We were lucky to catch up with Katie Amezquita recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I would say the biggest risk I have taken in my business is leaving it. I was working as an independent stylist in Southern California and my husband and I decided to come to Phoenix and start over. We left all of the comfort we had; friends, family, and for me my amazing guests who had supported me throughout my career. It was a huge change and the first time I had to truly get comfortable being uncomfortable. When you first start in the industry you are always seeing new guests but you know that you are new so you just go with it. When you have been at it for a while it is different. You find your niche and your people and when you have time you meet a few new guests. When you move to a new state every guest is new so you are always in first impression mode and have to deal with any obstacle they are going to throw your way. After you have worked witha guest several times you get to know them and their hair very well so it becomes much easier. I honestly struggled quite a bit with it at first. I am so glad I did it because it challenged me and helped me become a better more well rounded stylist. Every new guest was new challenge and pushed me to grow. If I had stayed where I was I would have just stayed comfortable and wouldn’t have met so many of the amazing guests I have seen in Phoenix who have made me become the stylist that I am today.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Katie Amezquita and I have been a hairstylist for about 12 years. and I work at a salon in Downtown Phoenix called Arcane Hair Parlour. I utilize both hair color and extensions to help create dimensional blondes, brunettes, and vivid hair colors so my guests look as badass as they feel. I am all about making sure we get there in a way that is healthy for the guest’s hair and scalp. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you color is beautiful, or you have longer thicker hair if it is severely damaged by chemicals or being pulled out from the extensions.

I specifically enjoy creating looks that fit in well with my guest’s lifestyle. If they don’t intend on being in the salon every four to five weeks, then we will work together to create a personalized color and cut that will work within the maintenance schedule that is best for them.

I love that day in and day out when I am doing my work, I get to also make people feel their best. Some may think that the beauty industry is vain and of course it can be but when you can give someone a cut that makes their thinning hair look fuller or add in a row of extensions for a guest that doesn’t have thick hair it really can give them a huge boost of confidence. We put a lot of ourselves into our hair and it can even make other’s think differently about us. For instance, a vibrant color can allow us the confidence to take charge of a situation at work. Having a look that fits your personality can truly let you shine as bright as you are supposed to.

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When I moved to Phoenix I was very strategic on how I wanted to find the salon I would work at. I wanted to find a space with like minded individuals who cared as much as I did for my guests and business. There are a lot of very toxic people in the beauty industry and I have worked with my fair share so I knew that just because a space looks beautiful or people do great hair there it doesn’t mean that it will be a good fit for you. The first thing I did in looking for a salon was search through salons who carried product lines or colors I wanted to work with. From there I looked at all the things my future guests would look into. I looked at their Instagram pages, websites, yelp, etc. I found a lot of great salons and the funny thing is the salon I chose was actually on my radar because I thought that it was a salon that I would want to go to if I was a guest. They didn’t carry anything I was familiar with but when I spoke with the owner Erika I knew this was a place where I would be challenged to grow as a stylist and at the same time have the freedom to work the way I wanted to. When you are a seasoned stylist it can be hard to take a step back and work for someone else but the way that we are all able to be the professionals that we are has created a culture that is unmatched by any other business. I am so happy that I found my salon home and look forward to all the amazing things we have in store for our future.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think the best strategy for building your clientele in this day and age is just being your authentic self. It can be hard to figure that one out because we are taught to follow trends and we often look at what everyone else is doing, completely losing sight of ourselves. It ebbs and flows to be honest. Social media is a large part of running a business today and it can be absolutely invigorating or completely draining. We have so much knowledge and expertise at our finger tips but at the same time we are overloaded with information. We all just need to keep things simple. Be yourself and you will find your people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katieamezquita.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/katieamezquita
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/arcane-hair-parlour-phoenix

Image Credits
Studio Devires