The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin

Stylist: Growing Your Clientele in a Small Town

November 20, 2023 Morgan Franklin Media Season 1 Episode 51
Stylist: Growing Your Clientele in a Small Town
The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin
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The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin
Stylist: Growing Your Clientele in a Small Town
Nov 20, 2023 Season 1 Episode 51
Morgan Franklin Media

Let's call it the small town advantage, because there are countless advantages to growing your clientele in a small town and I want to share with you how I've not only grown as a stylist, but more importantly as a creative in my small town. Opportunities are where you make them and this week we'll be talking about establishing your local reputation, marketing on and off social media and finding your niche in any town.

Being a hairstylist in a small town has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages and I'm here to break down how to use every advantage and reshape every challenge.

Join me at the Aspiring Stylist Podcast group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaspiringstylist

Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:

http://aspirebarberandbeauty.com/

Can I ask you a favor? If you enjoy the show, will you follow us and leave a 5 star review? This helps our show move up in the charts to help more stylists. Thank you!

The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin is a product of Morgan Franklin Media.

Show Notes Transcript

Let's call it the small town advantage, because there are countless advantages to growing your clientele in a small town and I want to share with you how I've not only grown as a stylist, but more importantly as a creative in my small town. Opportunities are where you make them and this week we'll be talking about establishing your local reputation, marketing on and off social media and finding your niche in any town.

Being a hairstylist in a small town has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages and I'm here to break down how to use every advantage and reshape every challenge.

Join me at the Aspiring Stylist Podcast group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaspiringstylist

Aspire Barber and Beauty Academy:

http://aspirebarberandbeauty.com/

Can I ask you a favor? If you enjoy the show, will you follow us and leave a 5 star review? This helps our show move up in the charts to help more stylists. Thank you!

The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin is a product of Morgan Franklin Media.

Morgan Franklin:

Welcome to the Aspiring Stylists Podcast with Tracey Franklin. Where to begin, grow and aspire to become the best stylist you can be. Whether you're thinking about becoming a stylist opening a salon, or developing your skills as an experienced stylist the next step of your beauty career starts here. Each week we'll discuss strategic ways to design, plan and execute on becoming a stylist that excels behind the chair and above the bottom line. Here's your host, Tracey Franklin.

Tracey Franklin:

