We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexa Pettit a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I’m a gratuity free hairstylist, which is definitely not the norm, but I think it’s a slowly growing trend. Traditionally hairstylists have been tipped, since we often were commission based employees, and only getting paid a small portion of the money we were bringing into the salon. As the industry shifts to more stylists being self-employed, and managing their own profits, I don’t think tipping should be the norm. In my opinion, if hairstylists want clients to respect and see value in our pricing- we need to be setting it based on our overhead costs and our labor/time, and stop expecting clients to tell us our value with their tips. My clients have never said anything negative about it, and many have even said they will happily pay a higher priced service if they don’t have to tip on top of it. They’re able to plan and budget for it and I as the stylist am better able to predict my income.

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 stumbled into hair- I went to college to get my generals done, and slowly started to only attend my art classes, which led me to drop out to “take a gap year to figure out my plan”. About 2 weeks in to the cosmetology program, I knew that hair would be my life.
I love the creativity, and the endless possibilities of this industry. Hair is so personal, and I feel so lucky that I can be the person that my clients put their trust in.
Hair can be life changing in some moments, and just pure fun and expression in others. My day to day clients sometimes see me more for “maintenance” on themselves, to keep themselves feeling and looking great. They look forward to their appointments and we have great connections, but it is just a small part of their routine. It’s still very important, and sometimes it can be the only part of their month that they’re looking forward to- and I never take that for granted.
For my bridal clients, this is often one of the most important hairstyles they will ever have done. It will be a part of a very big day and moment for them. They’ll look back on it in photos for the rest of their lives, and pass those photos on to their children. And that’s something that I don’t ever take lightly.
Being a stylist can be a lot of pressure- but at the end of the day- it’s just hair and it can be changed. Hair is a constantly changing piece of art. It won’t ever look the exact same from minute to minute, because it’s living your life with you. I love that it’s never a “finished” piece of art.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The biggest factor in growing my clientele, has been consistency. I personally use social media, mostly Instagram, to market and connect with existing and potential clients. But it’s one thing to post a pretty hair picture here and there and another to show up consistently. Having a plan and following through with that plan is what makes things happen. Reaching out to clients and connecting with them, showing your true personality and life is huge as well. Clients won’t stick with you because you do good hair- a lot of people do good hair. Clients will stick with you because of you. So let them know you.
It can take a while for potential clients to feel comfortable taking the step to book with you, but showing up consistently will make that happen quicker.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Covid definitely shook things up for everyone. I was a commission stylist for about 2 years when the salon I was at closed permanently, in the fall of 2020. I had always wanted to stay as a commission stylist for as long as possible. I didn’t think I would be able to make any money or reach any level of success on my own. However, that salon closing forced me to reassess all of my goals and plans, and I’m so thankful that it did. I probably would have still been a commission stylist (which is by no means a bad thing) and would have never opened my own salon, or taken half the risks I have since.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bleachbombhair.com
• Instagram: @bleachbombhair