How To Survive As A First Year Hair Stylist... With Jesse And Patty

Hey guys Patti Jesse here we wanted to put together a video, so we can, you know, help you guys who are just graduating beauty, school and people who are just ready or getting ready to graduate beauty school, and we wanted to give you some survival tips on How to survive as a first year hairstylist here at the salon? We love sharing our knowledge with future professionals and other professionals, because sharing definitely is something that makes our industry so much better. So I'm going to interview Jesse here, we're gon na go over a few questions that we thought might help you in the future. So Jesse give us a little introduction about yourself. I'M Jesse um I've been working here for probably a year now and what, when you decided that you wanted to become a hair stylist after beauty school, you graduated, I'm sure during school you had an idea of like what you wanted to do with your career. How did you kind of transform that vision and that idea into reality, or was it a reality like? Are you doing what you thought you would do in beauty school? No, definitely not um. When I was in school, they kind of prepped you into thinking that you were kind of gon na be more of an entrepreneur about me by yourself. So everybody's ideal is all I'm just gon na run my own salon out of my house, and that was basically the goal was to just kind of do hair out of my house for the time being working by myself, and it turns out that there's such a Bigger world out there than just you know, coming out of beauty school, you don't you don't know anything. So what would you say like? Is it you just don't have the right knowledge or you don't know enough to have your own business? Is that what you're saying right? Yeah, you don't know enough and you're not you're, not prepared enough, there's so many skills that you still need to learn outside of beauty school, that it's difficult to start a career off by yourself. The second yeah I feel like in beauty school, they only teach you the bare minimum and they have to teach you what is right and required by the state, and I feel, like things, are done so differently outside of the salon and in the salon. When you decided that you wanted to work at a salon after you've figured out that working on your own was going to be a possibility at the moment, how did you consider finding the rates and I'm like what did you take into consideration, to find the right Salon, I looked at all the bigger salon. Titles Mario chapo' see Lisa Thomas things that are more in the area that I know that are kind of bigger and well-known, and I took into applying there the only person I had an actual interview with that. First was Mario Cosi and it turns out that it just wasn't a right fit for him right. There'S a vibe you get when you enter a salon and every salon is different. So I was looking for that comfortability and I wasn't feeling it with that. Particularly for me, so it was difficult, knowing that I was not going to put myself into a situation where I knew I wouldn't like the salon I'd be working at knowing. I have to be there for at least two years just to start my career yeah, because when you do find a salon one, you want to find the salon that has a great apprentice program and you want to make sure you're at a place where you're going To at least be there for two years, because that's how this industry works, you build your clientele and when you move salons every move you lose so finding the right salon at first is so important. Were there any other things that you took into consideration? Mommy we're looking for the right salon. Was there like a feel you were going for a vibe like personalities? Was there a look to the salon you were going for? I guess it was more so where do I personally comfortably fit in um since day one fbb school? They kind of teach you that you're going to. I don't know that you're going to you know have to do crappy work for the next two years about actually getting here being the salon yeah. So I knew I not what I wanted and I was very, very determined to not get sucked into that because I knew I'd be miserable. I knew you know. I wasn't going to be doing that, so it was kind of figuring out where I knew I wouldn't be that I'm just finding the right fit and that stuff, knowing I wouldn't get something you doing something you want to do. What are two or three tips that you would recommend or have a future stylist consider or do for a successful interview like what? What are the things you took into consideration to make sure that you have a great interview with the salon that you were interested in working out, honestly, just being yourself um, knowing that you're being yourself a nut, somebody that you're, not you, know, dress how you normally Dress talk how you would talk, you know, be open to opinions and just know that you're going in there getting yourself and not being someone that you're not don't walk into a salon and think that every salon you have to be either just like a badass Punk. You know and kind of be that rocky edgy style, if it's not you, then don't don't do that um staying with being in a high-end salon where you're being you know, real fancy and real high-maintenance. If you're not like that, then don't don't apply to a salon. Like that, you know just be yourself and you'll eventually find the right fit for you so find the salon that fits your personality, your style right um. So after you started working here and then when you went on the floor, what were some ways that you went about building your clients out like how did you get clients in the door? Um, I'm constantly sharing things on Facebook, Instagram, any social media. I tell all my friends I started mainly because being a new stylist, I have to have a second job just to support myself financially. I started with my co-workers at my other job, and so I would start to ask them and ended up getting a lot of them coming in and then you know they tell their friends and fam, and next thing you know I'm doing my friend from work plus His entire family, now so would you say that education was a big role to like continually educating yourself, yeah, absolutely um, it's been great being here, because we get to attend all these great classes and you learned something new, even for instance Maddie and I went to A class a couple months ago and it was on cutting, but the only thing I took out of it. It was more for clientele and how to create an ambience and an experience for the client so really any class. You get something out of it, yeah, because I feel that like having not only the skill set that you have behind the chair, but knowing the business side is so important, would you write with that? Oh absolutely yeah um when you get a client in your chair and it's their first time here, it's their first time visiting you. What are some of the steps and things that you do personally to make sure that that client becomes a returned client if they come and see you again, I always greet them and shake their hand and smile. I think that's really important. You know going up to some and it's just I guess me, you know having your personality shine, yeah yeah, you just you know you can't be afraid to walk up there and talk to them talk to them about weird things. I talk about reading things all the time or just let I finally talk about random things and showing their genuine interest in there. You know so really listening to what you're