So I want to talk about growing your clientele in a small town. So I am from a town called Cookeville, in Middle Tennessee, and the demographic when I started working as a stylist is about 27,000 people. So you know, not big, not super small. I mean, there are much smaller towns in Tennessee and all over the country, of course, in that, but it's not a huge metropolitan area. So building a clientele in a small town, it has its challenges, but it also does have its advantages. You know, you have a smaller pool to fish from and the clients in a small town can be fiercely loyal. I have been at the receiving end of that kind of loyalty, working and building a clientele in Cookeville. So if you're listening, and you've been my client, big thanks, obviously, you know, I feel like the town I live in. And the town I built in is really great. As far as where it's positioned. It's in Middle Tennessee, right in the middle of Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga, which are much bigger areas, obviously. So being in the center of that I feel positioned me well. So I grew up in California. And, you know, moving to Cookeville was culture shock in both a good and a bad way, in a good way where I felt like people were a lot more friendly and a lot more accepting, very, very welcoming. Were very proud of their community, very willing to share the things that they loved about living in this area. And then bad because I felt like I was taking a bit of a step back in time. And of course, I've acclimated now and I feel like I'm right on schedule, if not a little behind myself sometimes. But back then in my early 20s, or Gosh, I don't even know if I was 20 Yet now that I do the girl math in my head. Yeah, I think it was 19. So back then it was a bit more of oh, gosh, what am I gonna do this feels like Podunk. I've always found people in a small community to be really kind and really have a sense of community. When I decided to go to school, I felt like this was probably a pretty good area to try to build a clientele in back then I can't really tell you exactly how many stylists there were. But I do know that statistically back then only one and five hairstylist made it past that two year mark. And really even less past that five year mark. And my class is a really good example. I think there were seven of us and one dropped off fairly early. But as far as when I graduated, we were still a class of seven. I'm at this point, the only ones still doing hair. So I find those statistics to be pretty accurate. I found building a clientele in a small town to be relatively easy. You know, the first salon that I worked at after I graduated was fairly new, but the person that opened it had a really good reputation and had built a really strong clientele in this area. So going to work for him was kind of like buying into that and reaping the benefit of being under somebody that had already had so much success in this area and was so well known. He actually went to school in this area too, which made him I think, even more popular among people in the community. You know, he was at that point, building his clientele a little bit differently now that he was going to be the salon owner. So I was lucky enough to get a lot of his overflow. A lot of the people that he really didn't want or that weren't really as exciting of a client as he thought they should be he would give to me and at that time starting at Ground Zero, I was like, I would take anybody you know, at the time I was charging$30 for a woman's haircut. And that felt absolutely crazy to me. Getting to the point where I was comfortable with that took a little bit of internal work. I had to change my internal dialogue and I had to convince myself really that I was somebody that could charge $32 for a haircut and get away with it. It not only changed the way I was thinking but just even the terminology when I say it now get away with it as if I was doing something that I shouldn't have been doing when really I had put in the work. I was a really good student I paid attention. Beauty school came a little later for me in life. I was 26 when I went to beauty school so I was there Already a mother already a responsible adult. And so I felt really prepared for this industry. But I still had what I felt like was a little bit of imposter syndrome, we say now $32, but back then that felt like a lot of money for somebody fresh out of school. So I continue to build my clientele. And honestly, I don't have any crazy tactics that I tried or anything, I just did it, you know, I just did it. I did it when it wasn't easy. I did it. Anyway, I got up, I showed up every single day. And I poured my heart and soul into building a clientele in the salon that I was at, I made myself get out there, I went to business networking events at the Chamber of Commerce, and I at that point carried business cards on me at all times, I will never forget what my business cards look like. It was kind of like a cartoon character of what I felt like I looked like at that point, that is not something I would ever do now. And it's definitely not something I'm suggesting. But it's kind of funny to look back and think about how the aesthetic of the business cards that we use to promote herself have changed. Being a stylist in a small town has definitely shaped me, I think in some really meaningful ways. I feel like I understand the value and the connection that meaningful relationships provide even in a business relationship. Being an active member, and my community I think has really made my roots dig even deeper into the ground here and me feel more connected to this community. The more I get to know about it, the more I still continue to learn after all these years still connects me. And I know in a small town, the more I'm out there networking, the more memorable I'll