Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Courtney Ramos. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Courtney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
I feel as though there are many challenges to profitability in our industry, but the two main ones would be keeping up with rising costs of overhead/supplies, and also charging our worth. Especially in current times, inflation has caused us to significantly adjust prices of our services in order to even make a profit and not just break even. Even a simple color service uses so many supplies and it can add up. And as far as charging our worth, it can be intimidating raising prices when needed and risking losing clients. We have such personal connections with our clients that raising prices can feel wrong or greedy. But we have to remember that we put so much of our time, money, and passion into our work that our prices should reflect that.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I decided to start cosmetology school about a year after I graduated from high school. The traditional college route just wasn’t clicking for me and I always had an inkling for something creative, hands on, and innovative. I was already doing haircuts and updos for friends at home and felt like I had a knack for it. What I didn’t expect is to still be in this industry, 16 years later, with a passion that still grows everyday. I am now an independent stylist at a great studio where ive been for the last 9 years, and specialize in balayage highlights, dimensional color, and extensions. I am always learning, and being inspired by other stylists which keeps me on my toes and stops be from being complacent. I love what I do because not only am I able to create and be inspired daily, I also have built such great relationships with my clients, and genuinely love to spend my days listening to their stories, and making them feel beautiful. I also love that the flexibility of having this job means I’m able to have an amazing work/life balance and still spend ample time with my husband and new baby boy. I’m always up for a challenge and there’s no greater feeling than nailing a color and seeing the smile on my clients face.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
In my experience, the most effective strategy in growing clientele was and still is word of mouth. You can do all the marketing and advertising you want, but I’ve found that if you provide a good service, and treat people with kindness, eventually they will do the advertising for you. All it takes is one or two people that tell their friends, who tell their friends and so on.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Like many people, covid shutdowns throughout the year of 2020 really affected our industry. I was unable to work in the salon for a total of almost 6 months out of the year. But within the first week of being “unemployed” I knew I had to pivot to try to stay afloat. I immediately took to social media to advertise that I was offering “at home color kits” to provide for my clients. I set up kits and dropped them off on their doorstep with instructions. I also sold gift certificates for future services so that I could get some sort of current cash flow. And even unrelated to my actual industry, I started a side business reselling thrifted home goods and built an awesome little community of friends through it. I’m not one to sit around and mope about things going wrong, so I had to do something to keep my mind busy, my hands creating, and my pockets still full.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @courtneyr.hairstylist