saying and I notice, when you do your clients, do you have an amazing consultation and you're, always in a great mood and you're happy to see every single client every single time they come in? I feel like that's one of the things that definitely helped Jesse build um and I feel like you're, really good with rebooking. Would you say that rebooking is a huge part of your business yeah sure when you come back in a timely fashion, it's important um. It'S definitely important to talk to your friends about their hair, especially you know. You know if they're gon na need a haircut in three weeks and I like to subtly complain to my clients about their hair. If they come in - and you know it's been a while because it's harder work for me to do you know it right there, they obtain dream three inches back, bro, yeah, absolutely or if they come in the mind that come in with their haircuts and it's so Outgrown they want, you know a level one to their head, take all this hair off and they feel like a client towel like your clientele, is a walking form of advertisement and you want their hair looking as fast for as long as possible, so getting them to Come in every six weeks, instead of every eight to twelve right, ladies just ensuring that you get more business because their hair is gon na, look better yeah, absolutely um! You mentioned that you had another job while you're doing your first year, because Jesse the her first year has just completed as a stylist, so she's going on here to UM. So her first year you worked at Starbucks yeah, okay, so you did. What did you do? You did protect this wonderful time, um part time. I think I started here. Definitely every Tuesday I was here and every Thursday and then I'm just starting every other Saturday's here, um, which would leave Starbucks to be Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays Fridays. At the time - and then I slowly progressed into dropping a day at my other job and adding a day here when I felt that I was getting busier yeah, I feel like as a first time stylist that's something you have to take into consideration. You are working off of commission, so if you don't have fine switch, the first year is rough right. Then you need some sort of income, and you know it's easier. If you live at home with your parents and having a second job is probably a great idea. Even if it's something that you do only one or two days a week right right, okay, um some trials and tribulations that you went through on your first year like what happens this year. That stands out that you felt was a struggle for you that you could express to new people that might help them with their first year. It'S hard, you sit a lot, you just sit and you're doing nothing, and it's really it's frustrating. I mean even today, this week I've got availability in my books and it's it's discouraging. You know you've been here year and you're building those really awesomely. So then, you have a really poor week, and so the only thing I could suggest in that type of moment would be to learn how to butter yourself. Um I have a book. I write all my fine kings in there. I write what service they got done and a little bit about them so that I'm constantly keeping up on what all my clients are doing in my spare time, and I also watching YouTube videos. That'S the one thing that I do love about you, instead of Jessie just sitting in the back, complaining that she doesn't have clients she makes the best of her time. She watches YouTube videos. She reads: books, she'll, run out and drop off some cards at Starbucks. Put some I'm a little bored, so you're, not just sitting in grey laning you're, actually doing something to excel your career right and I feel, like that's super important to yes, you're, not gon na get anywhere, especially even free. Even there's I don't know, there's so many great things that come out of educating yourself. It shows ambition to the person you're working, for it shows ambition in your own career, you're learning something from it and other people can see that constantly. If you're posting on Facebook, even if you don't get any, you know communication with anybody, people are seeing that you're constantly. You know looking for that drive and that you're looking for the people to come in and it shows you have anything you're, passionate and you're passionate about what you do. Okay for those new newbie stylists who are just graduating and they are getting ready to start their career and they are going to leave school and they don't currently have a job at a salon right. What is the one piece or two pieces of advice? You would like to to tell them today in order to help them start one do not rush going into salon. If you don't feel comfortable, it took me an actual year to find patty and it was out of randomness from a Starbucks customer. Actually that knew pity. So don't rush or feel like you have to rush into going into a play, especially if it's not for you, because you'll find the place. You just have to take time and patience and really invest yourself, because it's an investment you want to be somewhere. You feel comfortable and that you're gon na, like because you know you're kind of stuck being there for at least two years just to build your study clientele you know, so you want to make sure it's somewhere that you know you'll be and enjoy it. The second thing is: don't let your dreams die out and always give everything a chance, because you never know what you might like or what you might not like. I thought coming out of school that I was going to be all Bridal. That was the point I 18 DUP with a friend who does makeup and I was going to do hair and we're gon na have our own Bridal thing and it's a great dream to start out with. But you realize you're either limited when you get out of school. You can't limit your options. It'S even now. Definitely not a makeup person. I can do it on myself, but not anybody else and that's. Okay and for instance, I I hated color in school hated. It freaked me all I don't like it. I absolutely love doing color here, I'm maybe not the best as other people could be. I know I could always improve, but I love it and I didn't think I ever would so. I would always say you know. Just keep your options open. You never know what you might like. What you might not like awesome and my advice to new stylist is, like Jesse, said, make sure that you find a place that you love reality is you're going to be spending more time with your work family than you do. Sometimes your own family. You know you spend 40 hours a week with the people you work with, so find a place that you love and don't settle just as much as you're going to invest your time and your your creativity and your passion with a salon owner find a salon owner. That'S gon na invest just as much in you as you do in them, because it should be an even an even exchange and find a salon. That'S passionate about the industry, still there's a lot of salons out there that lose their passion and they stop caring and it shows so just makes make sure you find someplace that is still thriving and is still passionate as you are, and that will help you grow And I think that pretty much just all we have to say for today, yeah yeah so be sure to subscribe and follow our youtube channel. We have tons of videos that we're gon na share them in your future and we love sharing and helping all of our passionate hair, stylists and makeup artists in the industry. So thank you so much for your time today.