be. That's how you build a name for yourself. You show up at different places at different times, and you hope that someone remembers you and that they remember what you do for a living. People in a small town love to talk. So I made sure to work that to my advantage. And I made sure that they had lovely things to say about me as someone that lived in the community. And as a business woman, y'all have heard me say, you know, you have to be the first or you have to be the best. And you need to bring in that new and you need to get that good, good. And you need to give yourself an advantage in a small community. Because a lot of times people are afraid to step out and offer more modern, more advanced services in a small town because they think that they won't have the clientele. And I'm just here to say my career is complete evidence that that's just simply not true. I have faced some challenges, you know, building a clientele in this small town that I may not have experienced in bigger cities, there were times when I stifled my own growth because I was afraid to charge my worth. Going back to the very beginning, when that$32 price point felt so strange and uncomfortable to me. I mean, that feeling was something that I continued to battle throughout my career. In a small town, people know your business. So things like a divorce or some other major life event, it was just out there, and people are gonna have opinions about the decisions that you make. And people are also going to make decisions for business based on personal reasons. So sometimes somebody might decide that they're not going to come back and see you based on something they heard about you or something they saw on your social media. I mean, it's not great, but it's how the world works. There were definitely not a lot of educators that were traveling to smaller towns. So I had to travel if I wanted really good education, I had to get on a plane train bus rentacar something because it just definitely wasn't like it is now where I could just go to the local supply house and take a class educators weren't coming to smaller towns yet. And you know, this thing that we use now you've probably heard of it called the Internet was not as out of control as it is now you know, like it wasn't as accessible, you didn't have everything at your fingertips like you have today. So that to me would be a huge advantage of trying to grow a clientele in a small area. Building your clientele in a small town is very different than trying to build it in a metropolitan area. I have a lot of stylists, friends who live in New York who live in LA, and it is really, really cutthroat in these bigger metropolitan areas. I've heard it time and time again. And I feel like even though not everybody's best friends in a small town, I do feel like in my community, everybody has a certain level of respect for their fellow artists. So to me, that's an advantage. I would imagine that having an advantage starts in the very, very beginning with your school choices. Where you go to school has a huge impact on the trajectory of your career moving forward, better education makes you a more desirable candidate for a position in a more upscale environment. So I definitely think going to a school that's offering you everything that you need makes you more desirable from a salon owner standpoint, it definitely makes you more desirable. In a bigger more metropolitan area, you definitely have more accessibility, there's a lot more collaborations that could help grow you as an artist, there are different types of opportunities. And there are a ton more advanced training choices that are way more accessible to you, you could probably hop in your car, you could probably take an Uber and get there, or for someone in a small town, it would be more travel more expenses, they'd have to really think more about it. And networking in a metropolitan area. I mean, you can't compare if you're in a small town, they have major networking groups, they have places where you can go and work and network with other people networking in a bigger metropolitan area is 10 times easier than it would be in a small group where you may have one or two small women's groups or some type of group to choose from where you could really try to fish from that pool and grow your clientele. So more about the small town advantage. If you grew up in a small town, you probably know everybody there, your mom, your aunties, your MeeMaw, they probably have told every single one of their friends how proud they are a view for going to Beauty School. And you know, it's easier to stand out and make a name for yourself, you still got to try but you won't be such a stranger to everyone. If you're outgoing and a people person, it's definitely a lot easier. If not, it could hold you back and a small town because if you're not willing to get out there and talk to people, you know, you're gonna have a really hard time later in life. Just basic elevator speeches, handing out business cards, the little small things that help you grow your clientele in the beginning will feel really uncomfortable to you. Having an outgoing personality definitely makes it easier. So what about in early hair days could a slower paced community a smaller community benefit of hair stylists? Well, I feel like it could potentially hold them back. If they're not out there being a go getter, like every single day and trying to reach different groups of people, you can't network in the same group all the time and really grow, you have to network in different groups. And it's easy to get stuck. I really went through this whole getting stuck thing in my color journey. I really loved being a colorist I have to say even in school, that was definitely my favorite part. And I got in this funk in this really just large span of time where I