The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin

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: There's a
stigma around admitting that you

don't have it all figured out.

Guys, we need to change that
mentality. Of course, you're

gonna make mistakes, you're
still learning, you will always

be learning. Whether you're
learning on purpose, or life's

handing out lessons for free,
you will be a completely

different stylist in five years.

And in five years again, I have
reinvented myself more times

than I can count and I'm nowhere
near done. So much of the

treasured knowledge that I carry
with me was learned by things

not working out by making
mistakes and learning from them.

And by asking for help when I
needed it. This is where I see

the most potential go down the
drain. People are afraid to

admit they don't have all the
answers. And in time, that

mindset will paralyze you. On
the other hand, you can't be

someone that won't allow
anything to ever be good enough.

You have to stop being so hard
on yourself. We have to find the

balance between our competence
and our insecurities. We have to

see the good that we're doing
while realizing that yes, there

is still room for improvement.

Why is it so hard for stylists
to acknowledge and accept their

mistakes? Well, the first step
is admitting you have a problem.

But seriously, everyone makes
mistakes and acting like you

don't make you someone
completely unrelatable. Clients

want a safe space to tell you
when things aren't just like

they would like them. If we
don't create that safe space for

them, it's going to affect the
relationship and how long that

relationship last. If we don't
let it sink in, learn from it

and make the necessary
adjustments, then why would

anyone keep coming back, you're
gonna be at the top of your game

as a colorist, you can be the
most skilled barber out there.

But if you make people feel
uncomfortable when they're

trying to be honest with you,
none of that will matter. I

started out as an assistant, and
that taught me early on that

there is too much to gain from
successful and talented stylists

not to take advantage of it.

I've been in the industry 23
years now and I couldn't be

happier with how I spent my
first six months after my

apprenticeship, I got to work
building my clientele. I was

competent in some services, yes,
but I still had so much to

learn. Back in those days, I
didn't travel for education I

had littles at home, and
honestly, it was pretty

expensive for a new stylist. But
I would read books, and I would

go to any class that my local
supply house hosted. And I still

continue to learn from that
mentor that I worked for the

entire time I worked there. If I
needed help, I asked, and I'm a

better stylist for it. So there
are some mistakes that you're

going to make, maybe more than
once, and it's going to impact

you and it's going to impact the
client and one of them is salon

hopping. It is by far the most
detrimental thing that you can

do behind the chair. If you've
been out of school, two years,

and you've already been at two
and three salons, honey, you

need to sit still for a minute,
okay? If this is you, I

encourage you to take a deeper
look at that grass that you

think is so green. If you're not
finding your salon home time

after time, then the common
denominator is you. And it's

time to see where the holes are
on how you're handling your

business. Secondly, would
definitely be not updating your

skill set doing things the way
you've always done them just

because you've always done them
that way. The satisfaction in

your work and the longevity of
your career is depending on you

to get out of the box, you put
yourself in and try something

new. Even if you're afraid, do
it afraid. Being so afraid of

making a mistake that you don't
even try new things is going to

really impact your creativity
and your willingness to even try

new techniques. Your fear will
hold you back if you let it but

you can't afford to let it so
the mistakes been made. What do

we do, right? Like what do we
do? Step one, be transparent

with your guest. They're gonna
notice whether you made a

scheduling error or their color
got too dark, they're going to

notice and the worst thing that
you can do is to try and sweep

it under the rug. Just say hey,
look, I've made a little

mistake. And I'm sorry and I
promise I'm going to make it

right. respect them enough to
not treat them like they're

stupid and you'll get respect
and read Turn for your honesty.

I'm gonna give you two scenarios
here. Okay? Stylist A gets the

client's hair too dark. She
excuses herself to go do a

little research. She asked a few
senior stylist in the salon.

Hey, what should I do? Once she
has a solution she goes back to

the shampoo bowl with the
competence she needs to let the

guests know. Yes, I got it too
dark, but I've got a solution.

she apologizes to the guests for
the extra time it's going to

take and get started. Stylist B
gets the hair too dark, same

exact situation, but she still
makes it looks pretty good. She

takes the guests back to the
chair and starts to blow dry the

hair without saying anything.

The client asks why does this
look different and the stylist

says ah the color muster grab
this time but it's going to fade

and a few shampoos. Stylists be
let that client leave

unsatisfied without an apology.

This is the same exact scenario
guys handled completely

different. Now I'm going to ask
you, which one of these stylists

Do you think gets to keep the
client. So as a salon owner, and

even an experienced stylist
working in another salon, I know

how important it is to create an
environment where it's safe,

where it's safe to admit
mistakes, and where you can

actually expect to work together
as a team and ask for help. The

best environment to work in is a
supportive and empowering one. A

team with a strong culture a
team that functions with the

same goal in mind will elevate
everyone's success. One way to

do that is with an unwavering
willingness to have each other's

back to help each other out with
formulations with haircuts.

Maybe you're running behind and
you need somebody to shampoo for

you. Sometimes you just need
someone to share a solution on

how to deal with a difficult
client the list goes on and on.

As a salon owner, I am never mad
at anyone who makes a mistake,

owns it and grows from it. How
could I be when I have been

there myself countless times.

There is nothing more important
as a salon owner than keeping my

team motivated and educated. And
you better believe I'm going to

at least do my part and I'm
going to expect them to do

theirs. I am the author of my
salons culture. Now my team has

helped me co write my salon
story every single day. And I

know that but at the end of each
day, if someone doesn't feel

safe and supported when a
mistake is made, then we're all

getting it wrong. Mistakes are
not just for students in beauty

school or the new stylist trying
to figure it all out. I got

someone's hair too dark just a
few months ago. mistakes are

made no matter who you are or
where you are in your journey.

