London Inc. May-June 2023 - 18

Upfront London Small Business Centre
MAKING WAVES
An awareness of a haircare market
lagging in ethnic options spurs an
entrepreneur to hang out her own shingle
WHEN ANGEL TSIGA moved to London in 2018, she
discovered there were not a lot of hair salons that catered
specifically to people of colour. " I wanted to go to someone
who specialized in working with my kind of hair - and there
were not a lot of options, " she recalls. " I thought, 'this could
be a business opportunity.' "
She jumped in headfirst, so to speak, opening The Fix Inc.
(www.thefixincbeauty.com) on Hamilton Road in December
2019. Since then, Tsiga has navigated the pandemic shutdowns,
developed her own line of hair care products and
tapped into funding through My Main Street to help renovate
the shop's lower level to add two barber chairs.
The My Main Street Local Business Accelerator program,
delivered locally by the Small Business Centre, supported
the revitalization of 65 main street communities and 650
small businesses across Southern Ontario by providing a
dedicated Main Street ambassador, customized market
research and non-repayable funding contributions.
" My ambassador provided amazing support, " says Tsiga,
referring to the help she received beyond the financial
assistance that My Main Street provided. " She did a lot of
market research and provided insights that have helped
with target marketing. "
After looking at different options with her ambassador,
Angel used the funding for signage and branding, for
product research and development and to set up an online
ordering and sales system for a line of hair care products.
Sourcing ingredients like Jamaican black castor oil and
sea salt spray to use in the salon, Tsiga began to experiment
with different formulations. That led to the development of
The Fix Inc. branded shampoo and conditioner, hair and
beard oil, wax stick and heat protectant spray that are now
sold to the public.
With a background in business and finance, first in
Zimbabwe and then in the U.S., Tsiga switched gears when
she moved to Canada, completing a program in mental
health and addictions at Ryerson University (now Toronto
Metropolitan University) and working at a harm reduction
site in Toronto before moving to London. Once she decided
to pursue entrepreneurship, Tsiga went back to school yet
again to become a qualified hairstylist.
After finding affordable commercial space on the
Hamilton Road business corridor, Tsiga installed four workstations
and reached out to the Black community to hire
three additional stylists: one worked in a salon in Jamaica
for 27 years; another worked with hair in Nigeria; and the
18|londonincmagazine.ca|MAY / JUNE 2023
Angel Tsiga of The Fix Inc.
third specializes in braiding and creates most of the wigs
that The Fix Inc. sells.
" We specialize in cutting, colouring, barbering, braiding,
cornrows, twisting, dreadlocks, wigs and weave applications
and upkeep, " says Tsiga.
" I knew that I wanted to work with people, and I think
that the salon is a great way to do that, " she continues. " You
listen to people and give them a place to offload some of
their stress. And when they leave, they look good and they
feel good. "
From concept through start-up and early growth stages, the Small Business
Centre is a one-stop source for information, guidance and advice on running
a successful business. For information about its programs and services,
visit www.sbcentre.ca
http://www.thefixincbeauty.com http://www.sbcentre.ca
London Inc. May-June 2023

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