felt like I was just like this foiling machine, like there wasn't a lot of artistry behind it, it just felt very robotic, I felt like I was either doing all blonde or I was doing blonde with something else. And it just it felt very stagnant to me. And then Bali asure came out, and it just opened up a whole new world for me, when you don't have access to these more advanced techniques, then you can get stuck. And that's just one of the things that can hold you back in a small town, you can get really, really comfortable. And the comfort zone just is not where the magic lives. So another advantage of the small town hairstylist is you can really get out there and make yourselves an integral part of the community by getting involved in the things that matter that matter to you that matter to the community that matter to other members of the community. You know, they're in volunteer, I mean, there are so many really worthwhile causes out there that you probably don't know about, where you could really make a difference with just a few hours a week or a few dollars out of your own pocket. It's amazing how much traction we can make when everybody does just a very small part. You can join social groups that may not always be your cup of tea, like I'm not going to go out and join a quilting social group just to get a client or two out of it. It's not my vibe, I wouldn't do that. But there are things like that if it is for you. And if that's not for you then find something that is no matter where you live, you have to build trust and you have to build loyalty. A small town community will trust the word of mouth more than they'll trust Google. Speaking of word of mouth, if you do someone right like if you bail someone out of an emergency situation, you know what I'm talking about the person that bought the hair color from the Walmart and went home and put it on their head and they turn their hair orange and now they don't know what to do. They reach out you save the day they will not forget you and they will tell literally every one they know how you save the day and then that makes you someone that is reputable, someone that is trustworthy for corrective color. Corrective color is a very popular service, because it's a very multi step, very complicated color service to provide, and you never know what you're gonna get into when you start trying to fix all these different problems with someone's hair. And it's a lot of work. But it's really, really rewarding. It's taking someone's really, really bad situation and turning it into somewhat of a miracle. So that's going to build some trust and loyalty right there. So how do you establish that trust quickly, it's important that we establish it quickly. We're trying to build a clientele here. So I'm going to start with the basics good communication, having really good communication and dialogue with your clients, when they come in is going to be really important. And that needs to be followed up by a proper consultation, do not skim over the hard questions, ask them, What are you using at home? When's the last time you had your hair color? Did you do it yourself? Was it done in a salon? All of these answers really, really matter? So we have to be willing to take the time to ask the questions so that we can get to the bottom of it. What is it that you're expecting out of your hair appointment today? And how can I exceed those expectations, you have to be transparent about pricing. The worst thing ever is having your client go up to the front desk and look at the front desk person cross-eyed Because they had no reason to expect a bill that big because there was no communication, we have a process for that in my salon. And I am very, very adamant that that policy is strictly followed, because it's not the responsibility of the person that takes the money at the front desk to have that communication. Some people aren't going to care about an extra $20. And other people are going to come in with the exact amount of money that they need the exact amount of money they were quoted for. Because this is a special treat, this is not something that they do for themselves. So being transparent about pricing is one of the fastest ways to build trust, you have to be honest about what's possible in an appointment. If someone comes in with that level to box hair color, they're not leaving platinum. And they need to know that and they need to know why they need to know that it's going to damage their hair. If they even have any hair left at the end of it, it's going to be expensive, it's going to be time consuming. They need to know what's possible in one appointment, and what is going to have to be spread out over several. And you have to do good work. I mean, let's not ignore the obvious, you can build all the trust and loyalty with your words. But if you're not putting good work out there, if you're not staying educated, if you're not bringing the magic to the chair than any trust and loyalty you build with your clients will quickly fade. Do not forget to send your clients home with what they need, that's part of it, your work is going to look better to if you send them home with the proper at home regimen, their hair is going to look great, feel great, smell great, and they're going to be thinking about you in the process, they're going to be thinking about this great haircut and color that you gave them and how they get to enjoy the benefits of that through these amazing products that you recommended and that they took home with them to use as a new stylist especially if you're new to the area, you got to have a strategy for retaining clients and for building a solid clientele. I always say that retention is in the relationships, a strong connection with your clients is going to help situations where maybe you don't hit the mark a little more