Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Bellinder . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
I started my professional hairstyling career by enrolling in cosmetology school in June of 2005. I graduated from UCF with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in December 2004. I was always doing my friends hair, whether a hairstyle or coloring, all throughout college. I had no intentions of doing hair professionally until more and more people kept telling me I was in the wrong profession. It wasn’t until after I graduated college, and my first job in journalism didn’t work out for me that I decided to go to cosmetology school. Looking back I wish I would have known I could have dually enrolled in cosmetology school while I was in high school. Then I could have worked as a hairstylist to pay my way through college. I have no regrets in getting my degree from UCF. I feel like that experience helped shape who I am today, but having my cosmetology license sooner I could have started making good money much sooner.

Amanda, 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’m 39 years old (turning 40 in September) I have 2 children, one stepson, and a baby boy due in March. I’ve owned my own hair salon since 2014 and been professionally licensed since 2006. Money definitely motivates me. I’m a workaholic to an extent, but I love to travel and take vacations. Work hard play hard is my mentality. I love my clients who have been so loyal to me since starting this amazing career. They are the ultimate reason for my success. I got to a point in my career where I was turning business away, so that’s when I opened my salon so I could help other stylists build there clientele. I definitely have a gift of being able to decipher what most clients who sit in my chair actually want. And if not I’m able to explain to them the best course of action to get them where they want to be. I think what sets me apart from others is my brutal honesty. I’m going to tell you everything I know so you can understand why you can’ or can’t have the same hair as the picture you brought in. I’m proud to have survived this pandemic and excited for what the future holds. We have a wonderful group of extremely talented veteran stylists and a few new stylists ready to launch their careers. I’m proud of my steady clientele and the continued flow of new clients that I’m able to pass along to the stylists building their business. I teach stylists how to manage their own book of clients and set them up for essentially running their own business within a business. The stylists at Amanda Lynn & Co. have the flexibility to choose their own hours and work as hard as they want to, for the most part. I encourage everyone to hustle hard in the beginning so you can have more flexibility as your build your clientele. I love working alongside fellow stylists and being in a group salon where we get to see all kinds of personalities coming through the salon.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think a lot of us had to pivot during this pandemic. Our businesses completely shut down and we were not allowed to work. Or not supposed to anyway. For a period of time I didn’t work, and our doors were shut. I was unable to obtain any PPP or disaster loans so I was tired of sitting and doing nothing, so against the rules, I went back to work and my clients followed me. We slowly started taking secret appointments at the salon and the other stylists followed suit. There were some that were scared to come back to a salon environment, so I ended up losing some good girls because they wanted a more private setting. However I didn’t want to give up the salon camaraderie, and neither did a few of my other stylists. So we came up with a plan to keep the salon open and all of us continuing to work together. I’m forever grateful to the girls who stuck it out with me through the pandemic, and I wish nothing but the best to the ones who moved on. We’re still thriving thankfully two years later. I’m also thankful to the clients who, during a time of uncertainty, still wanted to get their hair done and managed to pay me for my services!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Prices for hair services have gone up significantly over the years. The days of a $65 hilight are long gone. Clients bring in sophisticated photographs of complicated hair goals and expect us to deliver in a timely fashion, and nowadays it’s gonna cost you. As independent stylists, we pay our own taxes, we don’t get paid vacation or health insurance. No 401k, no employer benefits. We have to have the most innovative products, which can be very expensive. We have to stay in the know and take advanced education classes so we stay current. We have to be active on social media because let’s face it that’s how you build a lot of your clients these days. So my point being that we have to charge higher prices because being an independent hairstylist is nothing like working in the corporate world. We work 24/7 and have to pay our entire way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @amandalynnco
• Facebook: Amanda Lynn & Co. hair & makeup artistry