Today we’d like to introduce you to Manna Batini.
Hi Manna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Nigeria and my formative years were shaped by my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and boarding school all while my mother did something remarkable. She traveled outside the country when I was a year old to build a future for me by opening a braiding salon in South Korea. She was one of, if not the first African woman to do it there.
I started braiding without being taught when I was about 6/7, I think as a way of connecting with the fact that my mum was a braider as well. In boarding school, my ‘entrepreneurial ventures’ started by way of bartering my services of braiding, cutting hair and sewing/altering uniforms.
I moved to the states when I was 14 and immediately started braiding after school hours at my mum’s Salon which was named after me. One day she asked me “Manna what do you want to end when you grow up?” And I remember being so certain of the answer, “own this salon and more”. She went quiet. I didn’t understand it then but I think she was processing that I had already made a decision.
I graduated high school wanting to become a cardiothoracic surgeon in the airforce but as an immigrant, I wasn’t eligible so I went straight into the workforce. I ‘opened’ my first salon and clothing line right beside my mum’s and worked learning everything I could.
In 2021, we moved to Michigan but before I did anything, I worked at several African braiding salons here. I was watching and learning what clients wanted, what was missing in the market. That’s when I knew it was time to build something of my own.
Manna Braids known as the Home of $200 Knotless & $250 Boho opened in 2021 on Greenfield and Schoolcraft. Two years later, in 2023, launched True Vine Braids and in 2025, I made a decision that surprised me: I closed Manna Braids to focus entirely on True Vine.
That felt like losing a part of what I’d built but I’ve never been happier. Sometimes the best growth means letting something go so you can become clearer about what you’re actually building. Right now although it feels like starting over, True Vine is exactly where I’m meant to be.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Manna Braids “Home of $200 Knotless & $250 boho” was broken into and robbed in 2024, but I think one of the biggest struggles was that the name of the salon prompted clients to only want “ Manna” to do their hair which defeats the purpose of expansion.
Another struggle was learning how to effectively communicate with braiders and setting up structures that worked for a self sustainable business. I failed woefully but I love failure because it opens doors to learn.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I have 3 businesses at the moment,
A Braiding Salon (True Vine Braids)
A Clothing Brand (BATINÁT)
A catering and food styling business( Repulic of Suya).
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Just start with what you have, don’t wait to have everything perfectly outlined.
I wish I had access to the knowledge that is now freely accessible online.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/truevinesalon?igsh=MXM5N3BvNzFjdGdxZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saphareegem?igsh=bXUzejQ4c2FjcGt4&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/batinatclothing?igsh=bmZxbXljM2o4dnc1