forgivable, maybe you take a little bit too much off. Maybe you give them bangs when that's not what they wanted. When you have a really strong connection and a relationship established with someone, they're going to be more apt to forgive you for these little mishaps and stay loyal to you and give you another shot. So we've talked a little bit about how to retain our clients now, how do we get them in the first place? Like how are we going to build this solid clientele we keep talking about, ask for referrals, ask not and you're gonna have not you need to flatter your client, you need to look at your book and you need to think about who's on it. And how many of those clients like bring you a lot of joy. You see them on your book and it puts a smile on your face. Those are the type of clients that know people that you want in your chair. So you need to look that client in the eye and you need to say Hey, Sarah, I'm still building my clientele. And when I saw you on my book today, I thought I'm so happy. I love doing Sara's hair. And I thought to myself, I'm going to ask her if she can help me out. And then while serious, they're looking at you being like starry eyed because she's so flattered. You're gonna say Hey, can you help me out by giving 234 however many friends and family members that you know one of my business cards, they're gonna save 20% off for coming in and then when they come in and mention your name, you're gonna save 20% off. So it gives you a little discount just as a sign of appreciation. To show you how much it means to me that you send me the people that you care about. Do you see how I turn that into a big sloppy wet kiss for Sarah? I didn't beg her. I didn't sound desperate. So try that. I think it'll work for you, too. What about ensuring client satisfaction? I mean, is that any different in a small town? I don't really think so. I mean, knowing if your client is satisfied can be a little bit tricky. People live, they'll look you dead in your face and tell you they love it, go home, cry, call back, want their money back. There's just like a whole wheel that you have to go through. But unfortunately, it's up to us to kind of discern whether or not they're happy. I'm sorry. But you have to be able to tell whether or not your client is feeling herself. It's really, really easy to pick up on it if they are. So if they're not acting like that, then dig, what can I do to make this better? Is there anything look in the mirror? take one last look, is there anything that I could do to make it better for you don't just resigned to the fact that she hates it and you suck. Like, let's figure out how we can fix it before the client walks out the door unsatisfied? Reviews are a great way to tap in. Anonymous reviews are great for shy people. But some people aren't afraid to tell you what they think. So in a situation where they're very, very pleased, they're going to be more likely to leave a review. In a situation where they're very very unplaced, they're going to be more likely to leave a review, right? So it's important that we not only pay attention to those people, but the people in the middle too, because the people in the middle or the majority, people are not just going to offer up their time to leave you a review. Of course, again, a horrible service, they're going to do it in a heartbeat. But what if you know, you just want to know what they think about your service, so that you can make it better? Like, yes, reviews are a great marketing tactic. But it's really a good way to take a deeper look into your business and into your service plan to see what's missing. What's really working, what needs to be changed. I think loyalty programs and local promotions definitely help in ensuring repeat visits. I do believe people love a deal. Even rich people love a deal. I do not believe percentages are effective. I feel like people have to do math in their head and they figure it out. And then it's only $4. And it doesn't mean anything to them. I'm not going anywhere for $4 I'm not going anywhere for 10% Oh, well, there's taxes while I'm paying to I you know, I don't even count taxes, taxes are what they are, I'm paying them regardless, I don't get excited. Okay. But I do believe that free speaks louder. And I'm gonna give you an example. And if you've listened to my podcast, you may have heard me talk about my OC client, Lisa, she's been with me forever. She was my first female client that I was able to retain. I had done a few haircuts on women before her but nobody stuck around. And how I got Lisa was through a local radio promotion. It was called Working women's Wednesday and one of the local radio stations every week was drawing a name out of a hat and giving some hard working woman a free haircut at the salon that I worked at. Well in walk, Lisa and little did I know I was about to hit the jackpot. She happened to be a pharmacist here in town and she happened to work with a lot of people just like her. And so she went back and she bragged about the scalp massage, and she bragged about the great color and the hair cut and everything. And so guess what? The next week, another girl from that pharmacy came in the next week. And before I knew it, I had everybody in that pharmacy and it was just such a great feeling. Now all these years later, you know many of these women have found their way elsewhere. But Lisa is still with me to this day. I believe that Bree speaks really, really loud. And at the end of the day, I didn't give anything away, I hit the jackpot. So again, let's go back to loyalty programs. And when one way that that can work for you is through a pre booking promotion. Pre booking is essential for your success, you need to be looking ahead at your schedule for six 810 12 weeks from now and see some of the same people on your schedule then