I absolutely love our industry and the possibilities are literally endless for a motivated, hard-working stylist!
Embrace Lifelong Learning: I’m often asked if I have any words of wisdom to young stylists coming into the industry. I recommend to never stop pushing yourself to try new things. One of the most impactful quotes I’ve heard from Luis Alvarez, the legendary stylist behind Aquage’s iconic imagery and education, is “Success is not owned, it’s rented, and rent is due every day.” I love this quote! Successful stylists never graduate, rather they are forever students of our craft. We should always push ourselves to try something that puts us outside of our comfort zone. I am a big proponent of continued education classes. Attending these classes you not only learn new techniques, but it is an instant jolt of motivation as well.
What’s Your Cutting Edge? Equipped with our newfound cutting, coloring, or styling techniques, we can bring back something fresh to our salon clients. They can receive a color retouch anywhere on the planet. Let’s customize their experience to their unique individuality. Make them feel special. Because they are special. They enable us to practice a craft we love.
Goal Setting: One last piece of advice is to make goal-setting a priority in your business. Set a goal of what you’d like to earn per week and work your books to make this goal a reality. We should strive for efficient booking–always. The easiest way to ensure your books are full in the future is by pre-booking your clients prior to them leaving your salon. Too many stylists are reactive to their paycheck: “I worked that hard and only made this much???”. Take a proactive approach – look at your appointment books for the next two weeks and add up the service dollars. What would your take home pay come out to if these appointments stayed the same? Are you earning what you’d like to be earning? If not, perhaps there are some additional services you could offer your clients. Most clients quit booking with a stylist because they don’t offer anything new.
Skylar McCaig serves as Assistant Director at Capitol School of Hairstyling & Esthetics in Omaha, NE. Skylar has over a ten years’ experience in the Cosmetology Industry. Capitol has been educating cosmetologists in Omaha since 1923.