Entrepreneurs follow wild dreams. Loctician Talicia Black is no exception — and her wild dream of doing the hair of Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco came true. Here’s how she got the idea, manifested it and used it to grow her business.

Unexpected entrepreneurial inspiration

Talicia enjoyed Chiefs games like any other Kansas Citian. But Pacheco caught her eye.

“His rookie season, he just excited me,” she says. “He runs like crazy. After tackles, he just pops back up. I’m intrigued by his energy. And his hair was never a style or a twist, so as a stylist, that stood out to me.”

Talicia had learned how to do locks for fun, but her loctician side gig was turning into a full-time enterprise. Her Greenhouse Studio operates out of Rich Forever Barbershop in Midtown KC.

“I started telling my friends and family: ‘I really want to do Pacheco’s hair. Wouldn’t that be cool?’” she says.

On Feb. 6, 2023, Talicia posted on Facebook. “Dear Lord, Please let Isiah Pacheco book me to retwist and style his locs this year. In Jesus name I pray, amen. If this prayer comes true, my year would be made!”

She put it out into the universe, and social media responded. Many people interacted with her post and even tagged Pacheco. He replied, but there were other things going on — like the Super Bowl.

Doing the legwork

A few days later, Talicia and a friend attended a meet and greet with Pacheco at Academy Sports + Outdoors in Overland Park, Kansas.

“I live in the city, it was cold, it was rainy, and I don’t like to drive,” she says. “But if I want to make this happen, I have to put some action behind it. So I drove out there with my friend and stood in the rain. The line wrapped around the building.”

Security announced they’d let everyone in that they could. But this entrepreneur wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“I couldn’t leave!” she says. “I drove all the way out there. I was wet. I wasn’t leaving.”

Finally, she was able to give a goodie bag with her card and custom loc oil to a man working the event. Pacheco received the bag and thanked Talicia on Instagram. That was the day before the Super Bowl parade.

And then? Nothing.

A few months later, there was another meet and greet. And once again, Talicia was in line. But this time she was able to meet Pacheco and talk to him in person about doing his hair.

And then?

“I gave up a little bit,” she says.

Keeping hope alive

Months passed. But one day, Talicia’s mom told her a story from Gayle King. The journalist had asked musician Jay-Z for an interview multiple times, and he’d turned her down each time. Even her best friend Oprah Winfrey told King to let it go. But she asked one more time … and Jay-Z said yes. King said it was the best interview she’d ever done.

“So I thought I’d try one more time,” Talicia says.

She got on her phone and tagged Pacheco in one more Instagram post. Then, she went to work on a full day of hair appointments.

“I had my AirPod in, in the middle of doing somebody’s hair, and my phone starts going crazy,” Talicia says. “‘@lil_poppy856 followed you on Instagram. @lil_poppy856 replied to your story.’ I had to stop what I was doing — I had to get back to him fast.”

After some back and forth and a somewhat sleepless night for Talicia, she ended up at Pacheco’s home, doing his hair. And yes, he’s a nice guy.

Business growth thanks to thinking creatively

This crazy dream has had a very real impact on Talicia’s business.

“I’ve done two other players’ hair, so that’s been pretty cool,” she says. “I’ve gotten a lot of attention for my business. The pictures on my Facebook page got a lot of interaction — nothing on my page has ever received that kind of attention. And it’s given me the ability to raise my prices. It’s helped people see the value in my services and still want to come and book with me.”

The external credibility has boosted The Greenhouse Studio. But Talicia had the internal drive to make it happen.

“I had faith in myself because I was built up that way by my grandma and my mom. They put me in a position to believe in myself,” she says. “I put a lot of effort into my business. Isiah booked me because of the work I’d done in the years before. I perfect my craft. And I pray a lot.”

Talicia wants other entrepreneurs with wild ideas to be empowered and keep one thing in mind.

“If I don’t believe in me, nobody else is going to do it for me,” she says.