that you're seeing today. You know, I love seeing a new client or at least I used to I'm not building anymore, but I think seeing a new client keeps you on your toes. And I definitely see the magic in that. But it also brings a whole lot more anxiety to the table not knowing what's going to walk through the door and not knowing what the day is going to hold. So having those irregular repeat clients I think give us as stylists a sense of calm that sometimes we just need. But yeah, pre booking is great. I would do some sort of pre booking promotion, I think it still needs to be working towards something free. That can be whatever you want. That can be a free haircut on every fourth pre book visit that can be whatever you want it to be I just as a consumer and as a business woman for the last few days. Gainsville that Free is better than discounts. So what's the advantage of leveraging radio stations, local newspapers, podcasts or even community bulletins? Well, I think being featured on any local platform can be good for your business. Again, small towns, or at least my small town is a very community driven. So are these even great marketing tactics in 2023. I mean, it can work in 2023. I can, but I believe most of your efforts should be used on your social media, you're going to want to use your local hashtags tag local businesses, share local happenings, just be as community driven on your social media as you can be. Let them see you as a team player, not just somebody that's in it for themselves, but somebody that's willing to promote other entrepreneurs, other business people in their community. So I have a really kind of cool, UNCONVENTIONAL marketing tool that I used to use a long time ago. And honestly, when I was talking about it, when I was writing this episode, I was thinking that's something I should bring back, we need to bring that back. That was a good one. And they were called VIP boxes. So very important business, me and my team at our staff meeting would select one of the local businesses here in town that we felt really needed to be celebrated. And you know, a group of people that we wanted to invite into enjoy our services, and maybe a discounted price, just somebody in our community that we felt needed a little bit of recognition. So we created these amazing boxes. And of course, we made them cute, we put our little sticker on there, and we had the curly ribbons and all the things. And inside the boxes, there were samples, and there were coupon books, and there were offers, and oh gosh, I think we put some nice little chocolates in there. There were just all kinds of little things in there that would let them know that we appreciate who they are in this town, and that we would love the opportunity to serve them. They all went over very, very well. And we had really great response to that tactic. So take that and do what you want with it. How can you use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, to showcase your work? And will that bring in new clients? I think it will. I think you should be posting quality pics of your work is your online portfolio. Yes, it's important to get on there and be entertaining and offer videos and tutorials and things like that too. But there still need to be some really beautiful curated still shots that showcase your work in there. You need to tag people and you need to ask them to share it. It's simple. It's a click, people will do it, but they're not going to think to do it on their own. You have to just dig a little bit deeper and ask for a favor. Going back to being educational. I think people really really appreciate how tos. When my Facebook and my Instagram pages were more geared toward building clientele. My tutorials were a favorite people absolutely love that. Especially during COVID. I felt like we brought people a sense of normalcy during COVID They're sitting at home, they're wondering what's going on in this country. And I'm showing them how to cover their graves with eyeshadow. So here I am just giving them like a little mental Margarita from what's going on in the world and offering them a coping tool that might help them between colors even in the future. And lastly, but not leastly be entertaining. People love that shit. I mean, people love my reels when I'm being entertaining. I love doing all the other stuff. I feel like my content has a lot of meat and potatoes and it needs to have a lot of meat and potatoes for what I'm trying to do in my career right now. But I also love entertaining people. If you know anything about me, you know I'm a clown. I was class clown in middle school all three years. Yeah, I don't know if I should be proud of that or not. But I am a jokester. I do enjoy making people laugh. And I do feel like people love to be entertained. I think collaborating with other businesses and creators definitely help promote you. I think they're great. Focus on clothing, boutiques, pageants, weddings, those are all great ways to connect and collab and create a networking circle where somebody is more likely to call you in the future if they need your services. It doesn't matter what size town you're trying to be established in. You're gonna have intense feelings of competition. You are going to be paralyzed by a reel that shows up in your feed you are going to notice how much anxiety you feel when you're scrolling and something pops up or you're minding your own business in stories and then all of a sudden, something that makes you feel less than something that makes you feel unworthy will come across your screen and change the way you feel about yourself. And here's the truth. competition isn't real. It's a state of mind and minds can be changed and so can yours you can change your mind to Comparison is the thief of joy. And you're going to find yourself in the beginning of your