We recently connected with Bridget Furphy and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bridget, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
When I was in beauty school in 2014, I decided I wanted to make a hair Instagram so I could show off everything I was learning. I remember one of my fellow classmates making fun of me for “making a hair page.” I decided to name my Instagram “Basic hair page” it was both cliché and memorable, so I ran with it. 10 years later, I now own a hair salon that I named Basic Studios LLC!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am 28 years old. I’m married to the love of my life, Antonio, who has been by my side for the past ten years! We have a mini Old English bulldog, Ben, who is 4 years old. Benny is my salon dog. He comes to work with me every day. All my clients love him! Sometimes we joke that clients really come to see Ben and getting their hair done is secondary.
Two days after I graduated from beauty school I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to start at a small salon with my own chair. The only clientele I had at the time were my friends and family but I was determined to succeed. On days when I didn’t have any appointments, I would have my family members or friends come in and do crazy transformations on them so I could post it on social media. I posted every single thing I did. I never said no, even to a hair challenge that made me extremely nervous.
I worked at that small salon for six years and built up an amazing clientele, strictly from social media. I had a few walk-ins, but 90% of my clients all came from Instagram.
Then 2020 hit and everything changed. In March the salon shut down and I was at home. At this point, I was very nervous that the beauty world was dying out.
I didn’t do hair for almost a year. I was very confused as to what my next step should be. In July, when the salon I was working at decided to reopen, I wasn’t comfortable going back. I told my boss I was going to leave the salon. I packed up all my things and went home. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do. I decided to turn the second bedroom in my little apartment into a salon room and started doing hair again. It felt right, however, after a few months of working by myself, I realized that I missed the salon environment and I knew it was time for me to open up my own salon.
The building next to my apartment had a beautiful 1,400 sq ft commercial space that had been empty for years. I had a good relationship with the landlord, who had been my neighbor for 6+ years. I mentioned that I was looking for a store front to rent and he offered me his property. I was so excited, I agreed on the spot!
I got the keys a week later, started renovations and opened up Basic Studios LLC one month later!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Throughout my career I had to learn that people talk a big game and make you think that they have your best interest in mind, however, at the end of the day, the only thing they really care about is what benefits them. A quote that stays with me is “everyone wants to see you to do good, but not better than them”.
Don’t let outside opinions make decisions for you. If you want something, go and make it happen! Follow your dreams!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think the most important thing in this industry are relationships. I truly value how important each relationship with each individual client is. At this point in my career, I’ve been working with some of my clients for almost 10 years. They are more like friends to me than clients. Getting your hair done is not just about how your hair looks at the end of the appointment, but how comfortable you feel during that entire process. I strive to make people feel their absolute best the entire time they’re at my salon both inside and out! There is a lot more to each individual than what you see in the mirror!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/basichairpage