BY KALLAN LOUIS
Global hair braiding is a half a billion dollar industry with a positive growth trajectory according to several industry studies. A skilled braider with business acumen, social media savvy and referral-friendly clients can lead to lucrative business opportunities.
Giszelle Williams, the owner of Queen Boss Braids, serves the South Florida and Orlando areas. Her past client list includes the 2026 NBA Champion New York Knicks and tennis champion Coco Gauff.
She is only two years removed from earning her accounting degree at the University of Central Florida, but this recent graduate is not a business novice. Queen Boss Braids has been operating for nearly a decade. Williams started at 15.
“I had a friend who wanted me to do his hair,” she recalled. “I taught myself how to retwist men’s hair by watching YouTube videos.”
As a new stylist, her client list consisted of mostly her teenage peers. Her prices were affordable — charging no more than $20. She had limited expenses operating the business inside her parent’s home until she was 18.
She followed women’s hair influencers. She recognized the power of social media for a business and began producing her own content. Her social media following now exceeds 600,000.
“Social media is one of the only free tools capable of reaching millions of people, and every business owner should leverage it fully,” she explained. “Film and share your process. Many founders hesitate to be personal on business pages, but in today’s saturated digital environment, consumers connect with authenticity and human stories.”
She left South Florida to attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Williams stayed busy, booking 10-15 clients a week. She managed social media accounts at the salon she worked to offset rent costs.
Williams’s success did come at a cost that nearly turned fatal. After completing a stressful week of final exams, she rushed home to South Florida for a client appointment. She fell asleep at the wheel while driving on I-95. The car drifted toward the median, struck a pole, and flipped five times before landing upright. She walked away with only minor scratches.
Williams knew staying behind the chair the rest of her career was not sustainable. Her near death experience, burnout from working 12-hour days and the realization that her income was entirely dependent on physical labor pushed her to build income streams. She has expanded her business enterprise developing hair products. She also offers hair braiding and social media training courses to help stylists convert content into clients.
“I noticed that students were learning technique but not how to convert their social media presence into actual bookings,’ she said. “So I created a structured online mentorship program featuring pre-recorded lessons, homework assignments, and weekly one-on-one sessions.”
This year she added real estate to her business portfolio after obtaining her license in 2025. Helping others buy property has her considering opening her own brick and mortar location salon in the future.
