Mercedes Edwards Buck never cared about making a fortune. And yet, for as long as she can remember, Buck has been incapable of leaving anything half-finished. “Once I put my mind to something or set a goal for myself, I need to do it,” she says.
An educator with an insatiable entrepreneurial spirit, Buck is the Educational Technology Integrator (ETI) for all of Richmond Public Schools and, this past September, opened a luxury nail salon in Manchester.
“People would say, ‘Oh, who wants to be a nail tech when they grow?’” says Buck. “Same thing with teachers, my teachers always used to talk down
about their salaries. But after getting my first degree I said, ‘You know what? Let me do what I’m interested in.’”
Pursuing her passions and making them work financially has made Buck a highly sought-after mentor. “I love teaching young women and helping them learn from my experiences,” she says. So much so that last year Buck published a self-help book, “Building An EmpiHER: When You’re a Girl Who Wants it All!” The book outlines Buck’s varied accomplishments—from buying her own house at a young age to achieving an 800 credit score—and breaks down the step-by-step process she followed to cross each goal off her list. “Whenever anyone comes to me, I just direct them right to the book,” she says.
Buck offers daily pearls of wisdom to her students through her role as ETI—“We talk about things like digital citizenship and the effects of a digital footprint”— and counsels Henrico and Richmond County middle and high school girls through her nonprofit b.i.l.l.i.e (Believe in Love Like It’s Everything) that she founded in 2013.
Buck says one of the greatest b.i.l.l.i.e success stories is from the nonprofit’s early days. “The membership really grew around this young woman,” says Buck. “She started when she was in seventh grade and watching her take leadership has been so cool.”
Buck’s mentee graduated from the high school cosmetology program and now rents a suite at her mentor’s salon. “She was able to use all of her resources and make connections and become independent, in spite of her family issues,” says Buck. “She’s just blossomed.”
Buck says she hopes to soon create a “direct pipeline” between local high school cosmetology programs and RICH Nail Lounge and Suites. Right now,
all the staff at her Hull Street spot graduated from Henrico, Hanover, or Richmond Public Schools.
“I just want to keep motivating girls and being a positive role model,” says Buck.
