Success is hard to attain in the super competitive salon industry, but many find real gain when they recognize their niche and develop their skills relative to it. That has never been the case for Presley Poe, who has not only resisted pressure over the past 23 years to specialize, but has flourished as an educator, brand ambassador and salon owner doing exactly what they love to do--everything!
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Success is hard to attain in the super competitive salon industry, but many find real gain when they recognize their niche and develop their skills relative to it. That has never been the case for Presley Poe, who has not only resisted pressure over the past 23 years to specialize, but has flourished as an educator, brand ambassador and salon owner doing exactly what they love to do--everything!
Poe fell in love with the salon life at first perm but has never wanted to do just one aspect of it. From blondes to vivids, extensions, textured hair, cuts and even barbering, they do it all with the dream of a more inclusive future for salons. They are a brand ambassador for BaBylissPRO, a Cosmoprof 2023 team member and co-founder of Presley Poe & Friends, but moreover, they are the owner of Gold Studios in Portland, Oregon, a safe space where clients and stylists alike can flourish. Poe sat down with Beauty Launchpad to talk to us about their journey over the past 23 years, who gave them their chance, why they refuse to be pigeonholed and what advice for success they would give to any stylist just starting out.
Beauty Launchpad (BLP): How did you get started in the salon industry?
Presley Poe (PP): I was about 4 years old when I smelled perm solution for the first time and watched a stylist whip the cape over someone like something I had seen in a movie. I knew right then that that was it for me. Whatever this was, I was gonna do it! To be honest, I didn't think I had a choice after that moment. Every step I took after that felt like I was running for the salon life.
BLP: What is your inspiration process like?
PP: I am often the most inspired by teaching. They say that everything that someone knows they have been taught, but I disagree. All of the things that I know have been a culmination of teaching and working behind the chair for 23 years with all hair. My biggest inspiration is to find ways to watch the light bulbs go off for people. I simplify things so they can process it in a way that looks like I'm spilling the beans on a magic trick and say, 'look, you can do it too!'
BLP: Tell us about your journey in the industry!
PP: Whew, what a journey! I have been in the business for 23 years, and for 13 of them I did not touch social media. To be honest, it was not something I got into very easily. It was more like kicking and screaming, but it was necessary. I was a hand written appointment guy for waaaay too long, but I sold everything I owned at the age of 29 and moved 2,600 miles across the country to live in Oregon and find my career path of being an educator. It was then that I started my social media journey, and that's when everything in my career changed.
There was something about documenting my work that changed the way I worked. I had the dream of being an educator for PRAVANA, and I knew they wanted someone with an online presence. So, I went all in in hopes to catch the job. Three months later, I was in Los Angeles at training. I'll never forget the first time they put me on a stage. I taught updos! Yes, I did bridal hair! LOL! I got off the stage just in time to see that the owner of the company at the time was standing there watching me just out of line of sight. Talk about stressful!!! It was one of the most difficult and scary things I had ever done. One year later, I was their head colorist and working for Hattori Hanzo, teaching cutting as well all across the country.
I had almost every corner covered in the beginning—cutting, extensions, bond builders—you name it. I was a busy bee just finding my stride in the big world of hair shows and social media. Over the years, I have been able to find my own voice and independence outside of companies, but I couldn't have done it without the support of their armies. Ten years later, and I'm fully solo and have my own show with Hairdustry called Presley Poe and Friends, where I use all of my resources to give people the most well-rounded education I can configure.
BLP: What do you consider your specialty and why?
PP: When it comes to specialties, I like to have more of a signature in almost every avenue, including cutting, blonding, curls, vivids and even barbering. I have sought out to be a stylist who speaks all the languages fluently. While I still have a lifetime of work ahead of me, I focus on new variations every year and keep building them over the years following trends that recirculate. I think if I were to have a specialty, it would be simplifying hair for people. That is what my life's work is really about: helping people understand the fabric of hair and showing them that it is all connected. My mentors have never liked that I refuse to call myself a specialist. It feels like a pigeon hole to me, and I cannot contain my want to learn all hair forever as it evolves in our industry.
