We recently connected with Megan Farzaneh and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

It all started at Escape Halloween in 2018. I loved my day 1 costume but wasn’t sure what to do for day 2. So I decided to make my hair the main piece ,consisting of braids with jewelry/charms.

By the time I got back to my hotel, I was exhausted and didn’t feel like taking them out. They lasted about 3 weeks and by that point all my friends had some too.

Anytime we went out together, we looked branded, and it became the inside joke of our group. That’s when “Branded Braids” came to mind.

I kept that name for a few years, but it didn’t really connect. One day I was working on a wig and the name “Festival Hair Queen” flooded my brain.

The name was available on social platforms, so I emailed my lawyer for documents and never looked back. I would say the name stuck a lot better than Branded Braids but I still use that term when referring to my signature hairstyle.

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?

My love for this industry began super early, my dad has always owned a salon and I grew up visiting him there all the time.

In 2015 I graduated from high school, was working in the salon, and attending beauty school.

By 2018 my experience had grown and I was working on set/with influencers as well as doing festival hair and incorporating one of a kind jewelry.

2020 (Covid) I started customizing synthetic and human hair wigs with my signature style for customers all over the world.

When 2021 began, I had sold over 100 wigs and was eventually getting back into my day-to-day ventures.

Lately I’ve been consumed working with a music festival company, bringing salon/beauty bar activations to their events all around the country. My role consisted of scouting, hiring, and training 200+ employees and was also the lead hairstylist for their campaign shoots.

My ascension to this stage in life would be considered a bit unorthodox. Most people choose one lane, but I really couldn’t decide between being a travel stylist, on set, behind the chair, or selling niche creations remote.

You can do anything you want, as long as you tackle one at a time. Many people told me I wouldn’t be successful if I didn’t put all my energy into one expertise. But I didn’t listen to them and eventually found a way to balance it all.

Your customer must be the main priority, this is the only way to stay successful when juggling so many clients/jobs.

Drastic transformations are my safe space, and I take pride in being experienced/well versed with all hair types. Working smarter not harder is very important, but I will never compromise my canvas!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I set extremely high standards because they reflect the respect that I expect. Being prepared, punctual, efficient, reliable, and accountable are the basics.

You don’t always need a fancy salon or big team to execute great work. Some of my best creations have happened in kitchens and hotel bathrooms.

The art will speak for itself. But being present and dedicating my entire focus to the project on ensures the client is heard.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The pandemic was definitely the heaviest career shift. At the time, I was assisting my dad in the salon and taking my own clients.

I was itching to create. So when we had to put the business on pause, I reached out my fiancées artist who owned a wig company.

She gave me 5 wigs, I styled them all entirely different. We posted each one at a time on Instagram and every single one of them sold in less than a minute.

We continued this for a few years but she ended up selling the business and moving to Asia. We parted on great terms and will always have that amazing memory.

Although that time of the year was really bad for a lot of people, my business is grateful for that chapter. I was able to cultivate my craft and become an expert in my niche.

Contact Info:

• Website: Festivalhairqueen.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/festivalhairqueen