It’s possible you’ll know her as a Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, however Jessi Draper is severe about enterprise. She constructed JZ Types out of a YouTube channel into an estimated $14.6 million hair empire—now a salon, an extensions and product line and JZ Academy, the place she certifies the subsequent wave of stylists. This yr, the mother of three added govt producer to her title, formal recognition for a task she and her castmates have performed behind the scenes for years.
We caught up with Draper to speak concerning the second JZ Types stopped feeling like content material and began feeling like an empire, the hole in stylist training she constructed her academy to fill and the way she unwinds after operating a enterprise, elevating three children and filming seven months out of the yr.
JZ Types is pulling in a number of thousands and thousands of {dollars} a yr. What was the second you realized this was an actual enterprise empire and never simply content material?
“Probably when we were able to purchase the building we’re in now. Up until that point, we had rented, and we’d expanded a couple of times, but actually buying the building we’re in—warehouse, retail store and salon all in one—was a huge moment for me. Knowing we own the building that runs everything we do meant a lot. Another milestone was when we started shipping worldwide. Now our extensions and products are available not just in this country, but internationally, which was a huge accomplishment too.”
Stroll me via JZ Academy. What hole have been you attempting to fill with stylist training while you began?
“I started out doing continued education for stylists who were already licensed—that’s how I got into teaching. I kept noticing a pattern: People would come to my classes and tell me, ‘I learned everything from you on YouTube while I was in beauty school.’ That’s when I realized most schools don’t focus on the trends or techniques stylists actually want to know. They teach you the bare minimum—enough to pass state boards and roll a perm—and that’s about it.
So I set out to open a school that actually makes a difference. We certify students in extensions, which most schools charge extra for, and we teach trends that are relevant to what clients are asking for now, so graduates feel confident doing the work clients actually want. We still prep students for state boards and cover everything required, but we also teach what they need to succeed. Our school is hair-only—you get a hair designer license, not a full cosmetology license, so you’re not learning pedicures alongside haircutting. That was the whole point: focusing on the art of hair. We also offer continued education alongside the licensing program, so stylists can come back and keep learning after they graduate.”
Nik Roberts 
Nik RobertsYou have two million-plus followers throughout Instagram and TikTok, and also you’ve seen each hair pattern come and go. Is there one you’re particularly enthusiastic about this summer time?
“I’ve been loving layers. I’ve been such a proponent of them for so long, but I’ve noticed over the last 10 or 11 years that clients get scared of them—especially with extensions. They’re afraid of cutting too much off or losing hair. Now the butterfly cut and ‘90s blowout are back, and I love that because it brings movement, bounce and texture back into the hair. I’m loving curtain bangs and the whole layers movement—it adds so much character and personality, and it holds a style better too. Big hair and layers are having a moment, and I hope it sticks around!”
You’re additionally govt producing the present now. What made this the suitable time to step behind the scenes?
“Our show is unique in that we’re constantly filming—most reality shows film once a year, but we film about seven months out of the year. Production is so involved in our lives; we even do our confessionals at my warehouse. My real life and my business are intertwined with the show because of that. All of us girls already have a hand in everything going on, so giving us the producer credit just made sense—we have that close a relationship with production, where we feel comfortable pitching ideas and being vulnerable. We were really honored to get that title.”
Between the corporate, the youngsters and the present, how do you get via the day-to-day? Ten years from now, the place would you like JZ Types to be?
“I want it to be a business that helps empower women and entrepreneurs. I love when people come to my classes or hear my story and feel inspired that they can do it too. I didn’t graduate high school in the traditional sense—I got my GED, and now I own a multimillion-dollar business. If you can dream it, you can do it. If you’re passionate about what you do, it can set your whole world on fire.
Beyond that, it’s about helping people feel beautiful. Everything we create—our extensions, our products—comes from wanting to help people feel more confident. We’re building a new building this year, even bigger than this one, and I hope the empire keeps growing while everything we put out there helps people feel beautiful and confident.”
