“Close your eyes,” Laura told me. “Now, imagine you’ve just got out of bed and are going jogging. What does your hair look like?”

As I remembered the wild pieces I had to tame this morning, Laura asked me to look at her. Gone was the short and sassy cut she was sporting seconds ago. Standing in front of me was a longhaired woman in a baseball cap, ready for anything.

“It’s all one piece,” she told me taking off the hat and the hair with it. Welcome to Laura Waites’ world. “Alternative hair offers the average woman a change without risk. She can go from black to brown to red, short to long. Whatever the weather or time constraints, I know that I’m two fluffs from being ready,” Laura explained to me, using her fingers to ruffle her alternative hair. Sure enough, it fell into place.

Prior to getting into this business, Laura was in an image-conscious job and needed to look good all the time. “Alternative hair was perfect for me,” she said. It was also perfect as a business. She took all her savings, bought inventory and jumped in. Before long, she had a two-year contract with INOVA Fairfax Hospital.

Not surprisingly, Laura comes from a family of entrepreneurs. “Owning a business is hard and I’m extremely humble and grateful for what I have,” Laura admits. “This is hands-on MBA. If you don’t do well, you don’t get a bad grade on paper but a bad grade in credit, in your bank account or psyche.” She adds, “Failure is not an option. You may not always make the right choices, but, hopefully, you won’t sink the entire battleship. I’m still here and I’m still learning.” Laura credits her success to a supportive mother, her daughter Alexa and husband, Virgil. “You also have to have a good product, know your product well and be able to deliver your elevator pitch. Believe in yourself and your business and believe that you were sent here to do what you are doing.”

You only need to read some of her client’s testimonials to understand that this woman knows her stuff.