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

Hi Tasha , thanks for joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

I often say that my career is, as much or more, about customer service as it is doing good hair. As a result, I’ve always made customer experience a priority. Unlike some customer service industries (such as retail sales and fast food), customers are generally happy to see us and treat us kindly. There is one particular day though, that I would honestly like to scrub from my memory! My experience with two long time clients on this day actually changed how I view customer service in the context of being a small business owner.

In May 2020, I reopened the salon after being closed for 3 months due to a global pandemic. Many will remember this being a pretty scary time. Because I am considered high risk, I was particularly nervous, due to the inability to maintain social distance when working behind the chair. But…the bills were not going to pay themselves.

My partner and I set our safety and sanitation protocols (which included masks for both clients and stylists) and communicated this to every client as we opened our doors to the public once again. At this stage of the pandemic, we were keeping our front door locked and only allowing one guest at a time into the salon. This enabled us to keep surface touches to a minimum. On this day, I go to the door to meet my very first client of the day, and she’s not wearing a mask. She’s insisting that “her doctor advises her not to wear a mask since she has asthma and it makes it hard for her to breathe.” After a couple moments of back and forth, I let her know that if she refused to wear her mask, I would cancel her appointment and charge her the full price since she was notified of the safety protocols when booking her appointment. Fine. She wears the mask. Over the next 2 hours we spent in the salon together, she’s telling me about how she’s going to a wedding that weekend and all of the stores she needs to visit to get ready for said wedding. We get to the end of the appointment, and as I’m collecting her payment she says to me “technically I’m supposed to be quarantined right now. I was notified yesterday that I was exposed to COVID-19″…..the way my blood pressure went UP!!! I’m rarely at a loss for words, but I was literally stunned into silence. I thanked her, scheduled her next appointment and sent her on her way. It took me a couple of days to process my emotions. When the fog lifted, I felt violated and disrespected. This felt like if “tell me you don’t care about me, without telling me” was a person. I was LIVID and I was hurt that a client of 10 years would put me (and the people at the wedding and stores she was headed to after me) at risk. I ended up canceling her next appointment and sending her a text, letting her know that she would need to find a new stylist, then I blocked her.
Later that SAME DAY (lol), while I was finishing up with my final client of the day, my business partner brought my mail. One of the pieces of mail is a plain white envelope with my information handwritten on the front, but no return address. I almost threw it away, and I wish that I had tbh. Inside was a letter, written to me by another long-time client who was triggered by a pair of Black Lives Matter earrings I’d been wearing. The letter was 3 pages long, handwritten, single spaced and began “I hate to do this but I won’t be coming back to your shop. After Thursday I realized you are into BLM too much and I refuse to support that violent group!” She then proceeds to write a disgusting, racist, hate filled rant, which also included threats. Receiving this letter put an exclamation point on an already stressful and traumatic day. It also taught me a very valuable lesson about customer service and entrepreneurship.
That day reminded me that my business is not a big box store, who has to cater to any and every one who wants service. No one is entitled to my time, space or energy, and just because they walk through the door, doesn’t mean I owe them service. In hindsight, I should have refused service to the first guest when she showed a lack of respect for my safety protocols. I absolutely should have refused service to the second client when she displayed racist tendencies on the very first day I met her. Diplomacy and customer service are important, but when a client is making me uncomfortable, I don’t owe them anything. Lessons were learned, and drinks were drunk on that day!

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?

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for over 25 years. I went to college to be an elementary school teacher, and then realized I didn’t like children as much as I’d thought. Teachers are truly everyday hero’s and I have the utmost respect for them. I went to beauty school on a whim, and I always say “if I’d known how much science and math was involved, I would have definitely chosen a different field”! I’m glad I didn’t know, because I absolutely feel that I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I’ve said it a million times…this is the greatest industry on earth, and I will never be able to pour back into it what it has given me, though I do intend to try.

When I’m “behind the chair, I create beautiful hair for busy people. Meaning, you can typically get into my chair within the week. My first salon job was on campus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Like many college campuses, it was extremely diverse, so I am skilled at a wide variety of textures. That definitely sets me apart from many stylists who, often, can only perform their specialty on a specific hair type. If you consider your hair difficult and need a hair color, cut, keratin treatment or tape-in extensions, I’m your girl.

I’m most proud of being an example for my children and grandchildren of what a successful entrepreneur looks like. The core vision of my brand is approaching each interaction with integrity, humanity and purpose, and I work hard to make sure each of my guests experiences my brand in that way.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

According to the statistics, I’m definitely not supposed to be here. I was a divorced/single mom of 2 by the time I was 23 years old. At one point, fleeing the town and job that I loved with only the things that would fit in my car to escape an abusive partner. The fact that I not only survived, but thrived, is a testament to my resilience. Today, I donate services to people housed at domestic violence shelters and am a member of Cut it Out, an organization which trains hairstylists to recognize and help to provide resources for survivors of domestic abuse. I definitely want to be an example that todays circumstances do not dictate tomorrow’s outcome.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

When I quit my job on June 6, 2011 the nation was in economic malaise. Due to signing a non-compete clause, I had zero clients., so it was important to not only receive repeat clients, but also referral business. Every single customer who walked in the door received a handwritten thank you card (through “snail mail”), signed by me, for the first 7 years of business. The majority of my repeat business came because people felt so special that I would take the time to thank them in that way. To this day, I take after photos of every guest, and text them a “thank you for allowing me to serve you message. This lets them know that I appreciate their business AND gives them a nice photo to share on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tasha-davis.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trimzonawhim007/