Graduated beauty school and need a plan? Sam Villa, Founding Partner of Sam Villa and Redken Education Artistic Director, shares 5 tips for building a successful and rewarding career as a stylist.
1. Go to every educational event you can, and continue advanced education even after you become a professional stylist, it is the key to success. Classes, shows, DVD’s, online, anything and everything you have access to.
2. Practice what you learn and share it with others so they too can succeed - sharing makes you better because it gives you the opportunity to reinforce information, which increases retention.
3. Find a great salon that is truly interested in your success. If given the opportunity, sit in the waiting area to get a feel for the ambiance and level of professionalism. Listen to how they answer their phones, greet their guests, watch the work at the stations and the way the staff interacts with one another, then ask yourself if this salon is the one you want to be a part of.
4. Ask about the salon’s associate program and request a copy in writing to confirm they have one - a verbal confirmation is not good enough, too ambiguous. You may have to assist for a while, be willing to do whatever is asked of you to become part of the team.
5. Find the right fit and STAY in that salon - do not move around!! When you move around too much, people don’t take you as seriously, and your guests do not want to jump around following you from one salon to another.
“Follow these tips and who knows, you may end up opening your own salon sooner than you think,” says Villa.
[Image courtesy of Glow Communications]
Sam Villa's 5 Steps for Building a Career as a Stylist
Aug 5th, 2014
