the ramblings of a chronic over thinker

changes: it’s a love hate

i love change! i do! anyone who knows me knows that i’m always up for change. i think it’s really the indicator of growth. i strive to do my best to grow everyday when i can and with that—changes! i’ll be honest, i’m a hairstylist that became a business owner. a lot of the business issues/stuff my company has gone through in the last 14 years are in part due to me and my (sometimes poor) decision making. the shop hinges on my knowledge and understanding of supply and demand. i didn’t read financials well, and wasn’t bothered by their gibberish to want to gain clarity. i developed a healthy distaste for cra and all things tax related, and once again, felt no pressure to address concerns. fast forward to now—business courses, a degree, a family, and i can see how i need to change the way the shop has been operating.

CHANGE IT UP

hopefully you all received the emails with the new process for tuesday appointments. we won’t have ayoub at the desk, as tuedays are quite slow and there aren’t enough booked stylist to warrant support staff. we are hoping that most of you can book online, or through email, or even leave a message! no one will be answering the phone so keep that in mind when you are trying to book or get support. ayoub will return the messages as soon as he returns on wednesday.

we truly do thank all of you that patronize our shop! you are the ones that keep us going and motivate us to grow and improve! if you have any questions, issues or concerns, please let me know. i hope my message finds you well!

ayoub will be at the front wedesday, thursday and friday, do not fret!

✌🏾 -p

MISSION: To put the best YOU together, while making a difference to the earth and ourselves.

VISION: To inspire a better way for beauty.

VALUES: Excellence- We believe in loving what we do, and are so passionate about our craft-that it shows in your hair, every time. 

Caring-We believe in upholding and sustaining the essential balance between beauty and caring for our natural environment.    

Connection-We believe in caring for YOU-and we will make anyone feel welcome because we know how to be kind. 

Elevation- We believe life is more beautiful when you are continuously growing, learning, and giving back. 

Inspiration- We believe in inspiring YOU in everything we do…inhaling with meaning and exhaling with intent.

It's a new dawn, a new day, and a new life?

We are about to embark into the coldest season of the year, and even though it’s been a rough year (pandemic, everything) I’m looking forward to all the newness that fall brings. It’s been hard navigating the current standards of our culture as a business owner, AND a mother! Can I just say that I have never been in so many ‘emotional’ situations in my life! From the changing business standards and our changing social standards, I’m learning, growing and developing more and more each day!

if you don’t succeed…

While changes in my life are inevitable, I’m looking forward to the changes here, at the shop! The pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate how we currently run the business and how we HAVE BEEN running the business until the shut downs of 2019. This time we are challenged with how to stay open in spite of our stylists being unreliable because of illnesses. At first, we noticed that clients were cancelling and now, it’s the stylists! These cancellations and closures have slowly made us aware of how inconsistent and slightly unreliable a service industry can be. What to do? How do we solve this issue?

so many rules, so many changes

Full disclosure, I’m not sure what all the answers are, but I am here, ready and willing to find out! This day and age, online businesses are truly taking off! Our hair salon has not yet evolved to doing haircuts online but hey, maybe one day?

We can really feel the power of online sales when we deliberately make posts to move our followers to our site. E-commerce is a new area for me to learn about but like I said, new things are now my jam? We are hoping to develop a little more on this platform by offering unique items that are sustainably made/sourced and that will make your life easier, while staying local and close.

Our body wash and lotion have been exclusively used by all the Okwumabuas in my house! I prefer body wash over bar soap because I find the bar soap really dries my skin out. Freshwash (body wash) DOES NOT. It is almost like a cowash for your skin! It’s moisturizing AND cleansing at once! I love how it makes my skin feel during the shower and afterwards as well. The lotion is pretty great too, but I double up with shea in the cooler months as Freshbody (body lotion) is quite light. It’s great for the summer or if you need a light layer of moisture.

We have some other products available for a subscription services so that you don’t have to think about coming in to get your hair products or lifestyle products. You can sign up to have them automatically ordered and set up for delivery or pick up at your own convenience! We’re here to help you, help us, help you! 😉

just one step at a time buddy

As the year continues to unfold, we are hoping that some small changes will help keep our doors open for as long as possible. We are chnaging our salon software and will also be making changes here, to our website, in order to capture more sales. While cutting, coloring and styling hair is my main focus and the shops main source of revenue, this NEW way has made it almost impossible to see the future without more “digital” services.

The online store is open 24 hours a day and while my chair is not available all day everyday, freshairboutique.ca is. It’s seems like this is the number one way that we can make some financial progress without relying or depending on service providers. It makes me sad that folks are seeming less dependable these days, but that’s just how things are now. The sooner we accept the changes, the sooner we can move on.

remember the time?

Thanks to all who support us! You might be sitting in our chairs, or only shopping online, but either way helps and either way supports. Now that we are in the last quarter of the year, we really hope that all of you consider our online store while you’re shopping for back to school items or holiday gifts or whatever your heart desires. We are always open!

-p

The Fresh Perspective...

You’re doing what?!

Back to school, back to life, back to reality.  Reality? I don’t even know if I know what that means! What is reality to any of us anymore?

The coronavirus really has done a number on every living being on planet earth. Some things were great (have you seen the photos of Venice?) and some things were terrible (me homeschooling full-time). This pandemic has single handedly decided for all of us that we need to change.  We need to change and we need to accept that sometimes things change.  For some reason, we have been conditioned to think that change is bad.  Change means things won’t be the same and why is that bad? If things were ABSOLUTELY perfect then change would be not-so-good. But let’s be real, things haven’t been good for a very long time and so maybe this is good?

After three weeks of not accepting that I was unemployed and Canada had essentially shut down, I started to let myself accept things just as they were.  Maybe we would be shut down for 3 months?  Maybe I’d be cutting hair out of my home?  Maybe I wouldn’t be able to retire at 55?  So much uncertainty and undoubted change loomed for me as the weeks added up. I started envisioning my life in a whole new way! Bad? In some ways bad, but in other ways good.

Like I said in an earlier post, I love change!  I love to try new hairstyles and I love to try new foods.  I love new experiences and welcome a good shake up.  All this being said, I enjoy change when I can control it.  I enjoy it when I choose it.  Choosing is the funnest as well.  It’s the full on committing to the ‘change’.  It’s a rush! But only when I want it…

So here is the conundrum. I need to change my mindset to look at my change through different lenses and attempt to choose something uniquely different. I often think about my commitment to the environment and how that choice is so easy for me. I have no problem changing my consumption of single use plastics. I made a decision and boom! Done!

Not having control during a pandemic is indeed difficult especially when you’ve been the one controlling and making decisions up until this point. None the less we should accept and attempt to live our lives a little more authentically and with intent intentions. If you haven’t thought about it before, maybe now? Change.

-the fresh perspective…

Wordless Wednesday

Brown leaves and brown hair! <3

Ashlie's Aesthetic

Coloured Brows

Love love loveeeeeee coloured eyebrows. It's a trend that I enjoy doing myself and all I use is eyeshadow that I have on hand.... AND there's soooo many options. Check 'em out!

Try them out yourself!

-Ashlie.

Wordless Wednesday

Teyana Taylor! 'Nuff said...