MIAMI – Miami Carnival Business Spotlight on Tanika Matthews, CEO of Cut.Tease.Grow, a mobile hair services company that is located in Miami and travels throughout the United States.
Tanika also works on getting masqueraders and revelers ready for Miami Carnival 2018.
Q: What is your backstory?
A: I am Proudly Canadian raised with Trinidadian roots. Dance, Fashion, and Production have always been a part of my life. Watching my mom as a child being the only female band leader in Caribana Toronto definitely set the tone. Having examples growing up of what it meant to be an entrepreneur was essential and set me on the right track. I’ve worked in salons with amazing stylists and mentors throughout my 20 years of doing hair. I’ve worked in Fashion, Television, Radio, Production and now run a mobile styling business called Cut.Tease.Grow.
Q: What inspired you to start doing hair?
A: As a child, I was fascinated with hair. I would play in my dad’s beard and add a moisturizer with giraffe and elephant clips to style it up. I just like making things look pretty I loved being creative, and I definitely love putting a smile on people’s faces. I believe it’s my God-given gift.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: No two heads of hair are the same. I love that someone can go from not feeling great about themselves to embracing who they are with my assistance. It’s really fulfilling. I’m meeting different types of people, and I’m inspired by my clients every single time I sit and perform a service on their hair. They consist of entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and mothers. I love that we can come together like a tribe and have each other’s backs! My job is to make sure they feel the best that they can feel.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: My biggest challenge I would say is social media. Social Media is intricate and essential of part business these days so it’s important to stay on top of being connected with your audience and making sure that you can provide them with up to date posts and whatever what you been up to. I’m on the go all the time, and my hands are tied up its hard Stop Post and be consistent with it.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business.
A: I am obsessed with Trichology (that is the science of hair) that means studying hair strands itself the cuticle, cortex and medulla and anything that has to do with the scalp and disorders. Kinda nerdy but I’ve always been really interested in the science of the hair and not just styling the hair.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: I think every stylist’s path and journey are different which means we learn different things along the way, have different things to share with each other and our clients. So what makes me different is my experience in the industry, and the situations that I have been in or been confronted with or even problem-solving situations all of that adds up to the stylist that I am today. My mobile services also allow my clients and I to have a great consultation time.
About Tanika Matthews
Known for her ability to stay abreast of emerging trends and interpret them for the average and corporate woman with spectacular results, Tanika is a seasoned freelance hairstylist with a unique combination of style passion and professionalism.
With over 15 years in the industry, she has artistically directed and led salon teams to victories in hair competitions.
She has created cutting-edge looks for high profile editorial shoots in Canada as well as in the USA.
Tanika has an innovative mind and has created modern looks for various photo shoots that were styled by iconic Canadian designer Pat Madonna. Tanika has taken pride in expanding her career in the hair industry as a salon educator and ambassador.
Her skill and knowledge of a wide range of hair textures have made her a platform artist who is regularly contacted by companies to provide salon and conventional demonstrations of their latest styling tools and products such as Liquid Keratin.
As a stylist, Tanika demonstrates that healthy hair can also be stylish and that this hair journey is an educational yet progressive one. She has graced the stages of shows such as Cosmo Professional Vegas, Orlando Premiere and Bronner Brothers in Atlanta.
Tanika is expanding and doing a little bit of everything from speaking at hair schools in New York, to a radio show with amp2 Tv in Boca Raton, Florida, as well as coordinating Art Basel events Powered By MJA.
Her business Cut.Tease.Grow mobile hair services has a clientele that ranges from Corporate CEOs, Models, TV Personalities and Professional women who need direction through their transitions to naturally feel beautiful again.
Miami Carnival
The cultural Miami backdrop of the beach, perfect weather and heritage neighborhoods is a massive draw for those coming to Miami Carnival on Sunday, October 7, 2018. The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau is the presenting sponsor.
The event takes place at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo and showcases insanely colorful costumes, classic Caribbean Sounds of Steel Drums, Caribbean food and drinks and Soca concert. These are the ingredients for Miami Carnival.
Miami Carnival embodies a lifeline to thousands of residents of Caribbean descent, irrespective of language or ethnicity, who yearn for a quality of life that celebrates their musical, artistic, and culinary traditions. Jet Blue is the official airline carrier.
Patrons are encouraged to use one of the three free park and ride locations. For more information visit Miami Carnival .
This program is supported in part by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.”