BLP: Who has mentored you or served an important role in your journey?
PP: Two of my biggest mentors would have to be Michelle Chandler (previous VP of PRAVANA) and Sam Villa. Michelle gave me a chance. She saw something in me that no one in my life had. She did the thing that I had been asking those around me for for my entire life--a chance. She plucked me and showed me the ropes and taught me how to navigate corporate, in a watch how I move through this world kind of way.
BLP: What advice would you give stylists just entering the industry?
PP: If you are just starting out, my advice is to do everything while you're a sponge! Then, edit back based on what fills your cup. I think that we should normalize being a well-rounded hair stylist who can support anyone who walks into the salon. The more trained you are in every field, the more you can see that all of our worlds are connected and that working together is the ticket to success no matter what your specialty is.
BLP: If you could go back in your journey and do anything over again, would you?
PP: If I could go back on my journey, I would do it all over again! Every moment of self doubt, every "failure" was a learning tool for me. Only now can I look back and see that not only am I resilient because I went the hard route, but I have accomplished everything I have told myself I would. I would say to little Presley: You got this no matter what they say and love yourself a little more along your journey, or at least tell her that I will learn too along the way.
BLP: What challenges have you encountered in the salon industry over the years?
PP: It's been a fight to not be pigeonholed throughout my 23-year career or judged on my abilities based on curated information on social media. I was told that in order to be successful, I had to do one thing and one thing only, but I went to school to be a HAIR stylist. To me that means all people, all hair and all bodies. I have faced the scrutiny many times of people telling me to stay in my lane or assume my personal life and wellbeing based on the numbers next to my name. It is really bizarre to have people feel so strongly about you based on one perspective of your life. But, in the end, I want my art to make people FEEL and question what is possible. So, when you really look at it, I feel like it's not a challenge but an asset to my career.
BLP: Where do you see the salon industry headed?
PP: You know, I honestly don't know. I have a tiny salon and a small family in it. We are a super tight-knit team, and I focus wholeheartedly on them. I know that I would like for salons to become more people-forward instead of singularly focused, meaning well-rounded salons that all people feel safe to go in no matter where you are. How amazing would it be to go to a salon on the other side of the country with platinum or textured hair and have everyone in the space be able to do it? That would be my dream.
Presley's 5 Salon Must-Haves
1. Accountability. We own our shortcomings almost immediately, and make sure that in the moment we actively work on recovery and connection to each other.
2. Education. As a team, we often seek education from each other as well as outside of the salon. Everyone in here is naturally good at something the others are not, and we rely on each other for that feedback
3. Diversity of opinions. It is super important to me to have a diverse team with different backgrounds that stand to support each other. There are conversations we don't have in the salon, but do say openly on our personal pages, such as politics. I commend my people for speaking their truth always, even if it varies from my own.
4. Work ethic. At our tiny salon, I give major perks to my team but expect, in return, that they want to work and be an active member of our family. Though we are a booth rent and commission salon, we are all a team and accept no less than 3-day-a-week contracts from people we onboard. It's important to us that people invest in the space in the same way it invests into them.
5. Positivity. It is a really rough world out there, and I have built our little space to be a reprieve from that. This is a safe space to come and know that you will be honored and respected. It is not a place to vent about the nastiness of the world but a place to leave it at the door and experience calmness and the warmth of being welcome.
BLP: What are your best tips for success in the salon industry?
PP: In my opinion, it is always going to be working together is the answer to succeeding! We talk about networking and see people go for the clout, but really it is about being in the room with others of like minds. Networking is really just about talking to your neighbor and seeing how we can benefit each other's businesses. I have found that when we do that we all succeed,
BLP: What are some cut and colors that you see trending in 2024?
PP: I think that natural tones are making their way in, and BIG hair is coming back with a vengeance. We went through the times of COVID and not doing our hair, and I think that we are going to see people styling their hair in more classic ways. Soft '70s textures with '80s volume are going to hit hard. We can see this in nuanced ways, like Kylie Jenner's new cut and natural color.
