when shorter paths were available.

The Interview

Karissa | NMBS: You started in hair long before you opened your own salon. What was that path like?

Nathalie: I started braiding hair as a teenager. It was something I was good at and it felt natural. When I moved to the US from Haiti, I continued. It became a way to connect with my community, make income, and feel like myself in a new place. For years I worked out of my home, then eventually I rented a chair, then space. Each step was small but it was building toward something.

Karissa | NMBS: When did the salon become something more intentional?

Nathalie: When I opened the physical location. That was the moment where I had to stop thinking like a stylist and start thinking like a business owner. Suddenly I had rent, employees, scheduling, inventory. I had to learn things no one had taught me. I had to figure it out as I went.

Karissa | NMBS: What was the steepest part of that learning curve?

Nathalie: Understanding that good work isn't enough. You have to show up consistently. You have to market yourself. You have to manage people with care but also with standards. You have to handle the financial side even when it stresses you out. I learned all of this while also doing the work. There's no pause button. You just learn while it's running.

Karissa | NMBS: You've built something with significant longevity. What does that feel like from the inside?

Nathalie: It feels like responsibility. When you have a team depending on you, clients who trust you, a reputation in the community — you feel the weight of that. But it's also a good weight. It keeps you serious. It keeps you coming back and doing it right even when you're tired.

Karissa | NMBS: What does the long view look like for you?

Nathalie: I want Coiffure Noisette to be a place that lasts. Not just while I'm running it, but beyond that. I want to train stylists who go on to build their own things. I want what I've built to mean something in the long run — to be proof that when you stay with something and do it right, it becomes real.

The long view isn't about being the biggest. It's about being built to last. Nathalie understood that early, and it shows in everything she's created.