News

With the sustained support of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, full-time braider and entrepreneur Kacie Ross has expanded her business, Kross Beauty, LLC.

Originally known as the “618 Braider,” Ross has years of applied experience and training. She was raised doing the hair of others and began professionally braiding hair in high school. As a teen mom, she used challenging times as motivation to prove others wrong and exhibit her full potential.

Now, through her full-time business, Kross Beauty, Ross offers products and services to clients. The Mobile Beauty Supply Store sells hair care necessities that are typically time-consuming for her target audience to find. Extensive shelving within the business’ rehabbed vehicle features wigs, durags, hair accessories and more.

Ross pursued beauty school and launched her business. She later worked with SBDC Director Jo Ann Di Maggio May to formulate an 18-page business plan that would bring her full entrepreneurial ideas to fruition.

“Everything the SBDC helped me with took my business to the next level,” Ross said.

As an SBDC client, Ross has received knowledge on the profit loss statement, learned how to navigate Excel, find grant opportunities and more. This collaboration gave her the drive to “branch off to something new and fresh,” which was the mobile beauty supply component. In addition, Ross shares a physical location for hair appointments and travels to various locations for customer outreach.

The SBDC assisted Ross in building a great business network and provided support related to logo design, business plan assistance, potential customer research, networking opportunities, and funding.

Ross is changing the beauty business game by meeting customers halfway. She brings products to their front door and offers high-quality service and skill that promotes healthy and natural hair growth. Her business has added a second braider to the team and has secured multiple brand ambassadors in the Metro East area. Ross anticipates further growth with plans to hire up to five more braiders and explore the purchase of a larger physical location.

According to clients, “Kross Beauty LLC is rated one of the best locations to get your hair done.”

“I have been doing hair for over 16 years,” Ross responded. “I love what I do.”

 “The SBDC was extremely useful in providing the support needed in getting business necessities, and in offering tips on how to be a successful business owner,” she added.

“Ms. Ross is eager to learn and dedicated to customer service,” Di Maggio May noted. “Kacie worked hard to get her business started and I am proud of all her accomplishments thus far. The SBDC and I are excited to see where Kross Beauty is headed and look forward to assisting Kacie along the way.”

For more information, visit Kross Beauty on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @krossbeautyllc and @kross_618braider, or contact Ross at krossbeauty12@gmail.com.

The Illinois SBDC for the Metro East assists start-up ventures like Kross Beauty, LLC, as well as existing businesses headquartered in the nine-county region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe, and Randolph. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIUE as a service to Illinois small businesses.

By aiding entrepreneurs and companies in defining their path to success, the SBDC network positively impacts the Metro East by strengthening the business community, creating, and retaining new jobs, and encouraging new investment. It enhances the region’s economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research, and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. When appropriate, the SBDC strives to affiliate its ties to the region to support the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large.

To learn about the SBDC, contact the IL SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE at 618-650-2929. 

Photo: Kacie Ross, owner of Kross Beauty, LLC.