This Week We Feature Young Professional Felicia A. Tonge-Fenton
Apart from having a very clear vision of what is needed, possessing a strong sense of conviction and willpower are among a few of the other traits needed to get started as an entrepreneur, especially in today’s difficult economic times.
This Week’s Young Professional, Mrs Felicia A. Tonge-Fenton, has that and more in abundance and is equally not shy about taking the necessary risks that are needed to become a successful businesswoman in the Virgin Islands of today.
After being involved in the business for well over a decade, Felicia’s name has become synonymous both with excellence in hair care and customer service as these have been hallmarks of her legacy.
Women have been known to travel from far flung areas just to be treated to the wizardry of her gifted hands and her trusted magic never fails to deliver a masterpiece on each occasion.
Her journey to this level of supremacy though, has not been a simple and straightforward one and is not without its fair share of hard work, tremendous sacrifice and perseverance.
Felicia grew up in Huntums Ghut with her three sisters and brother and attended the then BVI High School before studying at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC). She worked briefly at several companies such as CITCO BVI, Digicel and Scotiabank before eventually settling into her own niche as a professional hair stylist.
While working at these companies, Felicia was steadily putting in the hard hours in the evenings and on weekends, building her clientele as she performed her duties as a hair stylist. Today, Felicia is the proud owner of Elite Braiding and Nail Salon which is located at Paraquita Bay.
Commenting on her reasons for eventually branching out as an entrepreneur on her own, Felicia said she felt that her ideas were more streamlined for the business of hair dressing and she had a strong urge at the time to run her own business.
“As with any business, it has its ups and its downs,” she commented about how things have progressed since starting out as her own boss, “I’m riding the roller coaster and I’m holding on very strong because I know in the near future, I’m building my empire for my children...” she said.
Since her success at the recent Style BVI Hair and Beauty Expo where she won the People’s Choice award for her innovation and creativity, her fame has multiplied even further.
While the work becomes overwhelming at times, especially around peak times, the mother of two manages to miraculously pull it off at times with only one hour of sleep, “you have to work hard in order to get where you want to go in life and that’s what I’m striving for right now,” she explained.
Felicia has several clients around the wider Caribbean and neighbouring USVI and says she has made it her duty to reach out to persons and meet them at their location where ever possible at times.
Looking ahead towards the horizon, Felicia said she has also been working on several innovative ideas, including opening a fashion boutique.
She credits her mother (Yvonne James) in particular and her father (Foster Tonge) and husband (John Fenton) for their tremendous support in allowing her to achieve what she has thus far. Also to her sisters, (Tamara, Kandy, Anestasia),her brothers, her entire family, and not forgetting her three best friends Delice James, Kadeem (Blacka) Maynard and Lauren Liburd for always being there. She is also eternally grateful to all her customers for also contributing to making her the person that she is today.
One thing Felicia was sure to note was that she was never too proud to learn something from anyone else and similarly never hesitates to offer assistance to others who may need her help in learning something new.
She credits God for her sense of design and creativity and remarked that she had never attended a cosmetology school, “I eat, sleep and breathe hair dressing… when I wake up in the morning, it’s hair… I’m always thinking about what I can create,” she shared.
Stay positive, stay focused and try to avoid negative people where possible but use the opportunity otherwise as a stepping stone to be and do better,” was Felicia’s advice to aspiring young professionals. She said it was also important to set aside priorities and have self-respect so that others could in turn respect you as a person and as a professional.
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32 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young Professional Felicia A. Tonge-Fenton”
Thanx again to everyone for your kind words.
Elite Braiding To D World!!!