ABIDE: Why did you decide to start House of Bombshell?
Jessica Kidd: I wanted a place where women of color, specifically black women, could come and be pampered in a laid-back, unpretentious setting; a place where they know they’re going to get the hair care that they need and the professionalism they deserve. And if they look to their left or right, they’ll see someone who looks like them. I wanted women to feel bomb.
AB: Where did the passion to empower women through beauty come from?
JK: Since I was a little girl, I was around hair. I remember going to the beauty salon with my aunt to get my hair done and to just be in the atmosphere. I remember seeing women come, be transformed, and leave feeling beautiful. The salon talk was riveting, even though there were some things I shouldn’t have been listening to. The salon atmosphere was a place where women could come together. It was a place of fellowship. It was like a sanctuary. I always wanted my salon to feel that way.
AB: How do you feel you got to this point of success?
JK: I had to go through a season of radical restoration and transformation. God had to get me to a place where I was secure and confident. I had worked in salons where the owner wasn’t a good leader because they were still trying to hustle and get theirs, so they couldn’t pour into me. Before I could open my salon, I knew God had to transform me and get me to a place where I was confident enough to pour everything into someone else and not feel like I was lacking. I had to reach a place of wholeness before I could really be the business owner and leader I am today.
AB: What would you say were some of those confidence boosters that made you the leader you are today?
JK: Genuinely believing that what God has for you is for you is a confidence booster. Sharing your knowledge with someone and knowing that doesn’t mean anything is being taken from you is another booster. And knowing that what you pour out, you will get back. God is a restorer. He’ll never leave you destitute.
AB: You’re also a newly wed! How did God bring your husband into the equation?
JK: Meeting my husband and starting my salon didn’t start happening for me until I reached a place of contentment. In my late 20’s and early 30’s, I was asking God, “Where is my husband and where is my salon? My life has got to be better than this.”
One day, I said to God, “You know what, if it’s just you and me for the rest of my life I am okay with that.” While I was saying it, I was crying because at that moment everything I had dreamt about was disappearing. What would life be like if I’m called to a life of singleness.
I was sad when I was speaking those words, but I was also relieved because I was relinquishing any control. I was surrendering by telling God “I am content with just you. If that’s how it is: no children, no husband for the rest of my life, I’m good. You are enough.” And I really meant it. Things didn’t start happening until I reached that place. I really think God was waiting for that moment. He wanted to know that my happiness wasn’t tied to another man, but tied to Him. I had to keep God first.
I knew that my salon and my husband were attached to each other…I don’t know why. Maybe because they were the last two things I really desired. So, I knew when I met my husband, my salon wouldn’t be far behind. And sure enough, without me even mentioning my dream of a salon to my husband, one of the first conversations we had was about my business and goals. He said, “when you are ready, I want to invest in you.”
That was…different. I was like, “God, are you playing right now?” This person wants to invest in me and not just to get something in return…because the only return of investment he got was love.
AB: How did your mindset impact your business?
JK: I was a little too independent in my personal and business life. I had to be transformed to receive my husband’s investment. Because “Little Miss Independent” was like “ No, I’m good. I got this.” You know, I was a little too independent.
God had to shift my mindset from being a small independent to the CEO of a million dollar industry. We’re not close to a million, but that’s how I treat it.
AB: House of Bombshell encourages outer and inner beauty. What’s your definition of beauty?
JK: My definition of beauty is how you feel from the inside out. If you feel confident, that’s beautiful. A physically, mentally, spiritually strong woman is the most beautiful thing. Someone who is fearless and courageous is beautiful. Beauty is more than skin deep.
