The Fresh Perspective...

CAREER HOW-TO: Hair styling

2020 will mark my 20th year in hair styling! Can I get a ‘hellyeah’?! Hell Yeah! How did I get here? 20 years in the same job doing more or less the same thing day in and out has brought me to this point. I have also accumulated some tidbits during my journey, and if you think hair styling might be the career for you, read on!

When I began my journey, there was no such thing as social media. Honestly, many salons barely had a website and online booking was NOT a thing. I started out my hair career in a time when you had to get out and ask for business. Business cards were an integral part of growing your business 20 years ago. These days, your online presence is your number one calling card.

Social media allows your clients to see the work you are currently doing. No more of those weird shop magazines with hairstyles, it’s all on Instagram! You can post availability, ask for specific types of clients and even show ‘how-to’ videos if you so choose. To be fair all this does is to bring clients to your chair. You need to still have the skills to keep them coming back.

Once you are in a salon, it’s important that you keep learning and stay current. I believe the styles you struggle with are the styles you should try to do so you can get better. Take as many classes as you can and be ready to really work. The only way you’ll make any money is to be behind the chair, so maximize that. Do whatever you can to get clients in and then work even harder to keep them. Listen to what they are asking, and if it’s within reason, give it to them. Over time you’ll find your stride and be able to decide which lane is yours.

I love all the aspects of hair styling, but my ultimate fave is styling/finishing. This, in my humble opinion, is where I shine! When you know what your bread and butter is, it enables you to gain more confidence. I also think working in a shop that has a few master stylists is key as well. When I was coming up, I watched the master stylists closely and just copied the way they were with their clients. Having stylists in your shop that are fully booked, can give you an example of what you could expect in the future.

Was this helpful? I believe that if you really pay attention to your clients and their needs, you’ll be able to really thrive in this field. Being ready to work hard, and having a strong social media presence can speed things up and in a few years, you could be booked solid!

That’s the fresh perspective…

The Fresh Perspective...

Is a Degree necessary?

How many of you have been told that you are nothing without some sort of education? A career is important for some, but others might feel like giving 20-30 years to one position is preposterous! Is that what a career even means? The definition of career is quite vast. Starting with, a profession that you learned how to do with specific training over a period of your life, to a combination of jobs held, titles earned, and works accomplished over your lifetime.

These days, less and less folks are sticking to one job for 20 years or more. Some people move around every 4-6 years, changing aspects of their current job or changing companies all together. Somewhere we have connected too much to the word career. We put so much pressure on ourselves to accomplish so many things by a certain time in our lives. Is that even right?

Career or no career, one needs to be able to feel good about oneself. If there’s something in your life that you don’t like, you can change it! It’s never too late to try and be better today than we were yesterday. There’s always something new to learn, even if you’ve been at it for 20 years…

That’s the fresh perspective…

Ahhhh, Monday....

So, it's the beginning of the week.  Again.  I swear I just left work on saturday and now...monday!   Where does the time go?  Someone told me once that the time seems to go by faster because as we age we experience the same things more frequently.  Let me explain... when you're ten you may have only ever been late for something a few times, when you're twenty you've probably experienced lateness many more times.  That might be, actually that is, a bad example.  The guy who told me this was just saying, in short, because you're older things aren't as new so they seem mundane, redundant and sometimes routine.  You would never have a career when you're ten, but when you're in your late twenties to early thirties you may be or have been doing the same job for many years thus adding to the 'routine' we feel.  Comprende?

I have been a hairstylist for ten years so maybe that's why I feel like the weekend blows right by.  I get sunday and monday off but it doesn't seem enough. Before I can get into the 'day off' thing it's monday night and I'm preparing for my upcoming week.  Just as soon as I get a grasp on the upcoming week, it's saturday again and then..monday.

I wonder if my friend is right about the experience thing...  Is there even a scientific explanation for the speed at which times seems to travel?

Peace