Industry has been a nightmare, seeking advice?

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I_got_the_door_Tor

New Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Messages
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Location
Providence, Rhode Island
Hey Salon Geek people! Please take a min to read this and give me a little advice. I really need it.

First of all I am a young man (I’ll bring this up later).

Went to hair school end of 2009, graduated end of 2010. Started working as an assistant at a salon while in school and didn’t like the bitchy unapologetic demands from stylists. The owner was very disorganized as well which created a dysfunctional work environment. So I found another salon that wanted to start me as an assistant until I could build my clientele up.

The salon was owned and operated by one woman. Me and a friend I grew up with, also went to hair school with, ended up working here with the woman. Started off good when we assisted the busy salon owner. We received tips from helping and were also sent to multiple Redken classes that she paid for. I became very advanced working here. As we got busier she didn’t like that we weren’t helping her as much. She became very petty and difficult to work with. At this point I had graduated school and had about a year and half of experience assisting and managing a few clients of my own. I decided to go corporate and started working at a busy chain salon in town.

This was my best experience. At a very busy Hair Cuttery in my home town. I had grown up in this town so I knew lots of people and became busy quickly by referral. I was making good money. Taking home great tips. I really thought I could work there for years and years. Unfortunately the manager that hired me in was on her way out the door. We obtained a new manager who was absolute hell. She shook everything up. Changed corporate rules to her own liking. She would cut our 30 min lunch break down to 5/10 mins if the salon was busy. I have trouble with my blood sugar so taking a lunch break to eat is vital in keeping my energy up. Didn’t matter just work and sell she would say, what else are we here to do she would ask. She would correct our techniques in front of clients. Even telling us to hurry up and move faster. I started to become very anxious at this point. Dreading the days I worked with her. It was always her goal to make us feel uncomfortable. It was horrible. I reached out to HR, sent emails, never heard a word back. I started to get very sick. I would get very anxious and throw up before work. I wanted this to work out for me so bad but I was realizing this was not going to last.

I ended up transferring to the older, less busy Hair Cuttery in town. It was about 4/5 miles away from the location I started at. About 25% of the loyal clients I thought I had followed me. I quickly learned that people stick with salon locations for all kinds of reasons and getting people to follow you is actually very very difficult. I lasted here not even a month before the manager sat me down and said “im not sure if this is healthy for you”. She could see the depression in my eyes. My loss of hope. I had also lost some weight and looked a little sick. Being ejected from the busy location back to practically starting over, all because of another difficult woman, tainted the love I once had for the industry.

At this point I stopped working and focused on my health. I am fortunate enough to have a partner that can support us both. We decided we needed to pack and move to his hometown, start over fresh in Providence Rhode Island. I thought this would be a good chance for me to start over in a much busier city.

Well it has been far from a good experience since we moved here. We struggled in the beginning. Living with family till we were employed and able to get our own place. I was focused on getting my license transferred, my partner worked contract jobs and made some big cash fast.

I started off working at the center piece of Providence, the mall. There was a really nice big salon at JCP. I was hired and worked about 2 weeks. The salon was absolutely dead. There was no management so it was just me and the other coworkers running the place. I did one haircut and one color the two weeks I worked there. I knew this was not a good salon to build in. (a little less than 6 months from then the entire JCP store was closed down and ceases to exist today).

I managed to get a few different interviews with private big name salons in the area. The interviews left me feeling extremely saddened. I was told ill have a very hard time getting into any private salons with no clients. I felt defeated. Every interview the same question would come “do you have a following?”. When I answered no and explained my situation I would get the same un hirable stare. These private salons are barely making it and cant afford to pay someone who’s not bringing any money in. Most private salons here are looking for renters with established clientele.

From here I said screw it and was quickly hired at one of two Hair Cutterys in the whole state. I figured ill just work my butt off and build whatever I can. This ended up being another dead end situation. Our manager would work for about a week then go on a 3 month leave of absence. This was her pattern the whole time I worked there. She was extremely unstable and had even gone to a mental care facility during one of the absences. This created a lot of problems in the salon. The salon was very slow as well. I was very lucky to get three or four clients a day. Most days consisted of me working six or eight hours and maybe doing one hair cut. Colors were not existent. Getting a hair color was something to jump for joy for. I gave it a year and couldn’t take it anymore. I was just wasting time trying to build up something that was never going to happen.

I have been stuck ever since. Completely turned off from even trying to make it work anymore. I feel like the woman ive worked with walk all over me because im a man. Like I am suppose to just put up with their shit and not take it personally. I fear horrible management. I fear the bitchy co workers. I fear the un hirable stares at the interviews. My partner wants me to work and all I seem to quality for is working at another shitty chain making no money off clients who will not follow me to a private salon where the prices are increased 50%. Other than that all I can really qualify for is entry level jobs. I am so depressed that I spend so much time and energy getting through school for nothing. Even after school the amount of energy and effort I have put into this career is not paying off.

Im exhausted of holding onto that dream of becoming a busy hairstylist, working in a positive environment, making good money. Im exhausted jumping from salon to salon, loving what I do, being driven out by what I can only describe as jealous woman. I feel like because I am good at what I do, women love me, they always tip me very well, other stylists (especially women) see me as competition and as someone who will take money away from them. So they drive me out.

