The most asked Q.. “How did you grow?”
Like many other things you’ll hear when you start out – it won’t happen over night.
I know it feels like it is forever away and you have so much excitement and you’re ready to hit the ground running and you’re ready NOW! It’s like adrenaline everyday. You have all these ideas and visions and you just feel so close but so far!
Being 8 years into my hairstylist career I can still feel that anxious excitement. Once you find your thing you just have to pursuit it fearlessly. Here’s how I chased after my dream and got to where I am today:
(I will not be lengthy with this because I know you just want to know HOW so I’ll keep it short and sweet)
- Became a hairstylist (legally got my license and permits and certifications)
- Found my NICHE! (It’s okay if you have something you want to focus on like “bridal hair” or even “curly hair”, if you don’t have a niche or specific style that’s okay! Give yourself time to simply play.
- Posted ONLY the services I wanted to offer. (For example even if I’m doing other services I am only posting the ones I want to do. I was doing cuts and colors but I only posted updo’s to slowly focus on just that and attract that clientele!)
- When I did any service I went ABOVE and beyond. I focused on being relatable, bringing excitement to my clients experience or comfort if that’s what they needed! I curated an experience that I wanted them to LOVE. (This is how you’ll build a solid reputation with lots of word of mouth referrals which to this day is still 50% of my clientele!)
- As my demand for bridal services grew I slowly cut back my availability at my full time job (a local coffee shop) and I opened up those hours for more hairstyling gigs! (I had a VERY understanding and supportive boss that knew what my end goal was and understood when I had clients)
- I HUSTLED before and after every shift at the coffee shop. I’m not condoning working yourself to the max but I personally took nearly any client that came my way.
- Over time I continued to cut back my availability as that demand grew (this definitely took time – I was at the coffee shop for maybe 2 years part time!)
- When I hit the point to where I was turning away clients due to my shifts/other bookings I calculated the next years current income based off of my contracts I had with clients. If it paid my bills, I put in my notice.
And it did. It was above the amount I needed to get by. Not by a ton, but I could live my life and pursue my dream so I took the leap. It was terrifying. The feeling is unknown and it’s up to you to decide the future. You don’t have a boss, you are your boss. You set the rules and pay the bills. But it was the best thing I ever did in my life and chasing this dream is 100% worth it.
