We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Finn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Shannon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
I love the quote by Maya Angelou that says “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Shannon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was getting my hair cut 20 years ago and as my stylist and I were having a conversation she looked me in the face and said “have you ever thought about becoming a hairstylist” and within a few weeks I enrolled into beauty school after graduating college with a liberal arts degree from Temple University. Before I even left beauty school I knew I wanted to focus on short hair. I loved cutting short hair and it came natural to me. I loved women’s short hair and the details that made it feminine, I loved men’s short hair and the details that made it masculine, and I loved non binary hair and working in and out of the masculine and feminine to keep it more androgynous. The details in short hair can really change an entire look and an entire vibe that the client is projecting from within. I always say, “I’m trying to take what you feel on the inside and let it show on the outside” People want to be seen for how they feel deep down inside. I love working with difficult cowlicks, hairlines and thinning hair. It brings me so much joy, to solve these challenges with my clients or learn to accept and embrace some of the things we cannot change about ourselves. I love my job. I have been doing hair for 19 years and everyday is different. I get to meet all kinds of amazing people in my chair. Some people I will only see once in this lifetimes and others will come back again and again every two, four or six weeks. I love getting to know the people who sit in my chair. Everyone has a story that deserves to be heard even if their story is just sitting in silence enjoying treating themselves to an amazing professional hair care experience. My authenticity and willingness to strive for perfecting, reaching your hair goals is always MY goal. My haircuts grow out better than a lot of haircuts you will experience in your lifetime!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing my business so far is when I tend to put a lot of effort into growing myself. Going to therapy and healing old hurt, but also diving into new situations that force me to grow and learn new techniques for cutting or coloring hair, or steeping out of my comfort zone and engaging with social media authentically.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is that you have to continue to raise your prices to match your talent and experience level in this industry. It it very hard to know a client for years and then raise their price. You get to know some people in such a special way, it can be hard to ask them to pay you more. But when you don’t continue to raise your prices you loose yourself, become resentful and want to leave the industry. At the end of the day I have to have boundaries that will keep me safe, my family financially supported and clients safe too. Boundaries are there to protect the both of us. You continue to get an elevated and amazing service/haircut and I do not grow resentful. It’s a fine line and at times has to be redefined over and over again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shannonfinn.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: @shorthairshannon
Image Credits
Self