career, comparing yourself to someone else's middle or even end. And that is unfair, that's unfair to do to yourself, it's unfair to hold yourself to some sort of sacred standard, that you're never going to be able to hit imitation, the biggest form of flattery. Everything that we are doing on reels is something that we have seen that has inspired us, I'm going to use social media as an example. Nobody is coming up with original content anymore. Everyone is just out there putting their own spin on someone else's stuff. And you know what? That is, okay. Your spin on someone else's stuff, is why someone's following you. That's what they're there for. People look at other people's work for inspiration, you need to be looking at it like that. It shouldn't be about what you're not doing better. It's about what you should be aspired to become. There are no original creators, we're just out there emulating people that we admire trying to become as good as them some day. And if you turn around and make yourself feel horrible every time you look at someone else's work, especially someone that's further along than you, you're in it for a real rough go. So how are you going to handle slower business days or off seasons? Well, honey, you need to be a pre booking boss, you need to create a repeatable schedule. Again, look at your book in six weeks and see the same darn thing that you see today. That's not to say that you shouldn't be leaving room for the magic of a new client, we all know that we need that. But most of your clientele should be coming back. And that's how you're creating that repeatable schedule, you need to be fiscally responsible. This is a very unpredictable business, and there is no room for you to treat a big week like pocket cash. It's simply not the truth, because in two weeks, you're gonna have four cancellations. Now, I'm not speaking that over you. Okay, I'm not attracting that I know the nature of the beast. I know the nature of this business. And it's going to happen so many times, my biggest week has been followed by a crap week of crap where I had cancellations of crap where it snowed and nobody could get to work. It doesn't matter, we have to be prepared, and we have to be fiscally responsible. Commission is unpredictable. And it does fluctuate like crazy. So you need to be prepared. But if you're a hustler, if you're a go getter, then you can use commission to your benefit honey, because as much as you work as as much money as you make, and if you want to save up for something, you can open up another day, and you can increase your income. Being a commission paid stylist is an advantage. And that's how you need to see it. So hair stylists have to stay up to date. That's not different in a small town. I mean, up to date is relative. So you know, depending on what part of Mayberry you actually live in how up to date you need to be could fluctuate, but you do you do need to know about the latest trends, even if you're in a small town, and honestly, now it's at your fingertips, no excuses. It's one click away, and then save up and splurge on an in person, you know, some in person education when that's possible. But don't use costs. Don't use time as an excuse, because you can fit it in, it needs to be important to you. You know, the energy of in person education just hits different. I recommend that somebody go to something once a year if you can, and I'm lucky enough to be close enough to Nashville where I can find something every single year and you should be finding something to struggling to build a clientele will probably have a lot of stylists asking yourself if they should switch things up. If they need to make a change, should they go and work at a larger commission based salon. I think every stylist should start out in a salon with a mentorship program. And most of the time those are going to be bigger commission based salon. So that's not to say that it has to be commissioned based. I just know that that's the business model that's going to lend itself in the biggest way to somebody who's fresh out of school, starting out trying to build a clientele. And it's never too late to start over. I don't care if you're in your five or if you're in your 25 if you are not able to find success where you currently are. It's never too late to start over. Find your tribe find your people. That's where you're gonna find the success is when you're where you need to be with who you need to be with. I have made it part of my job to stay current and up to date on what's going on in this industry and I do feel like it has helped me kind of niche out and really flourish as a stylist. I'm also very outgoing. And I've made really strong connections and I've planted very deep roots in my community. I'm committed to giving my clients the best service I can with the best products I can find. I'm committed to listening when they want to talk about their hair when they want to talk about anything. And I'm committed to solutions to any of the problems they have. All of that is going to lead me to my niche, make me happier, make my heart fuller when I'm at work. My specialty has always been lived in color and extensions. If you asked me what my niche was, that's what I would say. I could not be more happy with the community that I've found with the clients that I built, the connections that I've made and the relationships that I've made in my small town.

Morgan Franklin:

Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts. The Aspiring Stylist Podcast with Tracey Franklin is a Morgan Franklin Production. Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin editing and post-production by Mike Franklin. Want to find out more about Tracey and the Aspiring Barber and Beauty Academy go to aspirebarberandbeauty.com

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