I have a few theory’s about the industry.

One being, that there are salons everywhere in the year 2016. I have counted about 12 different barber shops and salons on one street alone here in Rhode Island. Seems like most people here open up their own small space and manage their own clients.

Two. The economy after the recession is real. Especially here in the North East. At one point, back in the day, factory’s and manufacturing were building the North East’s economy. Since then, policy’s have ruined everything for us here. A hairstylist really only stands a chance at success in NYC or Boston according to my research.

Three. Supermarkets and Drugstores now sell decent products for a very affordable price. I have found since the beginning of my career most clients are not interested in buying inflated salon products no matter how much you talk it up. Were living in a post recession age. Women know how to shop. They know they can get a good product much cheaper elsewhere, they don’t care if it’s a professional product. Which creates a big problem in the salons. They demand retails sales. They preach knowledge from 30 years ago that’s suppose to help. Were not living in a world where you can only get good products from the salon anymore. Times have changed.

Four. Youtube. I cant even tell you how many women and girls are inspired to color their own hair thanks to Youtube. Were living in an age where DIY is easy and really cheap. This appeals to most women and girls. They can literally get a customized formula off the internet, buy everything at Sally Beauty for less than $30 and get a look close to what they wanted.

Ask yourself personally? Would you rather spend $20 to get your color and just go to the salon for a haircut? Or spend $150/200 to get it done? In my experience these women want cheap not expensive.

All of this has driven me to work entry level jobs and setting goals to go back to school. If you have some good advice for me please share it.

I have been at an all time low dealing with these emotions.
 
It sounds like you have had a horrendous experience so far!
It all goes to the people who your work for. There's no such thing as a bad compant just bad managers.
I ended up leaving my hairdressing position because my regional manager was horrible to me (probably same corp as you in the US).
I had worked for hem for 8 years managing various salons for them. They were fantastic to me, gave me a lot of training and put me through my wella master colour expert training.

It's just finding your break in the right salon and you will be fine. It's just disheartening when so much had happened to you. Just stick at it.

I know what you mean about salons popping up everywhere but that shows that the hairdressing industry is doing well. In the UK it generates about £7bn a year for hair and beauty.

And with YouTube, yes they can find out how to do home hsir colour and yes they can buy it from sally's or the internet. But it's a way of education your clients about the benefits of in salon colour. Mix creative formulas so it is harder to recreate it at home. Give them a hair plan for the next few visits so they know how their hair will evolve whilst coming to you.

I really hope you manage to get into the right salon and continue doing what you do because you sound so passionate about what you do.
 
It sounds like you have had a horrendous experience so far!
It all goes to the people who your work for. There's no such thing as a bad compant just bad managers.
I ended up leaving my hairdressing position because my regional manager was horrible to me (probably same corp as you in the US).
I had worked for hem for 8 years managing various salons for them. They were fantastic to me, gave me a lot of training and put me through my wella master colour expert training.

It's just finding your break in the right salon and you will be fine. It's just disheartening when so much had happened to you. Just stick at it.

I know what you mean about salons popping up everywhere but that shows that the hairdressing industry is doing well. In the UK it generates about £7bn a year for hair and beauty.

And with YouTube, yes they can find out how to do home hsir colour and yes they can buy it from sally's or the internet. But it's a way of education your clients about the benefits of in salon colour. Mix creative formulas so it is harder to recreate it at home. Give them a hair plan for the next few visits so they know how their hair will evolve whilst coming to you.

I really hope you manage to get into the right salon and continue doing what you do because you sound so passionate about what you do.

Horrendous is a good word for it haha! I agree with you to stick at it. I do continue to search for salons, send in a decent cover letter and cv, just see if they could use someone like me. At the moment I am about to interview with Lush Cosmetics at our local mall here. I figure if I can work part time at a store like that and part time at a salon. I can send in people I meet through the mall. I do want to continue with my beauty career but also get a degree in a different field. Me and my parter are also working on our own business of sorts. So at this point hairstyling isn't my top priority but it is something I want to keep in my life... if that makes sense? Thank you for the advice!
 
Horrendous is a good word for it haha! I agree with you to stick at it. I do continue to search for salons, send in a decent cover letter and cv, just see if they could use someone like me. At the moment I am about to interview with Lush Cosmetics at our local mall here. I figure if I can work part time at a store like that and part time at a salon. I can send in people I meet through the mall. I do want to continue with my beauty career but also get a degree in a different field. Me and my parter are also working on our own business of sorts. So at this point hairstyling isn't my top priority but it is something I want to keep in my life... if that makes sense? Thank you for the advice!
That does make sense. Sounds like you have something up your sleeve.
I'm guessing you have business cards? I take mine everywhere with me and as soon as I get into conversation with anyone about hair I. Give them a card. It gets me a lot of business. So if you're in lush you could always do that too.
 
Ahh sounds like it's run you into the ground! The good thing is that you have a plan[emoji106] I notice you'd said hairdressing wasn't your top priority at the moment, the only thing I could say is that just for now while you're trying to build up a following you maybe make hair you main priority and then once you have a solid clientele then you can concentrate more on your other ventures! I hope everything works out well for you, it sounds like you're doing everything you can[emoji4]
 

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