Salon Professional Advice For Independent Hair Stylists
Professional hair stylists are skilled, knowledgeable individuals. Their beauty school education equips them with all of the techniques for giving clients exactly the cuts they desire and require, plus years of experience to help make them even more effective at doing their jobs.
But even after graduating cosmetology school, it takes time and dedication to build a solid clientele and become fully established in one’s career. That is why so many salon professionals opt for self-employment – this allows them to be their own boss, set their own schedule, and work with clients who meet their criteria – but this doesn’t make self-employed salon professionals’ lives any simpler; each profession comes with its own set of unique challenges that employed counterparts don’t face.
So if you want to become an independent salon professional, it is vital that you understand what makes them successful. These insider salon professional tips may assist in creating a sustainable beauty career as an independent stylist.
Beginning Your Career
A fantastic way to break into the industry is through finding a salon offering an apprenticeship program. Here you will gain practical training with experienced stylists while on-the-job experience will build skills and confidence necessary to work independently in the future as a full-time stylist.
An excellent way to enter the industry is by finding a salon with an outstanding reputation in your locality. Such an establishment will have a devoted following, making it easier for you to establish yourself and build up clientele.
Maintaining Your Station Sanitized
Professional hair stylists recognize that maintaining an immaculate salon space is an integral component of being successful at what they do. Make sure that you regularly wash your hands, sanitize all tools and appliances before and after use and maintain an organized workspace at all times – an unsanitary salon can ruin its reputation among stylists while raising questions regarding its hygiene practices.
Establishing Trust With New Clients
Your consultations with new clients offer you an opportunity to showcase your talents and build trust. When meeting them for the first time, be sure to listen attentively and ask questions to ascertain their needs before speaking clearly and professionally in all communications with them. It is also crucial that they sit at eye level so there are no distractions like phones or tablets and you maintain proper eye contact throughout.
Stay Away From Calling in Sick A salon professional who frequently calls in sick is an enormous distraction to their team. By not showing up for clients as scheduled, one of your fellow stylists must cover for you – an inconvenient situation which does not promote relationships within or reputation within the salon.
Missing appointments makes your coworkers feel disrespected and devalued, not to mention that it means not completing your full work load and therefore jeopardizing your beauty career.