Tina Ussher moved to Barking and Dagenham 16 years ago after living in Goodmayes. Driven by her passion for hairdressing, she enrolled at Barking and Dagenham College to hone her skills. While studying, she noticed a significant barrier faced by many aspiring hairdressers from African backgrounds—the language gap. Many individuals, despite their natural talent, struggled with the technical aspects of hairdressing due to language challenges. Luckily, Tina’s educational background made it easier for her to complete the course, but she couldn’t ignore the talent around her going to waste.
Determined to make a difference, she opened her home salon and began offering her knowledge to those who needed it most. She saw many single mothers and young people in her community, unemployed and limited by language barriers. To help them build a future, she invited them to volunteer at her salon, teaching them braiding, natural styles, and techniques that didn’t rely on chemicals. Over the years, many of her trainees went on to start their own small businesses, charging clients for their services and gaining financial independence. Through her dedication, Tine transformed from hairdresser to hair and skincare formulating coach, teaching students how to formulate safe hair and skincare products.
What Tina Hopes to Learn
Tina is eager to grow through the Amplify programme. She’s particularly interested in the business courses that focus on creating a strong business plan, especially as she envisions recruiting and managing a team in the future. She understands the importance of mastering human relationships, setting boundaries, and learning how to manage people effectively. Another major area of focus for her is social media. While she has been posting her work online, she admits that her approach hasn’t had the impact she desires. She’s spent money on promotions without seeing results, and she’s looking forward to gaining the skills to handle social media marketing herself. She believes that with Amplify’s training, she will be well-equipped to promote her business effectively and expand it even further.
Overcoming Challenges
For Tina, social media has been her biggest challenge. In today’s world, she knows that visibility online is crucial, and without it, even the most talented individuals can go unnoticed. Despite her efforts to post online, she has struggled to maximise her reach and feels that she has wasted money on promotions that didn’t deliver. She’s also keen to improve her networking skills, recognising that connections with others in the Amplify programme can open doors for both personal and business growth. Networking allows people to share ideas and knowledge, and she sees it as essential for stepping out of her comfort zone and spreading her business further. She’s also excited to learn more about the opportunities available in the borough, as many people aren’t aware of the resources at their disposal. Although she hasn’t started the programme yet, Tina has already been spreading the word, encouraging others to join and seize the learning opportunities Amplify offers.
Advice for Amplify Applicants
Tina’s advice to anyone considering joining the Amplify programme is simple: just go for it! From the moment she first visited, she was warmly welcomed and supported, especially by Shanice, one of our BEC members, who took the time to listen to her ideas and gave her the confidence to move forward. She has been sharing that same confidence with others, encouraging them to take the leap and give Amplify a try. She believes that the energy and optimism the programme provides are enough to ignite something powerful within you.
As a hairdresser, she interacts with many people daily, and it’s made her realise just how many in her community are unaware of the opportunities around them. She feels fortunate to have discovered Amplify and urges others not to sit back but to get involved. Her message is clear: there’s nothing to lose by trying, and it’s better to take action than to wonder what could have been. Tina believes in her ability to transform something from nothing, and she’s spreading that same energy to everyone around her. Amplify is here to help boost confidence and show you that you can do it, just as it’s already doing for her.
Goals for the Next Five Years
In the next five years, Tina aims to have a lasting impact on her community by training over 100 people in hairdressing, equipping them with valuable skills that can lead to financial independence. She also dreams of seeing her plant-based hair products, Hair TLC Organic, on supermarket shelves. These products, designed for managing thick, coarse hair types without harmful chemicals, stem from her experiences as a hairdresser. Many of her clients, particularly parents, struggle with managing their children’s hair, often resorting to relaxers at a young age, which can cause damage. Her mission is to provide a natural alternative—one that makes hair softer and easier to manage, without the risk of harmful side effects. Through this, she hopes to make a positive impact not only in her community but in the broader market as well.