As a mentor and educator, one of
the hardest parts of my job is

making sure students don't rip
themselves apart every time

something goes even a little off
the rails. This is the exact

time in their life where they're
going to need to give permission

to themselves for some grace.

But oftentimes they don't. And
it's really hard to see,

perfectionism is paralyzing and
you are chasing the impossible

dream. So make the mistakes and
use them as stepping stones. So

when a stylist is looking for
their salon home, how can they

really gauge if this salon has
this openness, this learning

environment we're talking about?

Of course, no one wants to say,
Hey, who's going to help me if I

mess up? But it is a good
question to know the answer to

and honestly, you just need to
see the salon in motion. So

you're gonna need to spend some
time there. You can ask to come

shadow you can apply for a part
time job, whatever you need to

do to take a deeper look. It's
worth it. It's not ironclad, you

know, do I think a salon can
misrepresent themselves? Sure.

If there's a guest present, most
likely we are all going to be on

our best behavior that's normal,
but you can pay attention to how

they treat each other how they
talk to each other or about each

other and get a pretty good idea
of how they work together or how

they don't. Mentorship is such a
valuable exchange and I know

hundreds of successful stylists
who give mad credit to the

people who have sewn into them
and added value to their career.

I have been a mentor for most of
my career. I believe in it so

much that I won't even put a
stylus on the floor at my salon

without taking them through at
least my basic mentorship

program. Even a seasoned stylist
coming on board needs at least a

modified one. How else will they
know how it all flows, where

things go and how things need to
be done? I'm proud to say my

salon has an incredible
reputation and my community, one

that's been built by my blood
and sweat and tears baby and by

every stylist who has ever
worked for me. I'm fiercely

protective of it because I know
if it's tarnished it affects

everyone So I'm never gonna let
someone come in and just go

rogue. And honestly, they thank
me for it. I think people

appreciate the structure and the
clarity of expectation. It's a

big leap from students salon,
where you have someone at every

second to help you see a service
through to the real salon floor,

and it can be difficult to
navigate on your own. This is

where strong leadership and a
good mentorship program is going

to serve you well. There is an
unlimited supply of amazing

stylist and salon owners
offering up the goods for free

on social media. You don't even
have to scroll very long anymore

before you will stumble upon
some little nugget that can make

you better. But to really ignite
your passion, I love a

convention or a hands on class
that can be so powerful. Not to

mention, I've made a lot of
really good connections. And you

know, you can too when you're
sharing a roof with 1000s of

industry professionals, it's
magic, the energy is amazing.

Another great way to improve as
a stylist or to just be more

insightful as a human being is
through podcasts and audiobooks.

Turn one on while you're doing
your makeup or cleaning the

house. Some of my favorites are
the thriving stylist and destroy

the hairdresser. For books, I
really loved the audacity to be

queen and you're a badass. I'm
also incredibly impressed with

just about anything Tony Robbins
does. But seriously, find

something that is your vibe,
something you vibe with, and put

in those air pods and expand
your mind. Sometimes asking for

help is hard, I get it. These
resources are a great way to

find some of the answers even
when you're not looking. There

are some preventative measures
or practices that a stylists can

adopt to at least help minimize
mistakes. Well, you can continue

to practice, you are never too
good to dust off that mannequin

head and do a practice run on
that haircut you're not familiar

with, or get those swatches out
and test out some formulations

before that color client gets
there, you will never arrive,

you will never be done doing new
stuff. This industry just

doesn't allow it. Just when you
master one thing, boom. Now

we're doing it this way. So
let's talk about appropriate

communication when a mistake has
occurred. And again, honesty is

always the best policy. But in
my opinion, confidence is also

an important ingredient when it
comes to making a mistake, you

should let them know that a
little tweak needs to be made

because you want it to be
perfect for them. And say it

with the competence of someone
who actually believes they can

fix it, the client will smell
fear. If you're on the verge of

falling apart, you can make
mistakes, and you can be someone

that fixes mistakes. This has
been my stance through my entire

career. And all these years
later, I still have clients who

refuse to leave me. So you're a
stylist and you're trying to

figure out how to manage the
stress and the emotional toll

that comes with mistakes you've
made. You need to handle it like

someone who understands that
inside of these mistakes are the

best lessons that any
professional can learn.

Sometimes it's about technique,
oops, you gapped it behind the

air is probably not going to
happen again. Because now you

triple check. You walked away
from the toner, you got

distracted, oops, it got too
dark. Now you stay present. So

that's probably not going to
happen again. You canceled on a

client even though you just
moved her last week, but you

really wanted to go to that
concert last minute. And she

didn't feel valued. So she found
another stylist oops, that's

probably not going to happen
again. And it sucked because you

really liked her. But guess
what, it won't happen again. If

you're carrying around a bunch
of guilt and shame about the

mistakes, then you're not doing
it right. You can't look at

mistakes like they're the enemy.

You're a human being, you will
never not screw things up

sometimes. Just learn and let it
go and let that be your new

position on your mistakes and I
promise you'll be better for it.

holding yourself to some
ridiculous standard of

profession isn't good for your
mental health. In any situation.

Put someone you love dearly in
your place. If this was your

sister or your best friend, how
would you talk to them and treat

them after making a mistake?

You'd never say you're an idiot.

Why did you do that? You find
some kind and loving way to talk

them through it. Can you try to
love yourself in the same way

and forgive yourself in this
same way. Some mistakes can be

prevented by practicing and
planning ahead and some can't.

But some of the mistakes you
make are necessary. Some will

make you better. Let them be the
stepping stones into greatness.

If we let them build up, instead
of tear us down then you can

only go up from there.

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

anytime soon. The Aspiring
Stylist Podcast with Tracey

Franklin. If you enjoyed
listening and you want to hear

more, make sure you subscribe on
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